Hylistics is a discipline concerned with the reconstruction, differentiation and interpretation of narrative sequences, their study and comparison, and with the analysis and interpretation of sequences of events in general.

A hyleme is the minimal state- or action-bearing unit of a narrative or of a sequence of events in general. The terms “hyleme” and “hylistics” are derived from the Ancient Greek word hӯlē (ὕλη), which means „timber, material, fabric“, so “hyleme” is a minimal ‘building block’ of a narrative sequence or of a sequence of events.

We are a growing community of scholars from around the world who are interested in studying narratives as transmedial phenomena, particularly myths, and sequences of events in general (e.g. rituals). The various participating scholars come from different disciplines such as Ancient History Studies, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Classics (Ancient Greek and Latin Studies), Digital Humanities, Egyptology, New Testament Studies, Old Testament Studies, Patristics and Russian Studies.

Various research networks have developed, expanded and refined the theory and methodology of hylistics since 2010, including the Collegium Mythologicum at Georg August University of Göttingen and the interdisciplinary DFG Research Unit 2064 STRATA – Stratification Analyses of Mythical Narratives and Texts in Antiquity (since 2016).

This is a complex question with a lot to say about it. You will find detailed answers in the menu ‘Hylistics and …’.

Funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) for an interdisciplinary research group, 2015–2019 and 2020–2026

Peregrinus Foundation Award by the Academy of Sciences and Literature of Mainz (Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz) for innovative achievements in mythological research in 2023 (see also press release no. 174 of the University of Göttingen from November 2023)

„Hier wird Grundlagenforschung getrieben; es geht um nichts Geringeres als die Frage, was eigentlich ein Erzähl-„Stoff“ sei, und um die Frage nach dem Stoff, aus dem die Stoffe sind.“

Heinrich Detering, Neuere deutsche Literatur und Vergleichende Literaturwissenschaft, Universität Göttingen (2017)

“This theoretical approach has the advantage of distinguishing between the myth, understood as a narrative material (Erzählstoff), and its concrete manifestations (e.g., a particular composition or image).”

Manuel Ceccarelli, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, University of Bern (2021)

“the hylistic narratology toolbox proves to be particularly useful to highlight the function(s) of the (re)writing of myths”

Irina Marchesini, Russian Studies, University of Bologna (2023)

“… hyleme analysis offers an integrated, nuanced understanding of the Song of Songs … This approach not only deepens our comprehension of the text’s literary and theological dimensions but also firmly anchors it within the rich cultural tapestry of the ancient Near East.”

Zacharias Kotzé, Biblical and Ancient Studies, University of South Africa (2025)

Contact us and ask about current events or workshops you can attend. Or submit a short paper in which you apply hylistic methods to your own material – we will then give you feedback as soon as we can.