The concept was developed based on comparative mythology by Jacob Grimm in Deutsche Mythologie (1835) as a folkloristic survival of Germanic pagan tradition, but comparable folk myths are found throughout Northern, Western and Central Europe.
Konsep ini dikembangkan berdasarkan mitologi komparatif oleh Jacob Grimm di Deutsche Mythologie (1835) sebagai folklor tradisi paganisme Jermanik, tetapi cerita rakyat yang sebanding dapat ditemukan di seluruh Eropa Utara, Barat, dan Tengah.