本文透過墾丁一帶流傳的八寶公主傳說為例，探討此則傳說是在一 個怎樣的歷史情境與脈絡下被詮釋、建構，以及如何被流傳、記憶與添 加的過程。本文指出墾丁一帶海域歷史上原就是船難頻傳之地，加上處 於清帝國化外之地的國境南端，因此成了八寶公主遇難成神傳說產生的 合理情境。八寶公主遇難原是一則地方普遍流傳的傳說，經由長時間各 方人士的加入詮釋、附會與轉化的過程中，八寶公主逐漸被神格化。在 八寶公主傳說文本逐漸形成、流傳後，文本常又反過來規限了地方的歷 史記憶與想像，甚至一定程度持續強化著墾丁國境之南異境觀的形象。

In this essay I take the folklore about the Eight Treasures Princess in Kenting as an example to explore in which historical context the folklore is initiated and interpreted as well as the process of folklore’s spreading, memorizing and reshaping by the local people. The shipwrecks occurred frequently throughout history around Kenting seashore; therefore, Kenting had become the suitable place for the producing of the Eight Treasures Princess folklore. At first the story of a shipwrecked Dutch princess was wildly spread in Kenting and then she became the native goddess via the long process of the local people’s interpretation, analogy and translation jointly. After the folklore text had been formed and spread gradually, the ideal text can confine the native’s historical memory and imagination instead. It also can strengthen the image of Kenting’s exotic and peripheral atmosphere in Taiwan.

墾丁；八寶公主；傳說

Kenting；Eight Treasures Princess；Folklore