从牵牛到牛郎——牛郎传说的四个传播层面

From Altair to Cowboy——The Four Spread Level of the Cowboy Legend

牵牛本是天上星,名曰牵牛(牛),与古人生活密切相关,也为后世的各种传说埋下了伏笔,这是牛郎传说的第一个传播层面。牵牛成为都城营造设计的重要景观,也成为古代画像中的星宿化身,他具备男性人形,是人格化的神,这是第二层面。更进一步,牵牛被赋予了情感,与织女成为仙侣,并与人类发生了交往,成为世俗之仙,这是第三层面。最后,牵牛在民间落地生根,有了兄嫂、老牛,成为放牛娃,并被呼为牛郎,这是第四层面。如此层层递进,而终又回归到天上星。曲折回环的传播层面,使得牛郎传说不断丰富,千百年来四处流传。

The first spread level of the legend is that the star which called Altair is closely related with the ancients' lives and is buried the declination for the later legends.The second spread level is that the Altair,the important landscape of the capital,had turned into stars' incarnation in ancient portraits and got the male humanoid.Furthermore,Altair had been given emotions,got married with Vega,concacted with human beings and became the secular immortal,this is the third level.At last,Altair rooted in the folk,got brother and sister-in-law,to be a cowboy and was called the Altair,this is the forth level.The cumulative progression finally lead to the Star.The circuitous and tortuous spread levels made the cowboy legend unceasing richly,and spread around through the ages.