The dark history of werewolves - Craig Thomson

翻译人员: suya f. 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

In the fall of 1589, the town of Bedburg, Germany,

1589 年秋天，德国贝德堡镇

held a highly publicized trial.

举行了一场广为人知的审判。

Peter Stubbe was accused of several gruesome crimes,

彼得·斯塔布（Peter Stubbe） 因犯有几项可怕的罪行而受到指控，

including murder, assault, and cannibalism.

包括谋杀、袭击和自残。

But perhaps the most sinister accusation of them all,

但也许其中最糟心的指控

was of being a werewolf.

是被认作狼人。

In his confession, Peter claimed that the devil had given him a magic girdle,

彼得在供词中声称 魔鬼给了他一条魔法腰带，

which allowed him to transform into a wolf and perform his horrific acts.

这使他能够化身为狼， 并做出可怕的行为。

Stories of werewolves existed well before this trial and continue to live on today.

狼人的故事早在这次审判之前 就已经存在，并且一直延续到今天。

They’re especially prominent in European literature and folklore,

它们在欧洲文学和民间传说中尤其盛行，

and often found in cultures where the wolf is the largest natural predator.

经常出现在将狼视为 食物链顶端的那些文化中。

Over the years, the image of the werewolf has continuously evolved,

多年来，狼人的形象不断演变，

often reflecting the fears and prejudices of that time.

常常反映出当时的恐惧和偏见。

In early literature, werewolves were sometimes painted as sympathetic figures:

在早期的文献中，狼人有时 会被描绘成富有同情心的人物：

victims of curses who longed to return to their human form.

受到诅咒且渴望恢复人形的受害者。

In the story of Gilgamesh,

在吉尔伽美什的故事，

one of the earliest written accounts of werewolves from over 4.000 years ago,

这是 4000 多年前最早 记录狼人的书面叙述之一。

a shepherd falls in love with the goddess of love, Ishtar,

在这段故事中个牧羊人爱上了 爱情女神伊什塔尔（Ishtar），

who transforms him into a wolf when she grows tired of his affection.

在她厌倦了他时，将他变成一只狼，

In this and several other stories that followed,

在这个故事以及接下来的几个故事中，

werewolves were often men who had fallen prey to deceitful, alluring women.

狼人通常代表了那些 被女人诱惑、落入陷阱的男人。

In the medieval story of “Bisclavret,”

在中世纪的《狼人》 （Bisclavret）故事中，

a knight is trapped in wolf form by the cunning of his wife,

一位骑士被狡猾的妻子化为狼人，

who leaves him to elope with another man.

而妻子则为了 与另一位男人私奔而抛弃了他。

Other early stories explored fears about the darker side of human nature,

其他早期故事探讨了人们 对人性阴暗面的担忧，

including taboos such as cannibalism and murder.

包括自相残杀和谋杀等禁忌。

In ancient Greek mythology,

在古希腊神话中，吕卡翁国王

King Lycaon was transformed into a wolf by Zeus,

在试图欺骗神吃人肉后，

after he attempted to trick the god into eating human flesh.

被宙斯变成了狼。

As Catholicism spread throughout Europe,

随着天主教在整个欧洲的传播，

werewolves became increasingly linked to magic, sorcery, and pagan belief.

狼人与魔法、巫术 和异教信仰的联系越来越紧密。

By the 16th century, many people struggled separating werewolf fiction from fact.

到了 16 世纪，许多人都在努力 将狼人小说与事实区分开来。

Political, economic, and religious upheavals

政治、经济和宗教动荡

gave rise to the infamous European witch trials.

引发了欧洲臭名昭著的女巫审判。

And while witches were the main targets, in some areas,

虽然女巫是主要目标，但在 某些地区，像彼得·斯塔布这样的

alleged werewolves like Peter Stubbe were also tried and executed.

