# Stig Wikander

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Swedish Indologist and Iranologist

Stig Wikander Born (1908-08-27)27 August 1908 Norrtälje, Sweden Died 20 August 1983(1983-08-20) (aged 74) Uppsala, Sweden Partner Gunnel Heikel Children 3 Academic background Alma mater Uppsala University Thesis Der Arische Männerbund (1938) Academic advisor Henrik Samuel Nyberg Influences Otto Höfler Academic work Discipline Indo-European studies Indology Iranology Institutions Uppsala University Notable students Bo Utas Jaan Puhvel Main interests Indo-Iranian religion Influenced Georges Dumézil

**Oscar Stig Wikander** (27 August 1908 – 20 December 1983) was a Swedish [Indologist](/source/Indology), [Iranologist](/source/Iranian_studies) and [religious scientist](/source/Religious_studies).

## Biography

Stig Wikander was born in [Norrtälje](/source/Norrt%C3%A4lje), Sweden on 27 August 1908, the son of a pharmacist. After graduating from high school in [Uppsala](/source/Uppsala) at seventeen, Wikander enrolled at [Uppsala University](/source/Uppsala_University), where he received an [MA](/source/Master's_degree) in [Latin](/source/Latin) and [Greek](/source/Greek_language) [summa cum laude](/source/Summa_cum_laude) at the age of eighteen.[1] His mentor at Uppsala was [Henrik Samuel Nyberg](/source/Henrik_Samuel_Nyberg).[2] Wikander subsequently went to [Paris](/source/Paris), [Berlin](/source/Berlin) and [Copenhagen](/source/Copenhagen).[1] In Paris he became a member of the prestigious [Société Asiatique](/source/Soci%C3%A9t%C3%A9_Asiatique).[2] At the [University of Copenhagen](/source/University_of_Copenhagen) he studied under [Arthur Christensen](/source/Arthur_Christensen).[1]

While still young, Wikander gained a reputation as a brilliant scholar with deep knowledge across a wide range of fields. In 1935–1936, Wikander and [Geo Widengren](/source/Geo_Widengren) arranged [Avesta](/source/Avesta) seminars at the Uppsala University under Nyberg. Wikander gained his [PhD](/source/PhD) in [Iranian languages](/source/Iranian_languages) and [religions](/source/Iranian_religions) at Uppsala University in 1938. His PhD examined lexical evidence in [Sanskrit](/source/Sanskrit) and the [Avestan language](/source/Avestan_language) on the importance of young warrior bands among the [Indo-Iranians](/source/Indo-Iranians). It was published in [German](/source/German_language) under the title *Der Arische Männerbünde* (1938). Wikander's thesis was much influenced by the research of the Austrian philologist [Otto Höfler](/source/Otto_H%C3%B6fler), who taught German at [Lund University](/source/Lund_University) from 1928 to 1934. From 1938 to 1939, Wikander taught [Swedish](/source/Swedish_language) at the [University of Munich](/source/University_of_Munich), where Höfler was a professor of [German philology](/source/German_philology) and [folklore](/source/German_folklore).[1]

In 1941, Wikander published his study on the Indo-Iranian wind god [Vayu](/source/Vayu). He was subsequently appointed [Docent](/source/Docent) of [Indo-Iranian languages](/source/Indo-Iranian_languages) at Lund University. After [World War II](/source/World_War_II), Wikander served as a [Red Cross](/source/Red_Cross) delegate in [Greece](/source/Greece) and [Turkey](/source/Turkey).[1]

In 1947, together with linguist [Bertil Malmberg](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertil_Malmberg_(fonetiker)), Wikander co-founded the journal *[Studia Linguistica](/source/Studia_Linguistica)*. From 1947 to 1948, Wikander taught the history of religions as a visiting professor at Uppsala University. In 1953, Wikander was appointed Chair of Sanskrift and [Comparative](/source/Comparative_linguistics) [Indo-European Philology](/source/Indo-European_studies) at the Uppsala University. He also served as a visiting professor at [Columbia University](/source/Columbia_University) (1959–1960) and [El Colegio de México](/source/El_Colegio_de_M%C3%A9xico) (1967). Wikander was a close friend of the historian of religion [Mircea Eliade](/source/Mircea_Eliade), with whom he corresponded frequently in [French](/source/French_language). Amongst the topics discussed between them is the idea to create a distinct science of religion separated from the field of [history of religion](/source/History_of_religion). Wikander was also close friend of [Georges Dumézil](/source/Georges_Dum%C3%A9zil), who had taught French at the Uppsala University from 1931 to 1933. The works of Wikander had a strong influence on Dumézil's research on [Indo-European religion](/source/Indo-European_religion). Prominent students of Wikander include [Folke Josephson](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Folke_Josephson&action=edit&redlink=1), [Gunilla Gren-Eklund](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gunilla_Gren-Eklund&action=edit&redlink=1) and [Bo Utas](/source/Bo_Utas).[1] Wikander was considered an [expert](/source/Germanic_studies) on [Germanic Antiquity](/source/Germanic_Antiquity).[3]

