How can we compare myths, tales, and legends from different cultures without mistaking their similarities for evidence of ancient transmission? This is one of the central questions in the research of Jean-Loïc Le Quellec, who also studies the links between oral narratives and rock art. A presentation published by Cairn.info on September 22, 2026, outlines the approaches and methods of this work.
Compare the accounts without presuming their origin
A specialist in Saharan rock art, anthropologist, mythologist, and prehistorian Jean-Loïc Le Quellec is interested in comparative mythology. He analyzes myths, tales, and legends collected from different regions of the world to examine the relationships between these forms of oral literature.
Bringing together narratives from diverse cultures raises two complementary questions: how to understand their similarities and how to account for their differences? Their distribution across cultures is one of the phenomena this research seeks to study. The presentation does not offer a general conclusion to these questions, but rather describes a research program based on their comparative examination.
Examining the links with rock art
Le Quellec’s work also focuses on the relationship between narratives and representations engraved or painted on rock. This approach raises a difficulty: can we find, from rock art, narratives that predate writing?
The idea that certain myths or tales have been passed down since prehistory, according to the presentation, requires critical examination. Simply stating that a story has survived through the centuries is not enough to establish the antiquity of its transmission. It is also necessary to consider how far back one can trace an oral tradition and how to substantiate such a claim.
Tools for studying images and narratives
To address these questions, the researcher employs, among other things, computer tools and image processing methods. The presentation situates these within a critical approach, applied to the possible relationships between myths, tales, and rock art. However, it does not specify the particular results obtained using these tools.
Honorary research director at the CNRS and member of the Institute of African Worlds, Jean-Loïc Le Quellec has devoted his work primarily to the long-term links between rock art, folktales, and myths. He is the author of some forty books. A presentation of his research is published by Cairn.info in collaboration with CNRS Éditions.
Source: Anthropologie (all) | Cairn.info (shs.cairn.info)
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