閨女變媽祖－台中市萬和宮老二媽由來傳說探討

台中市南屯區萬和宮的老二媽據傳是西屯廖家閨女品娘前來附靈而成，這則傳說被當地與西屯地區的人士所接受，並廣爲流傳。台灣民間咸信媽祖是由福建的林默娘得道成神而來，萬和宮卻出現老二媽是由台灣人附靈而成，這樣的說法相當罕見，也因此使得這則傳說極具特色，其流傳背後所蘊藏的意義十分值得探討。傳說產生之後能廣爲流傳，首先與廖品娘個人、及其出身的家族特質有關，廖品娘未婚、未生產而亡，具有媽祖「閨女」（處子）清淨聖潔的象徵原型；其出身西屯廖家大魚池派，家族因有七口魚池而得名，大魚池具有海的象徵意象，廖品娘因而具有媽祖「海神」的原型特徵。其次，傳說產生的年代正值廖氏家族在西屯拓墾，其工作十分艱辛，天災人禍不斷，亟須強大的精神依靠，而媽祖信仰是廖氏來台拓墾的重要精神支柱，離西屯最近的媽祖廟是萬和宮，又有縱貫大路直通當地，交通便利，因此萬和宮成爲西屯信仰中心。然而西屯廖氏爲外來香客，與媽祖的關係始終有段距離，傳說的出現助其建立與媽祖的擬親屬關係，與媽祖更加親近，能得到更多庇蔭，正好可以滿足其精神需求。此外，對萬和宮而言，傳說的出現不會破壞廟中神明原有的排序，且廖品娘的出身又夠格成爲媽祖的副手，因此萬和宮不會排斥這則傳說。更重要的是，傳說的出現可以將萬和宮的信仰圈擴大至西屯，增加香油錢的收入與提高知名度，爲其帶來實質的效益。不僅如此，萬和宮所在地犁頭店街正逐漸沒落，藉由萬和宮信仰圈的擴大，可使犁頭店街的腹地擴展至西屯，透過西屯的發展，可以補償犁頭店街的衰微。因此不論是萬和宮或犁頭店的居民都願意接受這則傳說，傳說之所以流傳至今，實與兩地聚落的發展息息相關。

關鍵字

傳說；媽祖信仰；二媽祖；萬和宮；西屯廖氏

並列摘要

According to legend, the antique second order Matsu in Wanhegong in Taichung city was a girl named Liao Pinnian who lived in Seatwen before she became a deity. This legend was accepted by the people of Nantwen and Seatwen. However, traditionally, most of Taiwan believes that Matsu is Lin Muonian. Even the first, second, and third order of Matsus are all divided by Lin Muonian. Therefore the legend of Matsu in Wanhegong is worth investigating due to its special meaning. This legend is well-known due to the individual characters of Liao Pinnian and her family. Liao Pinnian, unmarried and childless, has the same holy, pure, and virginal prototype of Matsu. Her family is referred to as Seatwen Liao's Big Fishpond Faction due to its seven fishponds. Large fishponds are also a symbol of the sea; therefore, Liao Pinnian attains the prototype character of a sea goddess. The time of this legend is in the same era when Liao's family reclaimed Seatwen. Due to their difficult life of hard toil, natural disasters, and wars, Liao's family needed a belief to support their spirits and minds; they turned to Matsu for this. Wanhegong is the closest Matsu temple to Seatwen, and there is an artery connecting the two places. Therefore, Wanhegong became Seatwen's worship center. However, given the fact that Liao families in Seatwen are not local worshippers, there still exists a gap between Matsu and them. This legend yet has enables them to establish quasi-kinship with Matsu, which increases their intimacy with her and gives them peace of mind under her blessings and protection. For Wanhegong, the legend did not change the hierarchical order of the gods, and Liao Pinnian is eligible to be an assistant of Matsu. Therefore, Wanhegong accepted this legend; and more importantly, this legend enlarged the worship community of Wanhegong to include the pilgrims from Seatwen. As such, Wanhegong has received more donations and made its reputation. Moreover, the decline of Leetoudian Street, where Wanhegong is located, was compensated with the extension of its area to Seatwen by the enlargement of the worship community of Wanhegong. Therefore, both Wanhegong and the residents living on Leetoudian Street are willing to accept the legend; this suggests that its circulation to date is certainly of a close connection with the development of these two villages.