author
Ernst Ludwig Rochholz
1809–1892
A German-born Swiss historian and folklorist, he devoted much of his life to collecting legends, customs, and traditional songs from the German-speaking world. His work helped preserve everyday folklore that might otherwise have disappeared.
1 Audiobook
Drei Gaugöttinnen
by Ernst Ludwig Rochholz
About the author
Born in Ansbach on March 4, 1809, Ernst Ludwig Rochholz became known as a historian, folklorist, and scholar of Germanic tradition. He studied law in Munich, but political troubles pushed him to move to Switzerland, where he built the career for which he is best remembered.
From 1836 he taught at the cantonal school in Aarau. Over the years he published widely on legends, mythology, dialect, and popular tradition, including collections of Swiss tales and studies of children's songs and customs. His writing shows a lasting interest in the beliefs and stories of ordinary people, not just official history.
Rochholz died in Aarau in 1892. Though less widely read today than some of his contemporaries, he remains an important figure in the early study of folklore in Switzerland and the German-speaking world.