试论元代江南地区的巫风与地方治理

On Witchcraft Rampancy and Local Governance in Jiangnan Regions in Yuan Dynasty

元代江南地方社会信巫之风盛行,主要表现为信巫不信医与医巫并用、遇水旱之灾祷祀求助于巫觋、崇信占卜。巫觋对社会造成了一些危害,包括煽惑民众,聚众作法,威胁社会秩序,甚至谋反叛乱,进而威胁统治体系;巫觋除利用祈赛进行敛财之外,还会蛊惑他人盗坟掘墓以取利以及影响国家徭役;"信巫不信医"阻碍民间医学的发展。鉴于巫觋对地方社会的危害,地方官加强了对巫觋淫祀的打击,此举并非仅仅出于整顿社会秩序,夯实基层政权的考量,另一个不可忽视的目的则是为了夺回其在地方上的话语权,树立地方官府的权威。

The custom of believing in witches prevailed in Jiangnan regions in the Yuan Dynasty, which were mainly reflected as believing in witches but not doctors or combination of witches and doctors, praying to sorcerers and sorceresses during flood and drought disasters as well as worshiping divination. And sorcerers and sorceresses also brought harm to the society, including inciting people, assembling people to cast spell, threatening the social order, and threatening the ruling system by causing rebellions. Besides collecting prayers’ money, they also got profits and influenced the state corvee by encouraging others to disentomb graves. What’s more, the custom of believing in witches instead of doctors blocked the development of folk medicine. In view of all the harms to the local society, local officials enhanced the fight against sorcerers and sorceresses, not only for the sake of rectifying social order and strengthening grassroots political power, but also for the purpose of regaining their right to speak in local areas and establishing the authority of local government.