本文是《山海经》神权空间认知新范式系列研究的第12篇,聚焦先秦西方神权体系中的核心神祇——蓐收。既往研究多将蓐收置于五行、月令与五方神体系中加以阐释,相对忽视其在先秦早期文本中的原生形态与边疆象征意义,也缺乏对其形象流变脉络的系统性历时梳理。 本文以《山海经》《国语》《左传》《吕氏春秋》等战国时期可信核心文献为基础,采用历时性文本比对、符号释义与语境还原相结合的研究方法,系统剥离后世五行学说与经学体系的附会成分,完整梳理蓐收从先秦西部边疆地域神祇,逐步被整合进官方神权结构,最终纳入国家礼制体系的演变过程。文章重点讨论蓐收形象与先秦西部空间认知、礼玉文化象征、天命执法权威及神权官僚化进程的内在关联,揭示其形象建构背后所反映的先秦神祇秩序整合、边疆认知深化与国家礼制拓展的核心历史线索,以期突破传统五行月令的既定解释框架,还原蓐收更为原始的文献面貌,挖掘其在先秦神权秩序与文明建构中的独特学术价值。本系列总纲及25篇分篇实证研究已同步发布。 This paper is No. 12 in the series The Classic of Mountains and Seas: A New Paradigm of Theocratic Spatial Cognition. It focuses on the god Rushou, one of the most important deities in the western theocratic system of early China. Previous studies have predominantly interpreted Rushou within the framework of the Five Elements, monthly ordinances, and the Five Directions Gods, neglecting his original form and border symbolic significance in early pre‑Qin texts, and lacking a systematic diachronic analysis of his image evolution. Based on core pre‑Qin texts such as The Classic of Mountains and Seas, Discourses of the States, Zuo Zhuan, and Lushi Chunqiu, this paper employs diachronic textual comparison, symbolic interpretation, and contextual restoration to strip away later additions from Five Elements theory and Confucian classics. It comprehensively traces Rushou’s evolution from a regional deity on the western frontier, through gradual integration into the official theocratic structure, to final incorporation into the national ritual system. The study explores the internal connections between Rushou’s image and pre‑Qin western spatial cognition, ritual jade symbolism, the authority of heavenly mandate, and the process of theocratic bureaucratization. It reveals the core historical clues behind his image construction—the integration of pre‑Qin divine order, deepening of frontier cognition, and expansion of national rituals—thereby breaking through the established interpretive framework of traditional Five Elements and monthly ordinances, restoring Rushou’s original documentary appearance, and highlighting his unique academic value in the study of pre‑Qin theocratic order and civilization formation. The general outline of this series and all 25 empirical studies have been published concurrently.