王爺的角力戰──臺南安平「採船」傳說研究

Wrestling with Wangye─A Study of the“Gathered Lives to God’s Boat”Legend in Tainan Anping

在安平盛傳「採船」的傳說，據說王船如果人手不足，就會靠岸上陸隨機抓人，被選中的人都是年輕力壯的男性，他們會突然病重有生命的危險，必須趕快請武將的王爺前來處理，與對方談判交涉，在王船還未駛離岸邊或出海之前，將人從船上搶回來，才有機會生還。這類傳說應當從清朝就開始流傳，即使到了醫療發達的現代，採船傳說仍然繼續流傳，可見王船抓人的說法深植人心。安平人認為採船的船是王船，但卻不清楚王船是否就是王爺的船。王爺信仰在安平十分盛行，許多廟宇都有永祀王船，安平人把這種王船視為王爺的海上交通工具。而事實上，採船的王船就是王爺的船。隨著王爺信仰的發展，王船也發展出高度的功能性，十分精密，也因此王船需要足夠的人力才能行駛任務。王船代天巡狩，身負重責大任，必須確保人力足夠，才能順利完成任務，也因此王爺被賦予抓人的權力，只要王船人力不足需補充時，王船都可以就地尋找適合的人選，這也就是「採船」為什麼被允許的主因。王船採船卻被地方上的王爺阻攔下來，且王爺沒有受到處罰，可見採船並非命定，仍可挽回，採船也非代天巡狩的任務，所以地方上的王爺可以基於保境安民的責任將王船打壞。由此可見王爺信仰發展到後來，具備很完整的邏輯性，將世俗科層體制的理性做適度的反映。其次，採船是人們潛意識中對瘟疫恐懼的轉化。由此可見採船和王爺信仰中，王爺角色的變化具有相當明確的連結，並且可以從中看出人們對王爺信仰的合理解釋。

There is a legend, local to Anping, called“gathered lives to god’s boat”. It is believed that if a god’s boat is undermanned will pull in to shore and gather people’s lives at random. The people selected are generally young, strong men, who will suddenly become seriously ill with a life-threatening condition and are at risk of dying abruptly. To save them, their family and friends must request another martial god (called“Wangye”) to negotiate with the god in the boat before the boat leaves the shore and goes to sea. If released from the ship the abducted man may live. Such legends began during the Qing dynasty and they are still prevalent in the present day, despite the people having access to modern medical treatment. Obviously the concept of“gathered lives to god’s boat”is deeply rooted in people’s minds. People living in Anping believe the boat that gathers lives belongs to a god, but they are unclear whether or not this boat is Wangye’s boat. Belief in Wangye remains popular in Anping and there are eternal god’s ships in many local temples. People local to Anping consider that these boats represent Wangye’s ocean-going vessel, but, in fact, they are Wangye’s boat that gathers lives. As belief in Wangye evolved the god’s boat is also acquired multiple, highly developed and precise functions. Therefore, more manpower was needed to sail the god’s boat. The god’s boat undertakes missions assigned by Jade Emperor or the great Emperor of Heaven and as a result Wangye was assigned the right to press into service as many people as necessary. It is this reason that permits the“gathering of lives to god’s boat”. Gathering lives to god’s boat can also be stopped or reversed by Wangye because events surrounding the“gathering of lives to god’s boat”are not predestined. The“gathering of lives to god’s boat”is not a mission assigned by the Jade Emperor, and therefore another Wangye of local belief can destroy the god’s boat to save the people. It shows the logic in Wangye’s belief. Rationality of bureaucracy is expressed. Furthermore, the legend of“gathering lives to god’s boat”is a subconscious transformation of the populace’s fear of plague, such that, the legend of“gathered lives to god’s boat”, can be rationalized as Wangye’s role and belief.