6世纪中国中亚墓葬中的鸟祭司及其丧葬意义

Bird Priests in Central Asian Tombs of 6th-Century China and Their Significance in the Funerary Realm

在中国境内发掘的入华粟特人葬具图像中人首鸟身的祭司形象虽然拥有一些共同的特征,但不论从形式还是背景材料来看,每个墓葬又是各不相同的。在墓葬王国中鸟祭司主题不是无意义的复制而是有目的地描绘,其地域性非常突出,想要表明墓主身份特征的符号学价值倾向也比较明显。鸟和人鸟混合形象更容易适应中亚和中国的末世思想,创造人鸟祭司主题的目的是要解决祆教徒死后的灵魂归属问题以及如何把他们放置在中国宇宙论当中的问题。人鸟母题的创作与中国墓葬中的鸟形象以及天门主题有关。在佛教题材中也有人鸟形象,如紧那罗、迦陵频伽等,但与墓葬系统中的鸟有根本上的不同。

Although the bird priests discovered in China of 6th-century ＂Central Asian＂ tombs share common features and characteristics, there are many slightly differences no matter in patterns or background materials. A sign indicates that the motif was not just copied meaninglessly but was intentionally represented in the funerary realm. Its location—always prominent in the general decorum of the tomb as we shall discover—also tends to demonstrate its semiotic importance as an identifying marker in a tomb. The presence of birds or bird hybrids easily fits into Central Asian and Chinese eschatology, the bird priest motif was intentionally invented to answer both requirements of guiding the deceased＇s soul to a Zoroastrian afterlife and placing him at the centre of a Chinese-oriented cosmological scheme. The created of the bird priests was associated with the Chinese Gate of Heaven. The hybrid of bird and human also can be found in Buddhism such as Kinnara and kalavinka（ch. jialingpinjia）, but they are radically different from the bird priests in tomb.