A Study On Folk Legends And Folk Cult About Ma Yuan

By analysising folk legends about Ma Yuan spreading in the areas of Lingnan and Wuling, where Ma Yuan Cult is popular, this research has a restricted view about the cultural connotation of Ma Yuan Cult mainly in Guangxi area through the point of view of storiology.The legends about Ma Yuan have been recorded since ancient times in historical books, such as Hou Han Shu, Zi Zhi Tong Jian, and chorographies like Guihai Yu Heng Zhi, Lingwai Dai Da, Chi Ya, etc..Themes in those legends spreaded among modern people orally could be divided into four groups; Ma Yuan putting down rebellions with wisdom, Ma Yuan and the people, Ma Yuan displaying the supernatural strength, Ma Yuan showing the power as an immortal. Ma Yuan Cult expresses the respect of people to the general who protected the border of the country, and displays the cherishing of the memory about a politician who indebted the future generations, and reflects the awe of the people to the authority in the past. While legends with the last theme strengthen and promote the spread and handing down of the Cult.The vital function of the Cult for the believers is "survival function". The people living in the area of Guangxi near the border "get stable, relieved and safe feelings" from the cult of Ma Yuan. They repeat the extraordinary bravery in the legends telling how he established the bronze pillar as the sign of the border and how he kept peace, and helped people to get chances of higher education to get away from sickness and to get favorable weather and rich harvest for the local people. The integration is another function of the cult. However, this function is formed in the process of strengthening the ideas in which the sense of the nation is not reflecting obviously in the legends.Reestablishing the culture of Ma Yuan is significant to inherit the cream of traditional Chinese culture, to construct the socialistic harmonious society, to promote the socialistic cultural and economic development, and to materialize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Folk legends is intimate with folk beliefs which are coexisting. The legends intensify the beliefs and is a must of the reestablishment of the folk religion. Legends are the important windows to perspective folk beliefs and are the significant materials in the studies of the folk beliefs.