Bernhard Maier

Bernhard Maier (born 1963 in Oberkirch (Baden)) is a German professor of religious studies, who publishes mainly on Celtic culture and religion.

Maier studied comparative religion, comparative linguistics, Celtic and Semitic studies at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, University of Aberystwyth, the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn and University of London. He earned his PhD with a doctorate thesis on the Celtic concept of Kingship and its oriental parallels: "König und Göttin. Die keltische Auffassung des Königtums und ihre orientalischen Parallelen".

In 1998 he qualified as a professor at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University in Bonn with a habilitation thesis on the religion of the Celts: "Die Religion der Kelten: Götter, Mythen, Weltbild". He was rewarded with the Heisenberg Fellowship of the German Research Foundation (DFG) from 1999 to 2004. From 2004 to 2006 he was Reader and Professor of Celtic at the University of Aberdeen. Since 2006 he is Professor of religious studies and European history of religion at the University of Tübingen.