Wikander retired in 1974. He died in Uppsala on 20 December 1983.[1] The works of Wikander are still of importance to modern students of religion, particularly because he was able to draw upon a diverse number of primary sources in Greek, Latin, [Arabic](/source/Arabic_language), Indo-Iranian and other languages to build his arguments.[2]

## Personal life

Wikander was married to the nurse Gunnel Heikel (1911–1973). Together they had three daughters.

## See also

- [Jan de Vries](/source/Jan_de_Vries_(philologist))

- [Edgar C. Polomé](/source/Edgar_C._Polom%C3%A9)

- [Björn Collinder](/source/Bj%C3%B6rn_Collinder)

- [Vilhelm Grønbech](/source/Vilhelm_Gr%C3%B8nbech)

## Selected works

- *Der arische Männerbund : Studien zur indo-iranischen Sprach- und Religionsgeschichte*, Lund, Ohlsson, 1938 (Ph.D. thesis).

- *Vayu : Texte und Untersuchungen zur indo-iranischen Religionsgeschichte, t. 1. Texte*, Uppsala-Leipzig, 1941.

- *Gudinnan Anahita och den zoroastiska eldskulten*, Uppsala, 1942.

- *Feuerpriester in Kleinasien und Iran* (Acta Regia Societatis humaniorum litterarum Lundensis, 40), Lund, 1946.

- "Pāṇḍavasagan och Mahābhāratas mystiska förutsättningar", *Religion och Bibel* 6, 1947, pp. 27–39.

- *Araber, vikingar, väringar* (Svenska humanistiska förbundet 90), Lund, 1978.

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEUtasDuchesne-Guillemin2009_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEUtasDuchesne-Guillemin2009_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEUtasDuchesne-Guillemin2009_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEUtasDuchesne-Guillemin2009_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEUtasDuchesne-Guillemin2009_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEUtasDuchesne-Guillemin2009_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEUtasDuchesne-Guillemin2009_1-6) [Utas & Duchesne-Guillemin 2009](#CITEREFUtasDuchesne-Guillemin2009).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTETimus20059734–9737_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTETimus20059734–9737_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTETimus20059734–9737_2-2) [Timus 2005](#CITEREFTimus2005), pp. 9734–9737.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEStrutynski197429_3-0)** [Strutynski 1974](#CITEREFStrutynski1974), p. 29.

## Sources

- [Utas, Bo](/source/Bo_Utas); [Duchesne-Guillemin, Jacques](/source/Jacques_Duchesne-Guillemin) (July 15, 2009). ["WIKANDER, Oscar Stig"](https://iranicaonline.org/articles/wikander-oscar-stig). *[Encyclopædia Iranica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Iranica)*. Retrieved September 3, 2020.

- Strutynski, Udo (1974). ["History and Structure in Germanic Mythology"](https://books.google.com/books?id=gsTW-RedBx8C&pg=PA29). In [Larson, Gerald J.](/source/Gerald_James_Larson); [Puhvel, Jaan](/source/Jaan_Puhvel); [Littleton, C. Scott](/source/C._Scott_Littleton) (eds.). [*Myth in Indo-European Antiquity*](https://books.google.com/books?id=gsTW-RedBx8C). [University of California Press](/source/University_of_California_Press). pp. 29–50. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-520-02378-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-520-02378-1).

- Timus, Mihaela (2005). ["Wikander, Stig"](https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/wikander-stig). In Jones, Lindsay (ed.). *Encyclopedia of Religion*. Vol. 14 (2 ed.). [Macmillan Reference USA](/source/Macmillan_Inc.). pp. 9734–9736. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-02-865983-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-02-865983-X).

## Further reading

- Timuş, Mihaela (2002). ["Enigmaticul Stig Oscar Wikander"](http://www.romlit.ro/enigmaticul_stig_oscar_wikander). *[România Literară](/source/Rom%C3%A2nia_Literar%C4%83)* (in Romanian) (22). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1220-6318](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1220-6318).

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