The Atlas Linguarum Europae (ALE) is the first continental linguistic atlas. It is, primarily, an interpretative word atlas. Among the methods to interpret the geolexical data, motivational mapping is an innovative one and the most important one to illustrate Europe's cultural history. It asks for the motives in designating certain objects. Taking the history of religions as the frame of reference, it becomes apparent that Europe's cultural history is not made up of random elements but exhibits a recurrent structural pattern. Three layers can be distinguished here, one historical level and two pre-historical ones. Concentrating on plants, animals, supernatural beings, natural phenomena, diseases and bread, it is demonstrated with many examples both from the ALE and from the author's own research that the same reality was first given kinship and zoomorphic names to be followed by anthropomorphic names and finally by Christian and Islamic names.