An Inquiry into the Folklore of King Lanling and the Hidden Cultural Psychology Behind It

Abstract

For the legendary historical figure King Lanling, not many written records have been left in the official history, but the folk legends about him are more than 200,000 words long. These legends, which were created by the grassroots people and passed down by word of mouth, are full of legends and romance, although they are not contained in the history books. Not only can we see the words, deeds, character, merits and life experiences of King Lanling, but also reflect the psychological basis of the people in circulating and processing the stories. In this paper, we will analyze the legendary stories about King Lanling that are widely circulated among the people, especially the most mysterious one about King Lanling wearing a mask in battle, and explore the reasons for these legends and the hidden cultural psychology.