丝路上的“食铁鸟”:鸵鸟食性传说的跨文化研究

The"Iron-eating Bird"on the Silk Roads:The Cross-Cultural Study of Circulation of Ostrich Diet Myths

鸵鸟是古丝路沿线跨文化交流中的代表性物种。在其引人注目的物质性之外,关于鸵鸟来食不拒、吞炭吞铁,乃至以肚炼铁的传说,也在希伯来、伊斯兰地区、基督教欧洲、中国等广泛地域内不同文化之间传播,关于鸵鸟炼铁的肯定性、立等可成的高效性、多次重复饲喂可得到更优质产品的可改进性等观念,成为这些传说的共同特征。此传说除受中世纪炼铁技术发展程度不一、各文化中广泛缺乏优质钢铁的社会经济因素影响外,物质转化等炼金术思想也为其存在和演变提供了更深层次的语境。通过分析得到关于鸵鸟食性传说的各层面语境,可对该传说在各地呈现相似性和特异性提供解释。

The ostrich was a representative species in the cross-cultural exchanges along the ancient Silk Road.In addition to its striking materiality,myths about ostriches swallowing charcoal and iron,and furthermore refining iron from their bellies,were spread across various cultures in a wide geographical area,including Hebrew,Islamic regions,Christian Europe and China.These myths have common features,such as the positive affirmation of ostriches refining iron,the high efficiency of immediate success,and the possibility of improvement by repeated feeding for a better quality product.In addition to the varying degrees of development of iron-making technology in the Middle Ages and the widespread socio-economic lack of good quality steel across cultures,alchemical ideas such as material transformation also provided a deeper context for the existence and evolution of the myths.An analysis of the ostrich diet myths suggests that the various dimensions of context may provide explanations for the similarities and particularities that the myths present in various regions.