西王母神話的轉型與西王母信仰的興起

The Transformation of Xi Wangmu Myth and the Rise of Xi Wangmu Belief

西王母神話在先秦時期已經廣泛流傳,但是當時并無奉祀西王母的宗教場所,也未出現以西王母爲崇拜對象的宗教活動。由此可見,西王母神話在先秦時期尚未發展成宗教信仰。秦漢以降,西王母神話的内容急遽膨脹,并逐漸與神仙思想合流,發生了神仙化轉型。在西漢末年哀帝時期,終於醞釀出一場聲勢浩大的西王母信仰運動。從而,出現於先秦時期的西王母神話正式演變爲以西王母爲崇拜對象的宗教信仰。

Myths about Xi Wangmu had been widely spread before Qin dynasty but did not developed into a kind of religious belief at that time. There was neither special religious venue for worship nor religious activity sacrificed to Xi Wangmu.Since Qin and Han Dynasty, these myths became richer rapidly and had been blended with the immortal thoughts gradually. Finally a huge movement of faith about Xi Wangmu appeared during the reign of Liuxin in the late West Han Dynasty. This is the symbol of the formal formation of Xi Wangmu belief.