WIMMER, Ludvig Frands Adalbert. Ringkøbing on Jutland west coast 7.2.1839 — Copenhagen 29.4.1920. Danish Linguist. Son of Adalbert Ernst W., a customs officer, and Karoline Henriette Petersen. Educated in Kolding and Ribe. Studied at Copenhagen Germanics, classics, comparative linguistics and Sanskrit (under Westergaard), even Arabic and Hebrew. Ph.D. there 1868. From 1871 PD in comparative linguistics, from 1875 in Nordic Philology at Copenhagen. After Westergaard‘s death in 1878 he applied for the chair of Sanskrit, but lost it to Fausbøll. In 1886-1910 Professor of Nordic Philology at Copenhagen, in 1891-1910 also Rector of the university. Married 1868 Anine Elise Sophie Borch.

Wimmer is best remembered as Runic scholar. He was a great admirer of Rask..

Publications: Diss. on Old Danish declension. 1868.

– Ed. Rask, “Udsigt over den iranske, indiske og malebariske sprogklasse. Med Tillæg af L.W.”, Tijdskr. for Philol. or Paed. 4, 1863.

– Rasmus Kristian Rask. Copenhagen 1887.

– Much on runes, germanistics and linguistics.

Sources: P. Diderichsen, Dansk Biogr. Lex. 2nd ed. 26, 1944, 35-45; E. Pauly, Køb. Univ. 8, 1992, 537; Danish Wikipedia with photo.