The myth of Loki and the master builder - Alex Gendler

翻译人员: Xiaowei Dong 校对人员: Harper Chang

Asgard, a realm of wonders, was where the Norse Gods made their home.

阿斯加德，一片奇妙的疆域， 北欧众神的土地。

There Odin’s great hall of Valhalla towered above the mountains

在那，奥丁的英灵殿俯瞰群山，

and Bifrost, the rainbow bridge, anchored itself.

彩虹桥横亘其间。

But though their domain was magnificent,

尽管这片地域宏伟无比，

it stood undefended from the giants and trolls of Jotunheim,

却不设防御，时常受到 约顿汉姆巨人的袭击，

who despised the gods and sought to destroy them.

缘由是他们痛恨并想要摧毁众神。

One day when Thor, strongest of the gods, was off fighting these foes,

有天，最强的神索尔 与对手激战正酣，

a stranger appeared, riding a powerful gray horse.

一个骑壮硕灰马的外乡人突然出现，

The visitor made the gods an astonishing offer.

并提出了一个惊人的提议。

He would build them the greatest wall they’d ever seen,

他会为众神建造一座 史无前例的城墙，

higher than any giant could climb and stronger than any troll could break.

高到让巨人们难以企及， 坚实到没有巨人能击碎。

All he asked in return was the beautiful goddess Freya’s hand in marriage—

他要求的报酬是 与美丽的女神芙蕾雅结婚——

along with the sun and moon from the sky.

连同天空中的日与月。

The gods balked at this request and were ready to send him away.

众神犹疑了， 还是打算将他送走。

But the trickster Loki concocted a devious plan.

但最狡猾的洛基， 费尽心机想出了一个歪点子。

He told the gods they should accept the stranger’s offer,

他建议众神接受外乡人的提议，

but set such strict conditions that he would fail to complete the wall in time.

但要给他设置 不可能完成的时限。

That way, they would lose nothing, while getting most of the wall built for free.

这样他们不会有任何损失， 还能白挣大半堵墙。

Freya didn’t like this idea at all,

芙蕾雅完全不支持这个想法，

but Odin and the other gods were convinced

但奥丁和其他神都被说服了，

and came to an agreement with the builder.

并与石匠达成协议。

He would only have one winter to complete the wall.

规定他只有一个冬天的时间造墙，

If any part was unfinished by the first day of summer,

如果在夏天开始的第一天， 有任何未完部分，

he would receive no payment.

他就得不到报酬。

And he could have no help from any other people.

并且他不能向任何人寻求帮助。

The gods sealed the deal with solemn oaths

众神用神圣的誓言 封印了这项协议，

and swore the mason would come to no harm in Asgard.

并让石匠发誓绝不伤害阿斯加德。

In the morning, the stranger began to dig the foundations at an astonishing speed,

清早，石匠开始用 惊人的速度刨地基，

and at nightfall he set off towards the mountains to obtain the building stones.

夜幕降临时，就去群山间寻找石材，

But it was only the next morning, when they saw him returning,

一直到第二天早上他才回来。

that the gods began to worry.

众神们开始有些紧张。

As agreed, no other people were helping the mason.

按照约定， 没有任何人在帮石匠。

But his horse Svadilfari was hauling a load of stones so massive

但他的马，斯瓦迪尔法利， 却能拉动成吨的石材，

it left trenches in the ground behind them.

多到土地上， 都被拉出了沟渠。

Winter came and went.

一整个冬天，

The stranger kept building, Svadilfari kept hauling,

石匠不停地造， 斯瓦迪尔法利不停地拉，

and neither snow nor rain could slow their progress.

日夜兼程，雨雪无阻。

With only three days left until summer, the wall stood high and impenetrable,

夏天到来三天前，城墙几近完成， 高高耸立，坚不可摧，

with only the gate left to be built.

只剩下一扇门还没完成。

Horrified, the gods realized that not only would they lose

慌乱的众神意识到 他们不仅会永远失去

their fertility goddess forever,

他们的生育女神，

but without the sun and moon the world would be plunged into eternal darkness.

还会失去日月， 让天地堕入无尽黑暗。

They wondered why they’d made such a foolish wager—

他们思来想去，当初是 如何达成这样一个愚蠢的约定——

and then remembered Loki and his terrible advice.

这才想起是洛基提的坏主意。

Suddenly, Loki didn’t feel so clever.

突然之间， 洛基不再自视聪明了。

All of his fellow gods threatened him with an unimaginably painful death

众神威胁要将他折磨致死，

if he didn’t find some way to prevent the builder from getting his payment.

除非他找到办法避免石匠获得报酬。

So Loki promised to take care of the situation, and dashed away.

洛基只好连连答应， 然后马上去办事了。

Outside, night had fallen,

殿外，夜幕降临，

and the builder prepared to set off to retrieve the final load of stones.

石匠出发去拿最后一批石材。

But just as he called Svadilfari to him, a mare appeared in the field.

但正当他呼唤斯瓦迪尔法利的时候， 一匹漂亮的母马突然出现。

She was so beautiful that Svadilfari ignored his master

斯瓦迪尔法利被美色迷惑， 无视了主人的呼唤，

and broke free of his reins.

挣脱了缰绳。

The mason tried to catch him,

石匠想要抓住斯瓦迪尔法利，

but the mare ran deep into the woods and Svadilfari followed.

但母马跑进了树丛， 斯瓦迪尔法利也随之而去。

The stranger was furious.

外乡人震怒。

He knew that the gods were behind this and confronted them:

他知道众神在操纵这一切， 便前去对峙：

no longer as a mild-mannered mason,

他卸下好脾气石匠的伪装，

but in his true form as a terrifying mountain giant.

现出他的真实面目—— 一个可怕的山巨人。

This was a big mistake.

这可是一个天大的错误。

Thor had just returned to Asgard,

索尔正好回到阿斯加德，

and now that the gods knew a giant was in their midst,

由于巨人在众神间现出原形，

they disregarded their oaths.

众神违背了誓言。

The only payment the builder would receive—

巨人收到的唯一报酬，

and the last thing he would ever see—

也是最后看到的东西，

was the swing of Thor’s mighty hammer Mjolnir.

将是索尔的巨锤，姆乔尔尼尔。

As they set the final stones into the wall, the gods celebrated their victory.

众神把最后一块砖砌上城墙后， 开始庆祝他们的胜利。

Loki was not among them, however.

洛基却并不在其中。

Several months would pass before he finally returned,

几个月后，洛基终于回来了，

followed by a beautiful gray foal with eight legs.

身后是一匹漂亮的八脚灰马驹。

The foal would grow into a magnificent steed named Sleipnir

小马驹之后会长成一匹骏马， 斯莱布尼尔，

and become Odin’s mount, a horse that could outrun the wind itself.

并成为奥丁的坐骑， 跑得比风还快。

But exactly where he had come from was something Loki preferred not to discuss.

但至于他是从何而来的， 洛基从不愿过多赘述。