Page 44 - 芒花拾穗_十年全記錄

Dr. History: Five Origins of the Earth God and Goddess
歷史探照燈
1. According to legend, in the Zhou Dynasty, a faithful servant named Zhang Ming De escorted
土地公婆五大由來及傳說 the daughter of his master to her father. Unfortunately on the way they encountered a blizzard.
Zhang sacrificed himself by taking off his coat to save the daughter’s life. When he was dying of
hypothermia, a line of words showed up high in the sky. It read: "Southern Heavenly Gate Earth
(1) 相傳在周朝的時候，有一位忠心的僕人，名叫張明德，他的主人到遠 God”. Later on, his master built a shrine to worship Zhang out of gratitude and the plaque that was
地去任官，留在家中的女兒非常想念她的父親，便要求張明德帶她去 hung up in the shrine read "Earth God (fude zheng shen)".
尋找父親。途中不幸遇到大風雪，張明德為不使小姐受凍，便脫下外
衣給小姐穿，雖然保住了小姐的命，但他自己卻因而犧牲了，在他臨 2. Once upon a time, an old man and his son relied upon each other. After his son died, the
終的時候，天空中出現了「南天門大仙福德正神」。後來主人為了感 father became very lonely and sad. One day, he got a god’s notice that he would meet his
念他的義舉，便為他塑像建廟供奉，並題一幅匾額，上書「福德正神」 son again. Completely convinced, he later encountered a baby snake and regarded the
4字。 snake as the symbol of his son. He brought the snake home and treated it as his son. Years later,
the father released the grown snake back to the mountain, but it started to harm people. The
(2) 以前中國某地住著父子2人，相依為命，過著極貧窮的生活。不久兒子死了，留下孤獨的老
sad old father had no choice but to kill the snake by his own hand. Later, the local officials
人，非常傷心終日以淚洗面。後來有一位神仙教他說：「往前行便可以找到你兒子。」老人往
esteemed him as the Earth God out of gratitude.
芒花 前行，看到了1條蛇，便認為是他的兒子投胎，將其帶回家飼養。後來蛇長大了，老人便把牠
放出去自己求生。不料這蛇卻到處害人，老人知道後很傷心，本著大義滅親的精神，把蛇給殺 The Legend of the Silver Grass
3. It is said that a diligent and caring local official was highly respected and adored by people.
‧ 拾穗
了，使鄰里安寧。地方官為了感謝他，便封他為土地公。
One day he lost his life on duty. The people built a shrine to worship him as the Earth God in
(3) 中國古代有一勤政愛民的地方官，平日喜助窮人，熱心公益，後來卻因公殉職，地方人士為了
memory of his benevolence.
感念他的德澤，乃建廟奉祀，恭稱他為土地公。
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(4) 后土的故事：秦始皇時，孟姜女為找尋丈夫萬喜良，哭倒了萬里長城，露出了無數白骨，她無 4. The origin of “God of the Earth”: During the Qin Dynasty, a lady named Meng Jiang stood on
山海間的古道記憶
法辨認哪個是她丈夫的遺骨，此時出現一白髮老翁，教她咬破手指把血滴在骨頭上，如果仍然 the Great Wall and cried for her husband who was killed building the Great Wall. It is said that
是紅色的，便是她丈夫的遺骨。孟姜女依計找到了丈夫的遺骨，乃抱著他回家，這時眼淚滴在 her sorrow was so powerful so that the Wall was torn down to expose a pile of white human
白骨上，卻長出皮膚和肌肉來，這時白髮老翁又出現了，他說：「抱著太累了，用麻袋背回家 bones buried underneath. Thanks to the advice of a white haired senior, Meng Jiang identified
比較方便。」孟姜女照做，不料遺骨卻因摩擦而又變回白骨。她非常生氣就責怪白髮老翁，要 the remains of her husband. Later she again lost her husband’s remains due to the senior’s further
他歸還亡夫的遺體。白髮老人無奈，只好埋葬他的遺骨，並答應負責看守墳墓。這就是後來留 advice. Meng Jiang blamed the white-haired old man, asking him to return her husband's body. So
─ 草嶺古道尋幽行
置於墓旁「后土」的由來。 the white-haired man promised to guard her husband’s tomb, which ended up in the folk belief that
the God of the Earth guards tombs.
(5) 土地公和土地婆的故事：據傳說，土地婆很自私，是個心腸很壞的人，所以人們都不願親近
她。而土地公則是忠厚篤實的人，平時樂善好施。當他見世上的人都很窮苦，便設法使大
5. The story of the Earth God and Goddess: According to legend, the Earth Goddess was very
十年精彩全紀錄 Memories Beyond the Mountains and the Sea: Past, Present, and the Future of the Caoling Historical Trails
家都能過好日子。不料，土地婆知道後便阻止他說：「如果大家都變有錢人，那苦差事誰
selfish while the Earth God was very merciful. Whenever he saw people needing help, he would
做呢？」怕老婆的土地公聽了覺得也有道理，也就不提這事了。後來，土地公又看到人死的
do all he could to help. Moreover, when he saw people’s sorrow due to the death of their loved
時候，大家都很傷心，便設法讓死者復活。這事讓土地婆
ones, he would try to bring the dead back to life. But the Earth Goddess had different opinions.
知道了，她又說：「你這樣讓死人復活，那世上的人會愈來愈
She thought that what the Earth God did was
多，糧食也會不夠吃，到了最後，不就形成了人吃人的世界了
against natural law. Later the Earth God
嗎？」土地公被土地婆這麼一說，又被說服了。後來，不管人
accepted her opinion and that’s why people
們再怎麼哭喊，也不能打動土地公，讓死者復活。土地公是如
always worshipped the Earth God rather than
此的仁慈，因此人們都敬拜土地公，而不敬拜土地婆。目前在
the Earth Goddess. So far, only a few shrines in
臺南有5所廟宇及三峽地方的土地公廟，和這兒一樣同祀土地
Tainan and Sanxia, and the shrine here in Caoling,
公、婆，其主要目的在同情土地公之孤獨與悽涼。
worship both the Earth God and the Earth
Goddess.