> [[page]]. "The Theme of “Failed Birth and Rebirth”: A Case Study in the Reconstruction of an Indo-European Myth". > #nodoi > [pdf](a/pageIDK-theme.pdf) > #link ## Abstract > The theme of “failed birth and rebirth” was first described by Stephanie Jamison (1991) and later characterized as a narrative pattern of Indo-European origin by Angelique Gulermovich Epstein (1994). In previous work, I have examined manifestations of this pattern in Celtic sources and discussed some non-Indo-European partial parallels, calling into question Gulermovich Epstein’s claim that the basic pattern is Indo-European (Pagé 2013 and 2014). In this paper, I treat stories that manifest aspects of this narrative pattern as a starting point for a discussion of some of the problems and possibilities in the reconstruction of Indo-European myth. In light of a comparison of similar stories from both Indo-European and non-Indo-European sources, but with particular attention to Celtic, Indic, and Greek materials, I consider what criteria are required to argue for any sort of reconstruction and what claims are being made when a reconstructed narrative or narrative-type is proposed and labeled as “Indo-European.”