Explaining mythical composite monsters in a global cross-cultural sample

Knowlton, Timothy and Roberts, Sean G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5990-9161 2023. Explaining mythical composite monsters in a global cross-cultural sample. Journal of Cognition and Culture 24 (1-2) , pp. 51-74. 10.1163/15685373-12340176

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Abstract

Composite beings (“monsters”) are those mythical creatures composed of a mix of different anatomical forms. There are several scholarly claims for why these appear in the imagery and lore of many societies, including claims that they are found near- universally as well as those arguments that they co-occur with particular sociocultural arrangements. In order to evaluate these claims, we identify the presence of composite monsters cross-culturally in a global sample of societies, the Standard Cross-Cultural Sample. We find that composite beings are not universal, and that their presence or absence co-varies most significantly with social stratification and transportation technology. This supports hypotheses that the cultural evolution of composite monsters is driven by human concerns with social distinctions within societies as well as increased contact with distant peoples.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	English, Communication and Philosophy
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GN Anthropology G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GR Folklore
Publisher:	Brill Academic Publishers
ISSN:	1568-5373
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	17 November 2023
Date of Acceptance:	30 October 2023
Last Modified:	29 Apr 2024 17:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/163962

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