| Summary: | 博士 === 玄奘大學 === 中國語文學系碩博士班 === 101 === Abstract
The thesis aims to investigate the earth god beliefs and legends of Min-nan (Southern Min) and Hakka people in Taiwan. The research collects and analyses texts of earth god legends and found that earth god legends circulated in Min-nan and Hakka communities in Taiwan can be categorized into the following categories: legend of origins, legends of citizen protection, legends of divine power, legends of earth gods in the form of natural objects, composite legends of plagues and healing, legends related to Feng Shui, and legends of Tu Di Po (Earth grandmother).
The second part of the thesis explores the beliefs of earth gods in Taiwan and identifies earth god worshipping practices that are unique to this region. These unique practices examined includes beliefs of earth god of fortune, open-air earth god shrines, and beliefs of earth god as guardian of homes and abodes. Finally, the thesis examines the legends and beliefs identified in the texts collected with an integrated approach in an attempt to understand how they interact and fashion the essential characteristics of earth divinities in Taiwan.
Beliefs in earth gods is an integral part of nature worship. Worship of the earth is a long-standing practice in nature worship and has a stronger link to human's ancestral past than any other practices. By investigating the legends and beliefs of earth worshipping in Taiwan, the thesis delineates the passing-down and changes of the distinct earth worshipping culture nurtured by the unique natural and social environment of Taiwan.
Key words: earth god, earth god of fortune, earth god of dragon, Di Ji Zhu (the chief of the land), Bo Gong, belief, legend
|
|---|
