C. (Carl) Witt

Born in Königsberg in 1815, Carl Witt was a German philologist, schoolteacher, and liberal political figure. Reference sources identify him as a classical scholar and Gymnasium teacher in East Prussia, and note that he died in Königsberg in 1891.

Witt is especially remembered by modern readers for works on classical mythology. English-language editions of his myth retellings, including Classic Mythology and Myths of Hellas; or, Greek Tales, helped bring Greek gods and heroic legends to a broader audience beyond specialist scholars.

That mix of scholarship and accessibility seems to be the key to his appeal: he wrote as someone deeply trained in the ancient world, but also as a teacher intent on making it readable and engaging.