唐宋之間蠶叢形象的轉變

The Transformation of Can Cong during theTang-Song Period

本文以在漢唐文獻中被視為古蜀君王的蠶叢為對象，梳理其形象在唐宋之間由蜀古王到蠶神的變遷過程。同時，將由宋代成都一月二十三日聖壽寺前蠶市之例，探討前述蠶叢形象轉折與唐宋蜀地社會變遷的關聯。本文論證蠶叢成為蜀地蠶神，是其形象在唐宋之間逐漸變化的結果。此一發現推翻一般認為蠶叢自古即為始蠶者、蠶市創始者與蠶神的說法。本為傳說中蜀古王之蠶叢，在唐末至前蜀杜光庭（850-933）的道教記傳中，被塑造為教民養蠶的始蠶者，蠶市之俗亦是模仿其行跡而成。後蜀北宋初期的蜀人接受此說，而將蠶叢與青衣神結合並立祠崇奉。所謂聖壽寺前蠶市，實際上是以聖壽寺前周邊的蠶叢祠前為地點，祈祭目的在於尋求蠶事順利。類似的發展，也可見於時代相近的蜀地其他神祇。這些神祇雖被溯源至唐甚至上古，實皆為因應唐宋之間商業化、城市化等社會變革影響而成的新興信仰。祂們之所以受到崇奉，多賴當時遠程貿易大盛，使民眾積極追逐絲織品貿易帶來的豐厚利潤，進而賦予其新的職能。由蠶叢信仰變遷的考察出發，將帶領我們認識唐宋蜀地商業發展如何帶動宗教變遷，進而造成當地祠神信仰在近世的轉型。

The aim of this research is to discuss when Can Cong 蠶叢 began to be worshiped as the deity of sericulture in Sichuan and how Can Cong became deified from being an ancient king of Shu . Through an investigation of a silkworm fair 蠶市 held near Sheng Shou Temple 聖壽寺 in Chengdu 成都 during the Song dynasty, I have discovered that Can Cong was initially regarded as the first sericulturalist within Taoist hagiographies in the late Tang dynasty, which refutes the notion that Can Cong has always been viewed as the first from ancient times. As the belief became accepted, the ruler of Shu, namely Can Cong, was thus popularly known as “qing yi shen”青衣神 (god of blue cloth or the azure-robed spirit), a god of sericulture in Sichuan during the Northern Song dynasty. With the processes of deification revolving around the above time frame in mind, I argue that the transformation of this legendary local figure was a result of the commercialization of silk products, urbanization, and other social changes in Sichuan during the Tang-Song period.