Martin Puhvel was born on December 9, 1933, in Tallinn and died on December 7, 2016.
He was a literature researcher of Estonian origin.
Puhvel moved to Finland with his parents in 1944, thereafter to Sweden the same year and to Canada in 1949.
Martin studied at McGill University (Montreal) from 1949–1954; and Harvard University (Boston) from 1954–1958.
He was a lecturer at the McGill University for old and medieval English literature from 1957 to 1996.
Puhvel has been a professor since 1980 and professor emeritus since 1998.
He has published 52 works, including books “‘Beowulf’ and Celtic Tradition,” “The Crossroads in Folklore and Myth,” “Cause and Effect in ‘Beowulf'” and “‘Beowulf’: A Verse Translation and Introduction.”
Puhvel has lectured in Canada, the United States, England , and Italy.
Puhvel was a member of a number of academic organizations.
His brother is Jaan Puhvel.