The myth of Medusa - Laura Aitken-Burt

翻译人员: Slowhyte Yang 校对人员: Lark Yu

Before, her hair was a writhing nest of snakes

在她的头发成为缠绕的蛇巢，

and her eyes had the power to petrify,

她的眼睛拥有石化的力量之前，

Medusa was a young woman who worshipped at the temple of Athena,

美杜莎是一位在雅典娜神庙里 被敬拜的年轻女子，

the goddess of wisdom and war.

而雅典娜是掌管智慧和战争的女神。

But all the while, as Medusa tended to Athena’s shrine,

然而一直以来，在美杜莎照看雅典娜神殿时，

Poseidon, god of the seas and horses, was watching her.

海洋和马匹之神波塞冬一直在注意她。

And one night, he crept into the temple as Medusa prayed,

有一天晚上，他在美杜莎祈祷时潜入寺庙，

and assaulted her.

并袭击了她。

Athena reacted swiftly to the desecration of her shrine.

雅典娜对她的神殿遭到 亵渎的行为迅速做出了反应。

But instead of punishing Poseidon, she focused her wrath on Medusa.

但是她并没有惩罚波塞冬， 而是将愤怒发泄在美杜莎身上。

The young woman felt her body transform until she was a monstrous Gorgon,

这位年轻女子感觉到自己的身体发生了变化， 最终她变成了一个可怕的蛇发女妖，

her face framed by coils of hissing snakes.

她的脸被不断发出嘶嘶声的蛇所缠绕。 再也没有人能够随意直视她的眼睛，

No man could freely look upon her again, for if they met her eyes,

they'd instantly turn to stone.

否则他们就会立刻变成石头。

Medusa sought refuge in a hidden cave

美杜莎在一个隐蔽的洞穴里寻求庇护

inhabited by the world’s two other Gorgons, Stheno and Euryale.

这里还居住着世界上另外两个蛇发女妖 丝西娜和尤瑞艾莉。

However, unlike Stheno and Euryale, who could never die,

但是，与永不死的丝西娜和尤瑞艾莉不同，

Medusa remained mortal.

美杜莎依然只是肉体凡胎。

Time passed and would-be heroes journeyed to the cave

时光流逝，想要成为英雄的勇士们纷纷前往洞穴

to make their names by murdering Medusa— but fell to her gaze every time.

他们希望能够杀死美杜莎来扬名天下 但无人幸免于她的注视之下。

This was the way of things until another young man, named Perseus,

事情一直这样发展着， 直到一个名为珀尔修斯的年轻人出现，

began his quest for glory— Medusa his intended trophy.

他想要以美杜莎为战利品 来获取属于他的荣光

Perseus was born of the mortal princess Danae

珀尔修斯是由凡人公主达那厄的儿子，

after Zeus impregnated her in the form of golden rain.

是宙斯化作金雨令她怀孕所生。

However, Danae’s father had received a prophecy

然而，达娜埃的父亲收到了一个预言，

foretelling that her son would kill him,

预言说她的儿子未来将会杀死他，

so he locked Danae and Perseus in a chest and threw it into the sea.

于是他把达那厄和珀尔修斯 锁在箱子里扔进了大海。

Safeguarded by the gods, they survived.

在众神的保护下，他们得以幸存。

But the king of their new land, Polydektes, lusted after Danae.

但是他们的新国王波吕得克忒斯 贪恋达那厄。

She tried turning King Polydektes away to no avail,

达那厄试图避开国王波吕得克忒斯 却无济于事，

and Perseus grew protective.

珀尔修斯的保护欲变得越来越强。

To distract Perseus, Polydektes feigned that he’d finally given up on Danae

为了分散珀尔修斯的注意力， 波吕得克忒斯假装自己终于放弃了达那厄，

and would be wedding another.

并且将与别人结婚。

When Perseus offered Polydektes whatever wedding gift he desired,

当珀尔修斯答应波吕得克忒斯 可以送任何他想要的结婚礼物时，

Polydektes saw the opportunity to be rid of Perseus,

波吕得克忒斯看到了摆脱珀尔修斯的机会，

and suggested that he prove his manhood by fetching a Gorgon's head.

于是建议他通过取得蛇发女妖的头颅 来证明自己的男子气概。

Perseus accepted the foolhardy mission, gathered a crew,

珀尔修斯接受了这项鲁莽的任务， 召集了一批船员，

and set sail towards Graeae, three ancient sisters.

然后启航去找古老的格赖埃三姐妹。

They shared a single eye and tooth and harbored numerous secrets.

