A tale as old as time: Young, attractive femme fatale lore appears in nearly every culture

From James Bond movies to water spirits in mythology, the tales of attractive, dangerous female forms that distract the hero from his path or lure men to their deaths have been around for quite some time. A recent study revisits the familiar motif of the femme fatale, the archetypal dangerous woman, and finds that her presence is near-universal. The traits are consistent across cultures, a period of manipulation, and an ending that is rarely difficult to predict.