東方朔為西漢時期漢武帝人臣，因其博聞閎覽、言詞敏捷、機智聰穎又性格滑稽，而於史籍留名。自漢魏六朝小說文人藝術加工後，其形象漸趨轉變而為天上仙人。今民間傳說中，除了既有的形象延續外，還增添了民俗的色彩，而與民間信仰及節日風俗產生聯繫，豐富了東方朔的傳說體系。據東方朔的形象特質，可將相關傳說分作「機智型」、「博物型」、「神仙型」三類；以故事類型分類，則有「不死酒型」、「推遲死期型」、「神奇受孕型」、「見屈原型」、「老頭子型」、「石子變銀子型」等六類。
結合了文人敘事與民間敘事的東方朔傳說，其敘事型態具有穩定模式。各類型傳說的角色多具備「給主人公出難題」、「難題被解答」的角色功能，而情節皆以「起因──過程──結果」的序列，依時間先後排列，形成單線式、對立式等情節類型。而透過傳說中的環境特質，可反映出求仙風氣鼎盛、迷信讖緯流行、佛教道教大興等社會的時代與風俗背景。
此外，東方朔傳說還照應了民間信仰與節日風俗，如歲星、太白星等星辰的崇拜，算卦、盲藝人、相聲界等行業祖師的信奉，又與元宵節的由來有所依附，則東方朔傳說實豐厚了中國文化特質與民俗風貌。 / Donfang-Shuo, a Western Han Dynasty scholar-official in Emperor Wu period, left a glorious reputation in history for his erudite knowledge, glib tongue, many smart conversations and humorous words and deeds. During the Six Dynasties period, the image of Donfang-Shuo was gradually transformed into the Daoist immortal in Chinese mythology by the literature and arts; he became an immortal legend who had miraculous birth and supernatural powers. Nowadays, along with the continuation of Donfang-Shuo’s existing image, these folktales have been added more connections with folk customs. The connections with folk beliefs, customs and festivals enriched the integrity of the folktales system of Donfang-Shuo. Folktales about Donfang-Shuo could be categorized into six types, including the types of ‘the immortal wine’, ‘changing other’s destiny ’, ‘the unusual phenomenon of birth’, ‘meeting Qu-Yuan’, ‘elders’, and ‘the Midas touch ’.
Combining intellectual narration and folk narration, the narrative pattern of the folktales of Donfang-Shuo had certain modes and features. First, most characters in the six types of folktales above had common functions in the plot, including giving tough questions or solving the questions. Second, from the perspective of plot, the stories basically developed by the timeline, following the order of ‘cause-process-consequence’ and then forming the plot of one-way type or confronting positions.
Through examining the background features provided by these folktales, the author found the folktales of Dongang-Shuo could reflect the social circumstances and custom background during the Han Dynasty age, the age which was filled with superstitious beliefs, folk customs and the Chinese mythology about Buddhism and Daoism. In addition, Dongfang-Shuo legends also had important influences on folk customs and some festivals. For instance, the belief of his embodiment of ‘Sui’(歲,or Jupiter) and ‘Taibai’(太白,or Venus) led to the worship of the stars, even Donfang-Shuo himeslf was worshiped by lots of fortune tellers and was believed to be one of the earliest ancestors of Daoism. His humorous and wise legends were highly praised by many Chinese story tellers and who worked in Chinese comic dialogues as well. Moreover, Donfang-Shuo had deep relation with the origin of Lantern Festival. To conclude, the folktales system of Donfang-Shuo truly nourished the Chinese culture and enriched the style and features of folk customs.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:CHENGCHI/G0099912024 |
| Creators | 陳佳璟, Chen, Chia Ching |
| Publisher | 國立政治大學 |
| Source Sets | National Chengchi University Libraries |
| Language | 中文 |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Rights | Copyright © nccu library on behalf of the copyright holders |
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