人类学家斯科特·利特尔顿（英语：C. Scott Littleton）将比较神话学定义为“对来自多种文化中的神话和神话主题进行的系统比较”。[1]通过比较不同文化的神话，学者们试图发现那些神话潜在的相似之处或是重建那些神话衍生来源的原型神话。[1]在一定程度上，所有有关神话的理论都遵循了比较的研究方法：如宗教学者罗伯特·西格尔指出的那样，“按照定义，所有（神话）理论家都在寻找神话中的相似点。”[2]不过，神话学者可以粗略分为排他主义者和比较主义者。排他主义者强调神话之间的区别。而比较主义者则强调神话之间的相似之处。排他主义者倾向于“坚持认为比较主义者解密的相似之处是含糊肤浅的”，而比较主义者倾向于“认为排他主义者描述的区别是琐碎偶然的”。[3]
数位学者暗示来自多种文化的英雄故事有相同的潜在结构。西格蒙德·弗洛伊德的追随者奥图.兰克认为英雄出生的故事有共同的俄狄浦斯式结构。[31]其他学者，包括拉格兰勋爵（英语：Lord Raglan）和最近的约瑟夫·坎贝尔也认为英雄故事拥有共同的结构。[32]一些比较神话学家只在具体的地理或民族范围内的英雄故事中寻找相似点。例如，奥地利学者约翰·格奥尔格·范·哈恩（英语：Johann Georg van Hahn）试图找出雅利安人英雄故事背后的共同结构。[33]其他人如坎贝尔，提出了有关一般英雄故事的理论。根据坎贝尔的单一神话理论，世界各地的英雄故事拥有相同的情节结构。因为其极端的比较本质，单一神话理论目前已不受主流神话研究青睐。[5]
van der Sluijs (2011) provides a detailed listing of parallels, see van der Sluijs, Marinus Anthony: Traditional Cosmologies. The Global Mythology of Cosmic Creation and Destruction. 2011. London: All Round Publications (table of contents)
Justin Martyr: "Having heard it proclaimed through the prophets that the Christ was to come [...] [the demons] put forward many to be called sons of Jupiter, under the impression that they would be able to produce in men the idea that the things which were said with regard to Christ were mere marvellous tales, like the things which were said by the poets."
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