神異與多貌－以宗教神話觀點論哪吒太子形象

哪吒，原是佛教四天王之一的毘沙門天王之三太子，梵語字源是Nalakūvara或Nalakūbara，常被翻譯為那吒俱伐羅、那羅鳩伐羅等異名，是護持佛法之神祇，具有擔任為眾生消除魔障、摧伏猛惡鬼神之責。關於記載哪吒神蹟之文獻，散見於唐代密宗經典。中國歷史上的唐宋之際，哪吒逐漸變成道教神祇，化為唐初名將李靖的第三子，有著勇猛超群、攻無不克的形象，廣為人民所信仰。本文分析哪吒信仰在不同文本的各種形象，文本以明代《封神演義》為核心探討哪吒故事的轉折，包括聖蹟神話、家族倫理、死後復生、肉身成聖等關鍵核心概念。藉此對照宗教學之神話研究方法，探討神祇如何由俗成聖，當中有轉化與變形等方式，顯示哪吒信仰的神異性格與多樣面貌。

關鍵字

哪吒；神異事跡；宗教學；民間信仰；神話學

並列摘要

Nezha, formerly one of the four kings of Buddhism, is the three princes of the king of Vishnumen. The Sanskrit word is Nalakūvara or Nalakūbara. It is one of the gods who protect the Dharma. It has the responsibility to eliminate the magical obstacle for the beings and to destroy the evil spirits. The literature on which miracles are recorded can be found in the Tantric classics of the Tang Dynasty. In the Tang and Song dynasties, Nezha gradually became a Taoist god, and became the third son of the general Li Jing. It has the image of brave and superior, attacking and invincible, and has become a god worshipped by many people. This paper analyzes the various images of Nezha's beliefs in different texts, and explores the changes of Nezha's story with the Ming Dynasty's ＂Feng Shen Yan Yi＂ (the Legend of Deification) as the core, including the key core concepts such as the holy myth, family ethics, resurrection after death, and sanctification. In this way, according to the mythological research method of religious studies, it is discussed how the gods are sanctified by the customs, and there are transformations and transformations, which show the different personalities and diversity of Nezha's beliefs.