Boring along the surface of all these sediments, or just beneath the surface, like tunnels in a metro system, are the motifs,' said Miranda.
'Whichever route a tunnel takes, it always finds examples of itself in the strata it passes through, whichever strata it happens to encounter. Take 'Snakes and dragons' as an example. It cuts through Hebrew religion, Ancient Greek mythology, Norse mythology and Icelandic saga, European Bronze Age and Iron Age culture, mediaval romance and Arthurian legend, Breton lais and the poetry of William Blake and Edmund Spenser. Have a look for yourself. When you have viewed the geological map below by mousing over it. click the green button on the right and the metro lines of motifs will appear. The grey one is 'Snakes and dragons'. Click the green button again and mouse over the grey metro line, to view all the strata it passes through. Click on one of the stations to dive deeper into the system.