The scientific origins of the Minotaur - Matt Kaplan

譯者: Simon Sun 審譯者: Max Chern

Far beneath the palace of the treacherous King Minos,

在陰險米諾斯國王 宮殿的地底深處

in the damp darkness of an inescapable labryinth,

一個潮溼黑暗 難以逃脫的迷宮中

a horrific beast stalks the endless corridors of its prison,

一隻恐怖的怪獸怒氣沖沖 徘徊在無盡的監獄走廊中

enraged with a bloodlust so intense that its deafening roar shakes the Earth.

它充滿狂怒殺氣 發出震耳欲聾的怒吼震撼地球

It is easy to see why the Minotaur myth has a long history

不難理解為什麼 米諾陶爾神話長久以來

of being disregarded as pure fiction.

被認為是純屬虛構

However, there's a good chance that the Minotaur

但是，現在有機會讓

and other monsters and gods were created by our early ancestors

我們祖先所創造出的 米諾陶爾、其他怪獸和神

to rationalize the terrifying things that they saw in the natural world

能合理解說祖先們 在自然界中看到恐怖

but did not understand.

又無法解釋的事物

And while we can't explain every aspect of their stories,

當我們無法解釋 故事的每個部份時

there may be some actual science that reveals itself

或許我們分析線索 有些現行的科學

when we dissect them for clues.

昭然若揭

So, as far as we know, there have never been human-bull hybrids.

就我們所知 迄今從未有人牛混血生物存在

But the earliest material written about the Minotaur

但最早有關米諾陶爾的記載

doesn't even mention its physical form.

甚至根本未提及其外貌

So that's probably not the key part of the story.

所以，那不是故事的核心部分

What the different tellings do agree upon, however,

然而所有故事的版本都同意

is that the beast lives underground,

那隻怪獸生活在地下

and when it bellows, it causes tremendous problems.

當它吼叫 會引起極度嚴重的問題

The various myths are also specific in stating that genius inventor Daedalus,

不同版本的神話也都詳盡地 描述了天才的發明家Daedalus

carved out the labyrinth beneath the island of Crete.

創造了克里特島 地底下的迷宮

Archeological attempts to find the fabled maze

考古學家試圖 找出神話中的迷宮

have come up empty handed.

結果一無所獲

But Crete itself has yielded the most valuable clue of all

但克里特島本身 以地震的形式

in the form of seismic activity.

提供了最有價值的線索

Crete sits on a piece of continental crust called the Aegean Block,

克里特島坐落在一塊 稱為 “愛琴板塊” 的大陸地殼上

and has a bit of oceanic crust known as the Nubian Block

而有一塊名為 “努比亞板塊” 的海洋地殼之一小部分

sliding right beneath it.

它正好滑在那大陸地殼的下方

This sort of geologic feature, called a subduction zone,

這種地形稱為 “隱沒帶”

is common all over the world and results in lots of earthquakes.

在全球都很常見 並且會造成許多的地震

However, in Crete the situation is particularly volatile

然而，在克里特島 地震特別容易發生

as the Nubian Block is attached

因為努比亞板塊附在

to the massive buoyant continental crust that is Africa.

巨大漂浮的 非洲大陸地殼上

When the Nubian Block moves,

當努比亞板塊移動時

it does not go down nearly as easily or as steeply

它無法輕易陡峭地下滑

as oceanic crust does in most other subduction zones.

如同其他隱沒帶的海洋地殼一樣

Instead, it violently and abruptly forces sections of the Mediterranean upwards

相反地，它突然且猛烈的力量 反而把地中海區塊向上推升

in an event called uplift,

稱為“地殼隆起”

and Crete is in uplift central.

而克里特島剛好 在隆起的中心

In the year 2014, Crete had more than 1300 earthquakes

2014年，克里特島發生了 超過 1300 次地震

of magnitude 2.0 or higher.

規模至少二級

By comparison, in the same period of time,

同期比較

Southern California, a much larger area, experienced a mere 255 earthquakes.

比它大很多的南加州 只發生 255 次地震

Of course, we don't have detailed seismic records from the days of King Minos,

當然，我們沒有米諾斯國王時期 詳細的地震記錄

but we do know from fossil records and geologic evidence

但我們確實可以從 化石與地質的證據瞭解

that Crete has experienced serious uplift events

克里特島經歷多次 重大的地殼隆起

that sometimes exceeded 30 feet in a single moment.

有時一次就隆起 超過 30 英尺

Contrast this for a moment with the island of Hawaii,

來和夏威夷島比較一下

where earthquakes and volcanic activity

夏威夷島的地震和火山活動

were tightly woven to legends surrounding Pele,

是和貝蕾的神話緊連在一起

a goddess both fiery and fair.

貝蕾是個既暴躁又美麗的女神

Like the Minotaur, her myths included tales of destruction,

就像米諾陶爾，她的神話 包含了毀滅的故事

but they also contained elements of dance and creation.

但也包含了舞蹈和創造

So why did Hawaii end up with Pele and Crete end up with the Minotaur?

為什麽夏威夷和貝蕾相連 而克里特島和米諾陶爾相連？

The difference likely comes down

之間的不同 可能歸結於

to the lava that followed many of Hawaii's worst earthquakes.

夏威夷島多次劇震所流出的岩漿

The lava on Hawaii is made of basalt, which once cooled, is highly fertile.

夏威夷的岩漿由玄武岩組成 一旦冷卻，會非常肥沃

Within a couple of decades of terrible eruptions,

在多次劇烈火山爆發 的數十年內

Islanders would have seen vibrant green life thriving

島民看到了生機勃勃 的綠色植物茂密地長在

on new peninsulas made of lava.

由岩漿構成的新半島上

So it makes sense that the mythology captured this

因此神話是有道理的 依據以上現象

by portraying Pele as creator as well as a destroyer.

描述了貝蕾兼俱 創造者與毀滅者

As for the people of Crete,

對克里特島人民而言

their earthquakes brought only destruction and barren lands,

地震只會帶來毀滅與貧瘠土地

so perhaps for them the unnatural and deadly Minotaur was born.

也許因此殘暴又具破壞性 的米諾陶爾應運而生

The connections between mythical stories

神話故事

and the geology of the regions where they originated

與故事起源地的地質情況 之間的關係

teach us that mythology and science are actually two sides of the same coin.

告訴我們神話與科學 事實上是一體兩面的

Both are rooted in explaining and understanding the world.

兩者都是根基於 對這個世界的解釋與瞭解

The key difference is that where mythology uses gods, monsters and magic,

關鍵差別在於 神話是使用神、怪獸與魔法

science uses measurements, records and experiments.

而科學是使用 測量、紀錄與實驗