WESENDONK, Otto-Günther von (born O.-G. Wesendonk). Berlin 3.10.1885 — Berlin (Wikip. St. Margarethen, Upper Bavaria) 11.7.1933. German Diplomat and Iranian Scholar. His father, Karl W., was knighted in 1900, mother was Eveline von Hessenstein. From 1903 studied at Berlin, Bonn and Heidelberg. Dr.jur. 1906 (diss. on Roman law). Now entered the foreign service, first in Morocco. In WW I served in Nachrichtenstelle für den Orient in Berlin. From 1918-25 German Consul General in Tbilisi (actually there only 1923-25). Ph.D. Bonn 1922/24. Dr.rer.pol. Legationsrat. Married 1914 Marie Jose da Silva Ferrão de Carvalho Martens (divorce 1921), one daughter and one son, and 1921 Freiin Margarethe von Möller-Lilienstein, one son. He was an Iranian scholar also interested in Georgia and in comparative religion.

Publications: Diss. Die Lehre des Mani. 86 p. Lp. 1922.

– Urmensch und Seele in der iranischen Überlieferung. 214 p. Hannover 1924; “Zum Ursprung des Manichaeismus”, Ephemerides Orientales 1926, 19 p.

– Das Wesen und die Lehre Zarathustras. 70 p. Lp. 1927; Religionsgeschichtliche Bedeutung des Yasna Haptanhaiti. 8+164 p. Bonn 1931; Das Weltbild der Iranier. 354 p. München 1933.

– “Die Verwendung einiger iranischer Götternamen im Manichäismus”, AO 7, 1929, 114-179; “The Kālavāda and the Zervanite System”, JRAS 1931, 53-109; “Bardesanes und Mani”, AO 10, 1932, 336-363; brief articles on Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism in ZII, Der neue Orient, etc.; many reviews on Iranian and Caucasian in OLZ.

– “Über georgisches Heidenthum”, Caucasica 1, 1924, 1-102 & 2, 1925, 121-130; Platon und d. Orient. 16 p. Der neue Orient. B. 1926; with Margarete von W. Aus dem kaukasischen Welt. 372 p. B. 1927.

– Auswärtige Politik. 8+187 p. B. 1926; other writings.

Sources: D.G.K. 1931; German Wikipedia.