北港飛龍團大龍旗《封神演義》故事寓意之探析

北港飛龍團大龍旗目前為雲林縣指定「一般古物」，共有兩支成對，為過去舞龍團體北港飛龍團參與北港朝天宮媽祖遶境時之前導繡旗。兩支旗各有兩面旗面，背面旗面之刺繡題材均為《封神演義》人物，分別呈現第77回〈老子一氣化三清〉（老君旗），以及第40回〈四天王遇炳靈公〉（天王旗）之畫面。關於上述兩題材之寓意，既有研究以「為宣揚道教的神威，希望能為眾生帶來風調雨順的豐饒生活」詮釋之，但本研究認為上述詮釋仍不盡周全，且未討論兩旗如何成對之問題。因此，乃透過查找與兩章回出場人物相關的典故文獻，以更完整解釋兩支大旗各自之寓意，以及寓意間的關聯性。藉由研究得知，兩支旗各5尊人物所屬陣營，分別為4周1商（老君旗）與1周4商（天王旗），而有相對關係。除此之外，兩支旗結合後方的舞龍，可視為是一紙祈求「風調雨順」的符咒。該符咒上的必要元素，包括作為道教至尊的三清尊神、具「風調雨順」寓意的四大天王，以及掌管下雨的龍，分別可見於老君旗、天王旗，以及位於兩旗之後的龍陣。

關鍵字

北港媽祖遶境；繡旗；三清；四大天王；舞龍

並列摘要

The Giant Dragon Flags of the Beigang Flying Dragon Troupe are a pair of embroidered flags used by said troupe during the annual Beigang Mazu Pilgrimage. The flags are currently designated as a "general antiquity" by Yunlin County. The flags are embroidered on both the front and back. The embroidery on the back of the flags depicts characters from The Investiture of the Gods, specifically Chapter 77 (the Laojun Flag) and Chapter 40 (the Heavenly Kings Flag). The embroidered depictions have traditionally been interpreted to mean, "To extol the divine power of Taoism in the hopes of bringing prosperous life to all living things." The present study, however, considers this interpretation to be incomplete and to not address how the two flags form a pair. Consequently, this study developed a more comprehensive interpretation of the respective meanings behind each flag and the relationship between them by conducting a review of the literature associated with the characters in the two depicted chapters. The two flags each have five characters belonging to different camps, and research has revealed parallels regarding the allegiances of each of the characters. The Laojun Flag comprises four characters from Zhou and one character from Shang; the Heavenly Kings Flag comprises one character from Zhou and four characters from Shang. Furthermore, the combination of the two flags with the dancing dragon in the background can be viewed as a talisman praying for peace and prosperity. Necessary elements for this prayer include the Three Pure Ones, the three highest gods of the Taoist pantheon; the Four Heavenly Kings, who signify peace and prosperity; and a dragon, which is believed to control the rain. These elements are represented by the two flags and the dragon dance following them.