马来西亚民间故事中两种主题的鳄鱼传说 Two Themes on the Crocodiles in Malaysian Folk Tales

Abstract

动物故事在早期马来亚民间故事中占据主导地位，而鳄鱼故事更是其中较常见的。1907年金门诗人林豪南游，写有《鳄鱼叹》、《后鮇鱼叹》二诗，记录两段分属不同形象的鳄鱼故事。我们以此为基础，同时结合早期英殖民官员记录的各种鳄鱼民间故事，分别按照“公审鳄鱼”和“镇港鳄鱼”两个主题故事，对其组成要素及不同版本间的异同进行综合分析，尽可能挖掘这两种主题的鳄鱼故事所蕴含之内涵的各种深度与广度。

Animals featured prominently in early Malayan folk tales and those about the crocodile were popular. In 1907, a poet from Jinmen named Lin Hao wrote two poems which showcased tales of two different types of crocodiles. Aided by records of early folk tales compiled by British colonial officials, we may categorize these tales into two main themes, namely “Crocodiles On Public Trial” and “Guardian Crocodiles”, and to analyse their story components and compare different versions of the tales. In this manner, it may be possible to discover the hidden meanings embedded in the two different themes of crocodile tales.