中國民間宗教中神話與崇拜的關係：略論韓湘子

本篇論文主要探索關於韓湘子（八仙之一）的敘述傳說。這傳說開始於唐朝，後逐漸形成戲劇、白話小說和各式的通俗文學作品如寶卷、俗曲等。它的主題是韓湘子修內丹、成仙以後回家而度化妻子、叔父（韓愈）等親戚。韓湘子故事結合道教教義宣傳與反儒爭論的方式反映著明末宗教與文學之間的互相作用。除了分析韓湘子文學中的關鍵主題外，本文也儘可能提出一些韓湘子崇拜的例子。與其他神明的例子不同，韓湘子傳說的發展與其崇拜的流行並不符合。這可以當作明清與民初討論宗教、神話和文學關係課題的解答之一。

關鍵字

八仙；韓湘子；韓愈；鸞堂；道教；宗教與文學；神話

並列摘要

The paper explores the narrative tradition focussing on Han Xiangzi, one of the Eight Immortals (Baxian). This tradition began in the Tang dynasty and evolved to include dramatic pieces, vernacular novels, and various forms of popular literature such as precious scrolls and ballads. Its main themes are Han Xiangzi's efforts to achieve immortality through internal alchemy and his subsequent deliverance of his relatives, including most prominently his uncle Han Yu, the famous Tang dynasty scholar, and his wife Lin Ying (or Luying). Mixing Daoist proselytizing and anti-Confucian polemic, the Han Xiangzi story merges religious and literary concerns in a manner that throws an interesting light on the interplay of religion and literature in late Imperial China. In addition to analyzing the key themes in the Han Xiangzi literature, the paper addresses instances of popular worship of Han Xiangzi and the degree to which his perception in this context was shaped by his literary images. Given the often close relationship between cult and narrative literature in the cases of other deities, the question needs to be asked why the fairly well-developed Han Xiangzi lore does not correspond with an equally developed religious cult. As a number of interpretive options are explored in tackling this problem, general issues of the relationship of religion, myth, and literature in late Imperial and modern China are addressed.