HERTEL, Johannes. Zwickau 13.3.1872 — Leipzig 27.10.1955. German Indologist. Professor in Leipzig. From 1891 Studies at Leipzig, of classics, German, English, French, and Indology (under Windisch). Ph.D. 1897 Leipzig. Taught modern languages as Oberlehrer at Realgymnasium in Zwickau and Döbeln. From 1919 Windisch’s successor as Professor of Indology at Leipzig. Retired in 1937 (succeeded by Fr. Weller). In the beginning he sympathized with the Nazis (but also strongly campaigned against the racist ideas of Mathilde Ludendorf), but is said to have changed his mind. Married with Ottilie Höhn (1879–1945), eight children.
Hertel was, beside Benfey, one of the best specialists of Indian narrative literature and a keen textual critic. The famous monograph on the Pañcatantra was the summit of his career. In addition, he studied Jaina narrative literature. His other fields of interest included Veda and classical Sanskrit literature, where he was productive as editor and translator. His translation and study of the Daśakumāracarita is an example. The origin of Indian drama he derived from Vedic dialogue hymns. Beside the usual Sanskrit he included sources in Gujarātī, Hindī and Urdū in his studies. He criticized many scholars (i.al. Bartholomae, Keith and Oldenberg) and with his sharp criticism turned many colleagues against him. In his later years Hertel mainly concentrated on the Avesta, but found little support with his one-sided fire and sun theories. Even Brahman he explained as fire. Soon his ideas became very conjectural, for instance with chronology. He proposed this in a number of detail studies (often in his own series, Indo-Iranische Quellen und Forschungen), but the promised synthesis never appeared. The Rigveda he dated around 500 BCE and was in fact created in Iran. To quote H. Scharfe (in McGetchin et al. 2004, 234) “Hertel’s work of his later years was absurd.” After 1938 he published only one short article. Among his students were R. Hauschild and Ch. Krause.
Publications: Diss. Über Text und Verfasser des Hitopadeśa. 40 p. Lp. 1897.
– Translated: Hitopadeśa. Die freundliche Belehrung. 256 p. Lp. 1895; Indische Gedichte. 197 p. St. 1900; Bunte Geschichten von Himalaja, von Somadeva aus Kaschmir. 220 p. Munich 1903; “Der kluge Vezier, kaschmirischer Volksroman”, Zeitschrift des Vereins für Volkskunde in Berlin 1908, 66-76, 160-177, 379-393; Tantrākhyāyika, die älteste Fassung des Pañcatantra. 1-2. 169+162 p. Lp. & B. 1909; Ausgewählte Erzählungen aus Hemacandras Pariśiṣṭaparvan. 12+272 p. Bibl. morgenl. Erz. 1. Lp. 1908; Jinakīrtis Geschichte von Pāla und Gopāla. 155 p. Lp. 1917; Indische Märchen. 1-2. Jena 1919; Kathāratnākara. Das Märchenmeer. Eine Sammlung indischer Erzählungen von Hemavijaya. 1-2. 21+284+304 p. Munich 1920; Die Weisheit der Upanischaden. 8+181 p. Munich 1921; Zwei indische Narrenbücher. 209 p. Indische Erzähler 5. Lp. 1922 (Bharaṭaka & Somadeva); Kaufmann Tschampaka von Dschinakîrti, Pâla und Gopâla von Dschinakîrti etc. 189 p. Lp. 1922; Zweiundneunzig Anekdote und Schwänke aus dem modernen Indien. 93 p. Ind. Erz. 9. Lp. 1922 (from Persian); Pañcâkhyânavârttika. Eine Sammlung volkstümlicher Märchen und Schwänke. 16+209 p. Ind. Erz. 6. Lp. 1923 (Old Guj.); Indische Märchen. 392 p. Die Märchen der Weltliteratur. Jena 1925.
– Edited: Über das Tantrākhyāyika, die Kaśmirische Rezension des Pañcatantra, mit dem Texte. 28+154 p. ASGW 22:5, 1904; Pañcatantra of Pūrṇabhadra, with parallel specimens and critical notes. 344+248+10 p. 19 sheets. H.O.S. 11-13. Cambridge, Mass. 1908-12; Tantrākhyāyika. Die älteste Fassung des Pañcatantra. 27+186 p. ASGW 12:2, 1910, and ed. minor, The Pañchatantra. A collection of Ancient Hindu Tales in its oldest Recension, the Kashmirian entitled Tantrakhyayika. 15+143 p. H.O.S. 14. Cambridge, Mass. 1915; Das südliche Pañcatantra. Sanskrittext der Recension ß. 97+140 p. ASGW 24:5, 1908; Bharatakadvātriṁśikā. 55 p. SFI 2. Lp. 1922; Pañcākhyānavārttika. 65 p. SFI 3. Lp. 1922 (in Old Gujarati).
