Dr. Silvie Lang wins Lutz Röhrich Prize for fairy tale research!

Dr. Silvie Lang wins Lutz Röhrich Prize for fairy tale research!

On September 30, 2025, Dr. Silvie Lang with that Lutz Rohrich Prize from the Walter Kahn Fairy Tale Foundation in Munich. The honor goes to her remarkable dissertation with the title “The fairy tales from the estate of Franz Xaver Schönwerth. Source criticism, genre typology, history of tradition and motifs”. This work examines almost 500 fairy tale texts that were collected in the Upper Palatinate in the 19th century by the important folklorist Franz Xaver Schönwerth.

Schönwerth, born on July 16, 1810 in Amberg and died on May 24, 1886 in Munich, is considered one of the most famous folklorists in his region. He left a vivid picture of the Upper Palatinate population in his works, especially in the three-volume work “From the Upper Palatinate - Sitters and Legends”, which was published between 1857 and 1859. His research covered a wide range of topics, including legends, fairy tales and rural life of the time. These biographical and scientific backgrounds are essential for understanding Lang's dissertation.

Thematic focuses of the dissertation

Lang's study is not only a text-philological analysis, but also offers a classification of fairy tales. It addresses specific historical and mythological features of the Schönwerth fairy tales in comparison to the well-known collections of the Brothers Grimm. An important aspect of the dissertation is the discussion of the interplay between orality and writing, as well as the role of religion as a central motif.

The dissertation also includes an appendix that provides a transcription of the fairy tale writings, which is of great importance for further research. This academic debate reflects the Fairy Tale Foundation's goal of promoting young academics in folklore-historical-comparative narrative research.

The Lutz Röhrich Prize

The Lutz Röhrich Prize, which has been awarded annually since 1994, is endowed with 2,500 euros and supports promising work in the field of narrative research. The jury decides on the award based on submitted works that have not already received an award and emphasizes the importance of self-applications and suggestions from university lecturers. The prize is named after the renowned folklorist Lutz Röhrich, who played an important role in promoting fairy tale research and was himself a winner of the European Fairy Tale Prize ( Wikipedia ).

The award ceremony traditionally takes place as part of the Fairy Tale Days in Volkach and contributes to the visibility of research in the area of ​​oral traditions and folklore. The list of prize winners to date illustrates the diversity and wealth of contributions to fairy tale research in Germany.

Silvie Lang's award is not only a personal achievement, but also helps to keep the legacy of Franz Xaver Schönwerth alive and to further promote folklore research in the Upper Palatinate.