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Look at the actual tree chart "Genealogy of Myths". There are numerous Algonquian, Iroquoian, and Inuit examples from northeastern North America, a number of ex

Look at the actual tree chart "Genealogy of Myths". There are numerous Algonquian, Iroquoian, and Inuit examples from northeastern North America, a number of examples from southeastern North America, and a small cluster of cultures from Siberia and the Russian Far East. A common myth transmitted through North America and possibly the Russian Far East is very plausible—we have multiple lines of evidence of cultural transmission among the preColumbian cultures of North America, including language, technology, and other beliefs. Outside of that sphere? There's two Tuareg examples from North Africa, two Basque examples, and the Greek myth, which is represented by four(!) individual writers. It's certainly possible that there was some transmission of this myth around the Mediterranean, but... The Greek myth is apparently closely related to the Ojibwe example from the Great Lakes region(?). Let's also note that there is no other evidence of any cultural transmission between these groups and North America before the modern era. This is very implausible. Cultural practices can be invented as well as transmitted. How implausible is it that these represent independent inventions? Well, it's very common to relate constellations to animals, heroes, or divine beings. The constellations naturally follow each other through the sky, over the course of a night and over the course of seasons. Hunting was a primary subsistence activity in every pre-agricultural culture. These are not ideas that are hard to tie together. Note also the likelihood of chance resemblances between languages. http://www.zompist.com/chance.htm http://www.zompist.com/chance.htm

vannevar 10y ago
It's not unreasonable that there should be similar stories, given the ubiquity of hunting culture and the brilliant night skies. But consider the number of visible stars and the possible patterns they might be grouped into, and the number of possible interpretations of those patterns. It seems highly unlikely that both the Greeks and the Iroquois would independently group the stars we call Ursa Major into a single constellation associated with a bear. To the modern eye, it looks nothing like a bear, and the stars comprising it might be split into any number of combinations to make other constellations. It seems much more likely that either there was some kind of communication between the two cultures, or that they shared a common mythological origin that preceded both: the article's 'proto-myths', accompanied by proto-astronomy.
- panglott 10y ago
  Ursa Major is a very common constellation. It's identified in many way by many cultures: it's also common it identify it as a plow, cart, or wagon. To me it's just the Big Dipper. This is sort of like the birthday problem in statistics: It's overwhelmingly unlikely that two specific cultures would at random choose precisely the same identification. But it's extremely likely that of all cultures, there are two would choose the same identification. Real evidence of cultural contact between Ancient Greece and the Ojibwe would be a major breakthrough. But this is just random similarities.

vannevar 10y ago

It's not unreasonable that there should be similar stories, given the ubiquity of hunting culture and the brilliant night skies. But consider the number of visible stars and the possible patterns they might be grouped into, and the number of possible interpretations of those patterns. It seems highly unlikely that both the Greeks and the Iroquois would independently group the stars we call Ursa Major into a single constellation associated with a bear. To the modern eye, it looks nothing like a bear, and the stars comprising it might be split into any number of combinations to make other constellations. It seems much more likely that either there was some kind of communication between the two cultures, or that they shared a common mythological origin that preceded both: the article's 'proto-myths', accompanied by proto-astronomy.

panglott 10y ago
Ursa Major is a very common constellation. It's identified in many way by many cultures: it's also common it identify it as a plow, cart, or wagon. To me it's just the Big Dipper. This is sort of like the birthday problem in statistics: It's overwhelmingly unlikely that two specific cultures would at random choose precisely the same identification. But it's extremely likely that of all cultures, there are two would choose the same identification. Real evidence of cultural contact between Ancient Greece and the Ojibwe would be a major breakthrough. But this is just random similarities.