臺灣傳統安胎暨「胎神」的觀念

The Fetal Sedative and the Perception of 'tai shen' in the Traditional Taiwan

本文透過俗曲、方志、民間文書、符籙科、前人研究等文獻資料的運用，輔以筆者在三貂、蘭陽溪北一帶初步田野工作中的理解，探討臺灣傳統有關「安胎」暨「胎神」的信仰、儀式與禁忌。全篇論述要旨有二：一是企圖自「安胎」主題的研究中，逐步思積本土「產育文化誌」暨「婦女風俗誌」的實質資料，其對傳統婦女獨特的生命經驗，以及胎神信仰、禁忌下婦女特有的宗教生活，有更多面相的瞭解。二是企圖自安胎策略系統的文化體系中，釐清「胎神」的基本概念及屬性，以其對臺灣民間信仰中的「神煞論述」，有更多的闡析。至於更進一步由婦女胎產研究所衍生的有關「性別論述」或「女觀」建構的議，以及由胎神觀念引發的有關「人觀」或「生命」觀念的理論建構，然有待未來更多基礎研究的持續累積。全文主要論點有三：筆者首先指出，傳統文化中的安胎論述，其內涵不僅涉及「下血」、「惡阻」等「妊娠疾病」的範疇而已，同時更關到另一類與妊娠疾病相似，但致病機理多與觸冒「鬼神之屬」有關的所謂「妊娠祟病」的知識和策略，因而必需求諸於古典「女科」醫學文化的脈絡，方得以識其全貌。其次，臺灣傳統的「胎神」觀念，顯然具有多重層次的概念意涵，它既可以是胎兒的元神，是胎兒生命形成的一種要素，也可以是某種存在於胎兒之外的超自然的存在，從而以「正神」或「煞神」的兩可面貌，與妊婦、胎兒產生雙重的互動關係。最末，筆者強調指出，在臺灣民間信仰「泛煞」意識的文化脈絡下，民間社會主觀詮釋中的「胎神」，實即「胎煞」，其對胎兒雙重支配關係中的傷害層面，且被明顯地強調出來。

Using literature such as folk songs, local monographs, native texts, mystic charms, research records, and fieldwork data, this essauy tries to explore the customs of the fetal sedative and perception of 'tai shen'(胎神)in traditional Taiwan society. There are two topics in brief. One is the hope of increasing an knowledge of cultural discourses on pregnancy & delivery of women, and to comprehend their unique experiences of life and religious world under the overall beliefs of 'tai shen'. The second is to grasp the basic concepts and attributions of 'tai shen' from the cultural complex on fetal sedatives and its associations, in order to understand the discourses on 'shen sha system'(神煞體系)in the folk religion of Taiwan. I suggest firstly that the cultural complex on fetal sedatives including customs, taboos, and rituals, not only presumed a kind of 'disorders', but also a kind of 'sue bin'(祟病)(i.e. disorders possessed or caused by demon) during women's gestation that should be understood within the context of cultural practices in regards to the gynecology of Middle China. Secondly, in traditional Taiwn, the perception of 'tai shen' had multiple meanings obviously; it was ths spirit of the fetus, the essence of making his life, and was also a kind of supernatural that existed externally, then entailed an ambivalent dynamic relationship between mother-to-be and fetus. Finally, from a native's point of view, I argue that the perception of 'tai shen' was 'tai shen'(胎煞)referring essentially to the reign of 'sha' consciousness in folk religion, and its inflictive dimension of the dynamic relationship had been emphasized. Theoretically speaking, these issues mentioned above involve tow realms of discourses. One is the realm of 'Gender & Ritual Studies', and the other is 'Religion Studies'. Most importantly, theory-constructions based on basic well-known research, including the theory of Gender derived from women's experiences of pregnancy & delivery, and 'the concept of the person' invoked by the perception of 'tai shen', will become central to future research.