Susanne Gödde

Prof. Dr. Susanne Gödde is a Professor of Religious Studies at the Free University of Berlin’s Institute for Religious Studies (WE 8) within the Department of History and Cultural Studies. She holds a W3-Professur since 2016 and serves as Principal Investigator in the Graduate College „Normativität, Kritik, Wandel“. Her academic journey includes habilitation at FU Berlin (2006) and professorships at LMU Munich (2008–2016).

• 1985–1993: Studied Greek Philology, German Studies, and Classical Archaeology at Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
• 1999: PhD in Greek Philology from Münster
• 2006: Habilitation at FU Berlin

Her research focuses on Ancient Greek Religion and Literature, Mythology, and its modern reception, with emphasis on tragedy, novels, and ritual practices. Current projects include DFG research groups on aetiological narratives and sacrificial theory. She explores foundation myths, sacrifice as cultural metaphor, and gender in religious contexts.

Recent publications analyze themes such as mythological origins (2025), virginity and violence in Greek novels (2025), rituals in tragedy (2023), and narrative contingency (2022). Her work bridges classical philology, religious studies, and cultural theory.

• Heidelberger Förderpreis für klassisch-philologische Theoriebildung
• Lise Meitner-Habilitationsstipendium des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen
• Promotionsstipendium der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster

As advisor, she has mentored PhD students Dr. Emrys Schlatter, Dr. Sebastian Zerhoch, and Dr. Stephanie Roberta Graf. Her outreach includes podcasts on ancient asylum, mythological themes, and public lectures on Homeric reception.