CAJ | 학술논문

后稷是周人传说中发明农业的文化英雄，后稷神话体现了高禖崇拜、社稷崇拜、始祖崇拜等郊祀制度的基本类型。后稷的感生神话孕含了原始农业祭时代的高禖求子秘仪；姜嫄、后稷之得名与原始祭祀中的农业神话关联很深，成为社稷崇拜的对象；气候对农业的影响至为密切，后稷又被尊为“天官”、“灵星”以配上帝；在武王伐商之后，后稷由周人庙祭的始祖而成为郊祀对象，与祖先仪式性的沟通成了国家宗教的中心。周人赋予后稷的诸多宗教功能用来证明王权来源之神圣性及统治的合法性，这一点在出土儒家文献中有简要的阐明。后稷神话与仪式已经孕含了后世国家祭祀礼仪的雏形。
후직시주인전설중발명농업적문화영웅，후직신화체현료고매숭배、사직숭배、시조숭배등교사제도적기본류형。후직적감생신화잉함료원시농업제시대적고매구자비의；강원、후직지득명여원시제사중적농업신화관련흔심，성위사직숭배적대상；기후대농업적영향지위밀절，후직우피존위“천관”、“령성”이배상제；재무왕벌상지후，후직유주인묘제적시조이성위교사대상，여조선의식성적구통성료국가종교적중심。주인부여후직적제다종교공능용래증명왕권래원지신골성급통치적합법성，저일점재출토유가문헌중유간요적천명。후직신화여의식이경잉함료후세국가제사례의적추형。
Houji was a primitive agricultural hero who invented many crops in legends and worship rituals of Houji manifested in many different forms, such as Isis, deity of soil and grain, and the first ancestor.The legend of Houji's birth embodied the se-cret cult of Isis.Besides, the name of Jiangyuan and Houji had close relationship with primitive agriculture society and became the objects of worship.After Emperor Wu of Western Zhou Dynasty beat Shang Kingdom, Houji was worshiped as the deity next to God in the national religion and many religious functions bestowed on Houji proved to testify holiness and legitimacy of royalty of the Western Zhou Dynasty, which was briefly expounded in Confucian documents.In a word, the legend and rituals of Houji have already taken an embryonic form of national sacrificial rites in later years.