中古小说斩蛟故事的演变

On the Evolution of the Story of Slaying Dragons in Medieval Novels

斩蛟故事是中古志怪小说重要题材之一,随着时间推移产生了诸多变化。首先,作为斩蛟者的人身份由勇士向道士进行转变;其次,蛟在文本中的形象由符号化逐渐变得具体;最后,斩蛟手段也由刀兵斩之转向道术御之。这些变化反映了先民战胜以蛟害为代指的自然灾害的勇气与决心,也深刻反映了中古时期佛道两家思想传播对民众心理的影响。通过对中古小说中斩蛟故事变化的分析,揭示这些故事在民族心理、历史传承与文化传播中不可或缺的意义。

The story of slaying dragons is one of the important themes in medieval Chinese tales of the strange and supernatural.Over time,it has undergone numerous changes.Firstly,the identity of the dragon slayer shifted from warriors to Taoist priests.Secondly,the image of dragon in the texts evolved from being symbolic to being more concrete.Finally,the method of slaying dragons was also changed from slaying by the sword to Taoist magic.These changes reflect the courage and determination of our ancestors to overcome natural disasters symbolized by dragons,and also profoundly reflect the impact of the spread of Buddhist and Taoist thought on the psychology of the people during the medieval period.Through the analysis of the changes in the stories of slaying dragons in medieval novels,their indispensable significance in national psychology,historical inheritance and cultural transmission can be revealed.