浅析甲骨文中的犬牲

Dogs in Inscriptions on Bones or Tortoise Shells of the Shang Dynasty

商代祭祀先祖、求告上帝,常用动物或人牲献祭。祭牲种类、数量常契刻于卜辞之后。较为常见的祭牲有牛、羊、猪、犬等。从甲骨文材料中有关祭祀使用犬牲的情况来看,犬牲主要用来献祭在商人精神信仰领域具有崇高地位的"四方神"、土地神以及时王父辈、诸母、兄辈等关系较近的亲族,少数情况下用于祭祀洹、岳等自然神和建筑奠基。据此可以认为,犬牲在商代祭祀牺牲中具有较高地位。这种特殊的用牲现象,可能与商人以犬为宠有着直接的关系。

People in Shang Dynasty frequently sacrificed animals or human beings to their ancestors and Heaven.These sacrificial articles and their number were usually engraved on the oracle inscriptions.Commonly-used offerings were ox,sheep,pigs,dogs,etc..Among them,dogs were especially offered up as sacrifices to the Four Directions God,Land God and deceased relatives such as fathers,mothers and brothers.Dogs sacrifices were seldom used to natural gods and buildings gods.Therefore,dogs were more important than other sacrificial articles.