MOTIFS OF SACRED STONE/ PETRIFACTION AND STONE-WORSHIPPING THROUGH FOLK TALES OF MALAYO-POLYNESIAN ETHNIC PEOPLES IN VIETNAM

Abstract

This writing is about motifs of sacred stone / petrifaction as well as their abundant variants / forms such as mountain god, sacred stone, stone ogre, magical birth from stone, human-shape stone, human-shape stone turning into humans, humans turning into stone, crying stone, lithopone, litho-gongs etc. in folk tales of Malayo-Polynesian ethnic peoples in Vietnam in comparison with the Kinh who are the main people. When surveying and comparing variants / forms of motifs, the paper gives, to some extent, expressions of stone worshipping which are mentioned in the tales, in the spiritual life of Malayo-Polynesian and Kinh people since the old days.