由人到神:民间传说的桥梁作用——以妈祖、吴真人和清水祖师为例

我国民间所信奉的神灵,很大一部分原先是普通的凡人,由于其所处的社会条件、自然环境及其本身的内在因素,使他们从凡人上升为民间所崇拜、祭祀的神灵。在由人到神的这一转变过程中,民间传说发挥了桥梁作用。从闽南地区的妈祖、吴真人和清水祖师等神化过程,可见民间传说故事的广泛流传与民间信仰的形成与发展之间存在着密切关系。

From Man to God: The Role of a Bridge of Folklore

Chinese folk deities were originally ordinary mortals. Because of its social conditions,the natural environment and its own intrinsic factors,they were made the gods from mortals for the folk to worship. In the transition from Man to God,folk legends,as a bridge,played a key role. From the deification process of Mazu,Wu Zhenren and Qingshui,etc.,it can be seen that there was a close relationship between the formation and development of the folk belief and the widely circulated folk stories.