“蛟水”与“伐蛟”——基于环境史的解读

中国传统文化中的蛟的原型当为鳄鱼；鳄鱼因喜温近水的生活习性使其成为民间水神崇拜的对象，但又因它对人、畜的危害性，其并未成为最终的水神，而变成了水妖——蛟。蛟与水灾的关系是民间解释水灾的另类说法。明清以来，南方山区蛟水频发的事实从另一个侧面说明当时经济开发对环境的破坏。

The Flood Caused by Jiao and Eradicate Jiao: a perspective of Environmental History

The prototype of Jiao （scaly dragon） is crocodile in traditional Chinese culture; the crocodile was worshiped as the God of Water in folk due to its thermophilic and hydrophilie living habits. It did not become real the God of Water, as it＇ s dangerous for people and livestock, but the water sprite - Jiao. The link between Jiao and floods was a different and special folk＇ s explanation of floods. So it also indi- cated the environmental damage because of economic development, as the torrent always occurred in the mountainous area of the southern China in Ming and Qing Dynasty.