Linda Dégh relaxing during the 2005 ISCLR meeting in Athens, Georgia.
Linda Dégh, Distinguished Professor of Folklore at Indiana University, passed away in Bloomington, Indiana on August 19, 2014. Dr. Dégh’s numerous contributions to folktale and legend scholarship, both in North America and in Europe, made her a giant in her field. Her magnum opus, Legend and Belief (2001), presents her work in depth and detail, expressing appreciation for the legend-tellers she got to know. Dr. Dégh was proud of her students, many of whom became active legend scholars. She was an important, foundational member of ISCLR.
Obituaries that have been published so far include one by Dr. Janet L. Langlois in Contemporary Legend (New Series 3, volume 3, 2013, 100-103) and one by Dr. Elizabeth Tucker in the Journal of American Folklore (128:508, spring 2015, 222-224). Indiana University’s memorial to Dr. Dégh, including a tribute by Dr. Sabina Magliocco, can be found here.
