About Ludvig Wimmer
Lived 1839 – 1920 (aged 81). Ludvig Wimmer was a Danish linguist, philologist, runologist and author.
Ludvig Frands Adalbert Wimmer (7 February 1839, Ringkøbing29 April 1920, Copenhagen) was a Danish linguist and runologist. He was the first modern runic scholar, publishing his work Runeskriftens oprindelse og udvikling i Norden in 1874. He proved that all runic alphabets went back to one basic futhark of 24 signs, which was known and used by all the Germanic tribes.
In the introduction to the second edition of his work Oldnordisk læsebog (1877), Wimmer discussed the issue of the normalisation of Old Icelandic and suggested a standard based on the language in the Old Icelandic Homily Book (c. 1200). This standard has been very influential and is the most used standard of normalisation today.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Ludvig Wimmer's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Ludvig Wimmer?
Danish linguist and runologist (1839–1920)
When was Ludvig Wimmer born?
Ludvig Wimmer was born on 7 February 1839 in Ringkøbing.
When did Ludvig Wimmer die?
Ludvig Wimmer died on 29 April 1920 in Copenhagen.
What was Ludvig Wimmer's occupation?
Ludvig Wimmer was a linguist, philologist, runologist and author.
What nationality was Ludvig Wimmer?
Ludvig Wimmer was Danish.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ludvig Wimmer. https://biography.guide/ludvig-wimmer/
MLA: "Ludvig Wimmer." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ludvig-wimmer/.
Chicago: "Ludvig Wimmer." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ludvig-wimmer/.
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