他们共用一只眼睛和一颗牙齿， 并且藏有许多秘密。

As one sister passed their eye to another,

就在一个姐妹把眼睛传给另一个姐妹的时候，

Perseus grabbed it and forced them to reveal the locations

珀尔修斯抓住了这只眼睛，并强迫他们说出

of the nymphs of the River Styx and the cave of the Gorgons.

斯提克斯河的宁芙仙女 和蛇发女妖所在洞穴的位置。

With the nymphs’ help, he obtained Hermes’ winged sandals,

在仙女们的帮助下，他获得了赫尔墨斯的飞鞋、

Hades’ cap of invisibility, and a special satchel.

哈迪斯的隐身头盔和一个特殊的背包。

And he accepted a gleaming sickle from Hermes,

然后他接受了赫尔墨斯送的一把闪闪发光的镰刀，

and a shield that shone like a mirror from Athena herself,

以及雅典娜赠予的 像镜子一样闪耀的盾牌，

the goddess who'd cursed Medusa with her monstrous form to begin with.

而最开始诅咒美杜莎变成可怕形态的， 正是雅典娜女神本人。

Then, one night, Perseus approached and Medusa fell asleep.

然后，有一天晚上，珀尔修斯逐渐靠近， 而美杜莎正在睡觉。

Perseus entered, crept towards the Gorgons’ slumbering forms,

他进入了洞穴， 朝着沉睡的蛇发女妖悄悄地前进，

guiding his way with the reflections on Athena’s shield.

并雅典娜盾牌的反光照亮前方的路。

When he came upon Medusa resting peacefully,

当他来到正在平静休息的美杜莎跟前时，

he bore his sword down upon her neck.

他把剑刺在了她的脖子上。

From the wound sprung Medusa and Poseidon’s hybrid offspring:

美杜莎和波塞冬的杂交后代从她的伤口中飞出：

a winged horse named Pegasus and a warrior called Chrysaor.

一匹名叫珀伽索斯的飞马 和一个叫克律萨俄耳的战士。

As Perseus stuffed Medusa's head in his satchel,

就在珀尔修斯把美杜莎的头塞进背包里时，

Stheno and Euryale awoke to the horrific scene and attacked.

丝西娜和尤瑞艾莉醒来了， 她们看到这个可怕的场面后发动了进攻。

But donning the cap of invisibility and winged sandals,

然而，穿戴着隐身头盔和飞鞋的珀尔修斯，

Perseus escaped unscathed,

毫发无损地逃脱了，

reached only by Euryale’s pained cry of despair echoing through the cave.

只听见身后尤瑞艾莉痛苦绝望的呼喊声 在山洞中回荡。

Perseus was met by his crew’s adulation.

珀尔修斯受到了船员们的崇拜。

And because death had failed to dim the power of Medusa’s gaze,

此外，由于死亡未能削弱美杜莎凝视的力量，

Perseus used her severed head to kill Polydektes,

珀尔修斯用她被割断的头杀死了波吕得克忒斯，

then gave it to Athena, who placed it on her shield.

然后把它交给了雅典娜， 雅典娜将其放置在她的盾牌上。

But Athena’s wasn’t the only shield emblazoned with Medusa’s face.

但是雅典娜的盾牌并不是唯一 印有美杜莎脸的盾牌。

Ancient Greek and Roman artists committed Medusa’s image to everything

古希腊和罗马的艺术家们将美杜莎的形象用于

from armor and paintings to ceramics and mosaic floors.

从盔甲和绘画到陶瓷和马赛克地板的所有物品上。

And while it was customary for ancient Greek subjects to appear in profile,

尽管古希腊艺术作品通常只描绘人物的轮廓，

Medusa was almost always facing directly outwards.

但美杜莎的脸却几乎总以正面相对。

She was an apotropaic symbol, one that imbued both fear and protection at once.

她被作为驱邪的象征， 同时具有恐惧和保护双重含义。

Her story reverberated through time.

她的故事随着时间的推移而回荡。

In many versions, including the earliest, she was always a Gorgon;

在许多版本中，包括最早的版本， 她一直是蛇发女妖；

in others, like the ancient Roman poet Ovid’s,

在其他版本中，例如古罗马诗人奥维德的版本，

she had a sympathetic, human backstory—

她有着富有同情和人性的背景故事——

as a woman who’d experienced cruelty and injustice,

作为一个经历过残酷和不公正的女性，

not just a simple monster to slay.

而不仅仅是一个可以被杀死的怪物。