越系文化香榧传说群的若干思考——一个香榧传说群的发现及其意义

Some Thoughts on the Folktale Group about Torreya Trees in Yue Culture: the Findings and Significance of A Torreya Trees Folktale Group

会稽山地区的香榧树群是第三纪古生物孑遗,围绕着香榧树的果实香榧子,形成了种种传说、故事、歌谣、谚语、习俗等非物质文化遗产表现形式,承载、体现、延续了农耕文明条件下会稽山周边地区世居农民、手工业者等人群的宇宙观、生命观、伦理观、理想,并在一定程度上穿越时空,传承了上千年之久而不衰,时至今日,成为当今现代社会文化的一部分。这笔文化遗产的发掘,为碎片化了的古"越系文化"展露出了一片新的景观。调查发现,香榧传说在其传承传播中形成了一个以会稽山周边地区(如诸暨、绍兴、嵊州、东阳等)为中心,包括范围更大一些的江苏南部、浙江、福建、江西、安徽、湖南、贵州等一些地区在内的传说圈。香榧传说是继人参传说、葫芦传说之后,被发掘现世的第三个"中华人文瓜果"传说。在申报世界农业文化遗产的同时,对香榧传说在科学理念指导之下的普查和忠实记录,是"活态保护"之外的另一种必要手段。

There are many folktales, songs, proverbs and customs formed around the fruits of torreya trees, which are the remains of prehistoric life in tertiary period in Kuaiji mountain area. These intangible cultural forms bear and continue the worldview, outlook towards life, ethics and dreams of peasants and craftsmen lived surrounding Kuaiji area under the condition of agricultural civilization and lasted for thousands of years to a certain degree. The findings of this cultural heritage provide a clue for exploring fragmented ancient Yue culture. The spread of folktales about torreya trees, the thirdly found ＂Chinese humanistic fruit＂ following the folktales about ginseng and gourd, has created a circle centering on neighboring regions of Kuaiji area such as Zhuji, Shaoxing, Shengzhou and Dongyang, including a greater scale like south of Jiangsu, Zhejiang ,Fujian, Jiangxi, Anhui, Hunan and Guizhou. This paper argues that, based on scientific ways, a general investigation and record of the heritage will be another necessary way for the protection of the living heritage.