– “Über die Jaina-Rezension des Pañcatantra”, SSGW 54, 1902, 23-134; “Eine vierte Jaina-Rezension des Pañcatantra”, ZDMG 57, 1903, 639-704; “Das südliche Pañcatantra”, ZDMG 58, 1904, 1-68, 60, 1906, 769-801, & 61, 1907, 18-72; “Einzelbemerkungen zu den Texten des Pañcatantra”, WZKM 25, 1911, 1-48, 332f.; “Indologische Analecta”, ZDMG 67, 1913, 609-629, 68, 1914, 64-84, & 69, 1915, 119-128, 289-299 (Pt.); “Ein altindisches Narrenbuch”, BVSGW 64, 1912, 1-67; many shorter articles on Pañcatantra tradition in ZDMG, WZKM, etc.
– Das Pañcatantra, seine Geschichte und seine Verbreitung. 18+459 p. Lp. & B. 1914
– “Der Ursprung des indischen Dramas und Epos”, WZKM 18, 1904, 59-83, 137-168; “Der Suparṇādhyāya, ein vedisches Mysterium”, WZKM 23, 1909, 273-346 & 24, 1910, 117-123; “A Note on Bhavabhūti and on Vākpatirāja”, AM 1, 1924, 1-23.
– With R. Schmidt, edited & transl.: “Amitagati’s Subhāṣitasaṁdoha”, ZDMG 1905.
– Edited & transl.: “Campakaśreṣṭhikathānaka”, ZDMG 65, 1911.
– “Die Aḵẖlāq-ĕ Hind und ihre Quellen”, ZDMG 72, 1918, 65-86; 74, 1920, 95-117; 75, 1921, 129-200 (the Urdū Hitopadésa, with text and translation)
– Translated: Die zehn Prinzen, ein indischer Roman von Daṇḍin. 1-3. 182+209+140 p. Ind. Erz. 1-3. Lp. 1922; Die Streiche des Berauschten. Satirische Posse von Mahêndra-Vikramavarman. 92 p. Ind. Dichter 1. Lp. 1925 (Mattavilāsa).
– “Das Brahman”, IF 41, 1923, 185-209.
– Die Zeit Zoroasters. 64 p. IIQF 1. Lp. 1924; Achämeniden und Kayaniden. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte Irans. 104 p. IIQF 5. Lp. 1924; Die Methode der arischen Forschung. 80 p. IIQF 6. Lp. 1926.
– Die Himmelstore im Veda und im Awesta. 68 p. IIQF 2. Lp. 1924; Die Arische Feuerlehre. 1. 188 p. IIQF 6. Lp. 1925; Die Sonne und Mithra im Awesta. 28+ 318 p. IIQF 9. Lp. 1927; Beiträge zur Erklärung des Awestas und des Vedas. 29+284 p. ASAW 40:2, 1929; Die awestischen Herrschafts- und Siegesfeuer. 15+ 206 p. ASAW 41:6, 1931.
– Edited: Muṇḍaka-Upaniṣad. 69+68 p. Indo-Iran. Quellen und Forsch. 3. Lp. 1924.
– Beiträge zur Metrik des Awestas und des Ṛgvedas. 4+98 p. ASAW 38:3, 1927; Yašt 14, 16, 17. Text, Übers. und Erl. 26+258 p. IIQF 7. Lp. 1931.
– Die awestischen Jahreszeitenfeste: Āfrīngān 3. 80 p. BVSAW 85:2, 1933; Der Planet Venus im Awesta. 107 p. BVSAW 87:1, 1935; Das indogermanische Neujahrsopfer im Veda. 190 p. BVSAW 90:1, 1938.
– “Einwanderung der Indogermanen nach Indien”, ArO 19:1-2, 1951, 207-212.
– Kleine Schriften. Hrsg. von B. Bomhoff. 50+641 p. Glasenapp-St. 43. Wb. 2007.
Sources: A. Hintze, Encyclop. Iranica 12:3, 2003, 288-290; Kl. Mylius, WZLeipzig 28:1, 1979, 56-62; *F. Neubert: “Johannes Hertel vs. Mathilde Ludendorff: Prozesse und Diskurse”, H. Brückner & K. Steiner (ed.), 200 Jahre Indienforschung – Geschichte(n), Netzwerke, Diskurse. Wb. 2012, 45-68; B. Schindler, bibliography until 1933, Asia Major 8, 1933, 1-22; Stache-Rosen 1990, 176f.; *F. Weller, JbSAW 1954/56, 259-262; briefly D.B.E. 4, 1996, 648; Wikipedia; photo in AM 8, Rau 94 and Indology in G.D.R. 1978, another in Sardesai, a third in Professorenkatalog der Universität Leipzig database.
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