蚩尤在中国远古神话里占有重要地位,但自《山海经》开始,其叙事模式几经变化。《史记》塑造的"乱神"与"战神"双重形象,延续千年。清末至民国,随着民族国家观念的进入,蚩尤成为统合以"苗"为主体的边胞人群的象征。20世纪90年代以来,蚩尤不仅是苗族身份认同的符号,而且与黄帝、炎帝构成中华"三祖",成为新时期凝聚中华民族向心力的标示。但在各种力量驱动下,它也同时成为可资利用的文化品牌,引起争夺。在此过程中,作为"遗产"的蚩尤经历了多重阐释,也数次重塑了集体记忆。
Chiyou holds an important position in China's ancient myths. However,Chiyou' s narrative modes have changed many times since the appearance of The Classic of Mountains and Seas. A dual image of "Disordering God" and "Mars" was created in The Historical Records and it has lasted for more than one thousand years. In the late Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, with the introducing of the concept of nation,Chiyou was regarded as the symbol of frontier ethnic people, espe- cially the Miao people. Since 1990s,Chiyou,not only has been regarded as the symbol of identity of the Miao people,but also as one of the three Chinese ancestors with Yellow Emperor and Yan Emperor to strengthen the national sense. Now, Chiyou has become a cultural brand, arousing interest from many sides. As a heritage,Chiyou has experienced many interpretations and rounds of memory-remodeling.