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Title:
Possessed by Spirits: Identities and Functions of Mediums in Tang China (618-907)
Abstract:
In short stories written or collected during the Tang dynasty (618-907), there are mentions of people whose bodies were used by spirits to convey words or actions. They were called by many names, but for the sake of clarity we will use the etic term “medium”, although the variety of emic names will also be addressed. Mediums can be defined by their association with spirit possession as a form of religious phenomenon. This paper will focus on gaining a better understanding of who these mediums were and what role they played in Tang dynasty Chinese society. This paper will start by addressing the methodological issues related to the study of less documented Chinese religious phenomena, especially when it comes to the Tang dynasty. The study of mediums in the medieval period faces a few obstacles First, there is a lack of reliable and direct sources. Second, it is difficult to identify certain situations as involving mediums. Finally, there is often no direct mention of possession, and the spirits seem to speak more than once without a clear intermediary. Then, using examples from anecdotes collected in the Taiping guangji 太平廣記 and dated to the Tang dynasty, I will question the identities and functions of the medium in Tang society. These questions will include whether the medium was a trained professional or an ordinary layman, whether he belonged to the elite or to the common people, and whether he was identified as a man or a woman. The type of spirit possession described will also be analyzed, as it may be spontaneous or induced. The rituals surrounding the possession (before, during and after) also provide information about the phenomenon and its actors. The behavior of the medium also varies; some transmit words of the entity possessing them, others do not. These words may be spoken or written in ordinary or special languages and scripts. In addition, the spirit that possesses the medium's body can be classified as benevolent or malevolent, and the interaction between the possessing entity and the rest of human society, especially the witnesses, can be positive or negative. With this paper, I hope to address a topic that is still understudied in the field of religious history, especially when it comes to religious actors in the Tang dynasty. This work may shed more light on the religious practices and actors of medieval Chinese society, as well as raise questions regarding gender and class.
