Comment évoluent les mythes

Les mythes semblent évoluer comme l'ADN. Ils se répandraient en partant d'une origine commune.

Evolutionary biologists have observed that most species do not change much for the greater part of their histories. When significant evolutionary change occurs, it is generally restricted to rare and very fast events of branching speciation. This phenomenon is called punctuated equilibrium. The same appears to hold true with myths. When sister mythological versions di­­verge rapidly because of migration bottlenecks, challenges from rival populations or new environmental and cultural inputs, those events are followed by extended periods of stability. (Scientific American.)

Ce qui ne dit pas si ces mythes ont une fonction, comme l'ADN.