所谓狼人也受到了审判和处决。

Today, some historians view the trials as driven by a fear of outsiders,

如今，一些历史学家认为审判 是出于对局外人的恐惧，

as well as society's early attempts to understand brutal crimes.

以及社会早期对残酷罪行的理解。

While public belief in werewolves died down by the 17th century

尽管随着医学和心理学的进步，

as medicine and psychology advanced,

公众对狼人的迷信在 17 世纪渐消失，

the myth would re-emerge in literature.

但这个神话将在文学中重新出现。

By the Victorian period, werewolves had transformed again,

到了维多利亚时期， 狼人又发生了转变，

often embodying fears of moral and psychological decay.

常常体现出对道德 和心理衰落的恐惧。

In George Reynolds’s “Wagner the Wehrwolf,”

在乔治·雷诺兹（George Reynolds）的 《狼人华格纳》（Wagner the Wehrwolf）中，

the protagonist makes a pact with the devil to achieve eternal youth.

主角与魔鬼签订了实现永保青春的协议。

But in return, he transforms into a violent howling wolf

但作为回报，

at the end of every month.

他在每个月底都会 化身为一只疯狂嚎叫的狼。

By the mid-20th century,

到 20 世纪中，

werewolves found a new home to haunt— the silver screen.

狼人找到了出没的新家园——银幕。

Here, the werewolf began to take its modern form.

在这里，狼人开始呈现其现代形态。

For example, the idea that the curse could be transmitted through bites

例如，诅咒可以通过咬伤传播，

and triggered by a full moon

并由满月触发，

was first popularized with the 1935 film “Werewolf of London.”

这些想法在 1935 年的电影 《伦敦狼人》中首次流行。

Produced in the United States,

这部电影由美国制作，

the film identifies the werewolf infection as originating from the east—

认为狼人感染起源于东方，

specifically Tibet.

特别是西藏。

This mirrored xenophobic fears of the time—

这反映了当时的仇外恐惧——

that East Asian immigrants into North America and Europe

即进入北美和欧洲的东亚移民

threatened the stability and power of the west.

威胁到西方的稳定和权力。

Werewolf hunters adopted silver as their weapon of choice

狼人猎

after its use in 1941′s “The Wolf Man.”

人在 1941 年的《狼人》中使用银器 作为他们首选的自卫武器。

Written by Jewish writer Curt Siodmak,

这部电影由犹太作家 柯特·西奥德马克（Curt Siodmak）撰写，

the film is viewed by many scholars as an allegory for Nazi brutality.

被许多学者视为对纳粹暴行的寓言。

In the film, a pentagram appears on the palm of the werewolf’s next victim,

在影片中，每一个即将被狼人袭击的受害者 手掌上都会出现一个五角星，

which is thought to allude to the compulsory Star of David badges

这被认为暗指 1930 年 和 1940 年在欧洲

found in Europe during the 1930 and 40s.

所有犹太人必须佩戴的大卫之星 （Star of David）袖章。

Since the 1950s, cinematic werewolves have frequently infected

自 1950 年代以来， 电影中的狼人不断影响着

a new group of victims:

新一代的受害者：

the teenager.

青少年。

Here, werewolves are often symbols of male aggression

在这里，狼人通常象征着男人的侵略性

and the uncertainty of adolescence.

和青春期的不确定性。

By the end of the century,

到本世纪末，

some films began to use the beastly transformation

一些电影开始利用这种野兽般的转变

to explore themes of puberty,

来探索青春期的主题，

occasionally with a distinctly feminist perspective.

偶尔会以明显的女权主义 视角来探讨青春期的主题。

Yet, like all great monsters, the werewolf lives on,

然而，像所有伟大的怪物一样， 狼人继续存在，

狼人继续存在，

and will continue changing to fit its future audience’s needs.

并将继续变化以适应 未来观众的需求。

But, for the time being, it may be best to stock up on silver,

但是，就目前而言，最好多备些银器，

keep to the road, and beware the moon.

尽量走大路， 还有小心月圆之夜。