九子魔母故事,始載於南朝劉宋劉敬叔《異苑》卷五陳虞故事。古典小説中,九子魔母的奉祀,始自東晉。唐《張應》載,東晉咸和八年(333),張應奉祀九子魔母,令患病妻子病癒。(《太平廣記》卷一百一十三/卷一百六十一)九子魔母故事,至唐而盛。至明代,則有《獪園》知不足齋本卷十《玉圭神女》。九子魔母(或鬼子母Hariti:訶利帝母),是由印度傳入中國的生育神;在生殖崇拜中影響甚大。唯没有專論,探討這批有關九子魔母的小説。本文集中探討唐《黑叟》(《太平廣記》卷四十一)和明《獪園‧玉圭神女》兩篇九子魔母小説的代表作品,以探討九子魔母由生育母神至成爲人神戀女神的轉變。本文擬從民俗與文學方向作出探討,首先:從生育母神-賜人子嗣方面,探討九子魔母的本來神格(唐《黑叟》)。其二:討論唐《黑叟》和《獪園‧玉圭神女》中夜叉女與美化女神的關係,因爲九子魔母本來就是吃人的夜叉。(三藏、淨義譯《根本説一切有部毘奈耶雜事》卷三十一)。其三:以人神戀,以及反抗巫術(antipathy magic)角度,探討《獪園‧玉圭神女》中巫術逐神情節,並歸納九子魔母由生殖崇拜神祇,至人神戀女神的變化。
The fiction record of Jiuzi Momu first appears in Liu Jiangshu, Yi Yuan. The worship of this fertility goddess starts from the Jin dynasty as stated in the story of Zhang Ying (Taiping GuangJi Vol:113 / 161). The worship of Jiuzi Momu flourishes in the Tang dynasty. In the Ming dynasty there is one piece of work recorded in Hui Yuan: Yuhui Shennü. Jiuzi Momu is a Buddhist goddess, her original name is Hariti. Jiuzi Momu is an influential fertility goddess yet very little attention has been paid to the fiction related to this goddess. This article is to study the fiction of Jiuzi Momu especially "Hei Sou" (Taiping Guangji Vol: 41) and "Yugui Shennü" (Hui Yuan) with the perspective of folk customs. Firstly is to study Jiuzi Momu as a goddess of fertility. Secondly is to study the beautified process of this goddess in relation to her original "status" as a yaksha: a malevolent spirit. Thirdly is to study the antipathy magic in the human-spirit love affairs. With the study of this article, the changes of images from a fertility goddess to a beautified goddess in love affairs of Jiuzi Momu can be also be traced.