臺灣民間狗神信仰之研究

A Study into Belief in Dog Deities in Taiwanese Folk Religions

周慈吟(Cih-Yin Jhou)

指導教授 ： 林承緯

國立臺北藝術大學/文化資源學院學術論文/建築與文化資產研究所/碩士(2015年)

https://doi.org/10.6835/TNUA.2015.00060

摘要

在臺灣民間信仰裡，狗是最常見的動物崇拜。從新石器時代開始，狗與人類的生活便密不可分，狗在世界各民族的文化中佔有極重要的地位。以臺灣漢人社會的狗神信仰演變來看，狗神信仰的起源除了由閩粵移民所帶來之外，隨著信仰在地化發展而顯得多元豐富，從萬物有靈、神話傳說到生肖星辰等各面向來看，都可發現與狗相關的信仰與習俗文化在民間傳承。
本論文從民俗學的角度出發，透過田野調查全臺五十幾處以狗作為祀神的廟宇為主要研究對象。筆者將這些地區的狗神信仰之成神傳說進行歸納分析後，認為從其時代背景與故事情節來看，大致可分成三種類型：一為因傳說而成神、二則因事件而成神及其三的死後成神。在這三種類型的傳說中，都印證狗對人類的「忠義表現」而成為神明的過程，除了反映出狗與人類生活密切關係之外，更可說明人們心中對狗的一種價值取向。
人們塑造狗的神像時，原則上多保持狗的原形象，且以臺灣土狗及狼狗居多；而信仰崇拜建立的高峰期以七○年代臺灣經濟起飛期最盛，同時也是臺灣各地拜狗風氣興盛時期。在台灣，雖然狗神信仰在保佑兒童及招財功能上與虎爺崇拜頗為相似，但卻無虎爺信仰那般普遍，人們所推崇多為狗的形象與性格，而這也是狗神信仰的發展主因及。本論文嘗試建構出狗神信仰譜系，並藉由研究勾勒出臺灣民間信仰中，狗神有別於其他動物信仰的獨特性。

關鍵字

民間信仰、狗神信仰、動物崇拜、忠義、臺灣土狗

並列摘要

Dogs are the most commonly worshipped animal in Taiwanese folk religions. The lives of dogs and humans have been inextricably linked since the Stone Age, whilst dogs continue to hold an important position in different cultures around the globe. A belief in dog deities amongst Taiwan’s Han Chinese community originated from immigrants from China’s Fujian and Guangdong provinces, whilst localized development of these beliefs saw them become more diverse. Whether looking at animism, myths and legends, or the Chinese zodiac, dog-related beliefs and customs continue to be passed down through folk culture.
Taking folklore as the starting point for the study, the author conducted field research on more than fifty temples across Taiwan that were known to worship dog deities. Having analysed the collected information, the author believes that, on the basis of historical background and story lines, the legends can be categorized into three types: 1) dogs are elevated to the level of deity due to legendary stories 2) dogs are elevated to the level of deity due to a certain set of events, and 3) dogs are elevated to the level of deity after their death. All three types of legend demonstrate the process by which dogs’ “loyalty” to humans was the reason behind their deification. Not only does this reflect the close relationship between dogs and humans, it also serves as to illustrate the specific way in which dogs are valued by people.
Original features tend to be maintained when creating statues of dog deities, the majority of which are molded in the form of the native Taiwanese dog or wolfhound. Most Taiwanese beliefs in dog deities were established during the economic boom of the 1970s. This was also the time at which the practice of worshipping dogs was at its most prevalent. In Taiwan, the belief in dog deities is similar to the worship of the Tiger God in that they both help with the protection of children and the accumulation of wealth. However, belief in dog deities is not nearly as widespread as belief in the Tiger God. Mainly, people esteem the image and character of dogs. This is perhaps the main reason behind the development of such beliefs. This paper will attempt to construct the lineage behind beliefs in dog deities. Through research into Taiwanese folk religion, the paper will outline what makes belief in dog deities unique from belief in other animal deities.

並列關鍵字

folk religions 、dog Deities、worshipped animal、loyalty、Taiwanese dog

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