西王母信仰的形成及其历史意义

On the Formation of the Beliefs of the Queen Mother of the West and Its Historical Significance

西王母文化是中国传统文化的重要组成部分。新莽政权时期,西王母完成了从民间流传的神话传说到官方认可信仰的巨大转变。本文竭力发掘西王母文化信仰的形成过程,探究西王母由少数民族首领演变为恶神,又转变为不死之神、福寿之神,再到西部最高神灵,新莽政权时期确立其官方正统信仰的历程,以此来具体体现作为中国传统信仰的文化缩影的西王母文化形成的历史途径。

The culture of the Queen Mother of the West is an important component of Chinese traditional cul-ture.The myths and legends about the Queen became the faith and gained the official recognition during Wang-mang’ s Xin Dynasty.The paper explores the maturity of beliefs of the Queen Mother of the West and studies the course in which the Queen’ s role changed from a minority leader successively into an evil goddess, the immortal goddess, the goddess of longevity, and the saint of the West.It also probes into the process of her official establish-ment during the Wangmang’ s Xin Dynasty and illustrates the development of the culture of the Queen Mother of the West as the epitome of Chinese traditional belief.