A brief history of the devil - Brian A. Pavlac

譯者: Camila Lin 審譯者: Amanda Zhu

Satan, the beast crunching sinners’ bones in his subterranean lair.

撒旦，在地底牢籠中 咀嚼罪人骨頭的惡獸。

Lucifer, the fallen angel raging against the established order.

路西法，反抗既有秩序的墮落天使。

Mephistopheles, the trickster striking deals with unsuspecting humans.

梅菲斯托費勒斯，和沒有戒心的人類 簽訂契約的狡猾惡魔。

These three divergent devils are all based on Satan of the Old Testament,

這三個惡魔看似完全不同， 但原型都是《舊約聖經》中的撒旦。

an angelic member of God’s court who torments Job in the Book of Job.

在〈約伯記〉中，撒旦是上帝統領的 天使之一，也是折磨約伯的人。

But unlike any of these literary devils,

但和那三個在文學中登場的惡魔不同， [圖書館]

the Satan of the Bible was a relatively minor character,

對撒旦的外表或行為的描述， 在聖經中只有隻字片語，

with scant information about his deeds or appearance.

是個相對無足輕重的小角色。

So how did he become the ultimate antagonist, with so many different forms?

那麼撒旦是怎麼變成超級反派， 還多了這麼多分身？

In the New Testament, Satan saw a little more action:

在《新約聖經》裡， 撒旦做了更多事：

tempting Jesus, using demons to possess people,

誘惑耶穌、唆使惡魔附身人類，

and finally appearing as a giant dragon who is cast into hell.

最後還以被打入地獄的巨龍形象出現。

This last image particularly inspired medieval artists and writers,

撒旦的這個最終形象， 啟發了中世紀的藝術家與文人，

who depicted a scaled, shaggy-furred creature with overgrown toenails.

讓他們將惡魔塑造為長有鱗片、 厚重毛皮，以及腳趾甲過長的怪物。

In Michael Pacher’s painting of St. Augustine and the Devil,

在邁克爾·帕赫的畫作 《聖奧古斯丁與惡魔》中，

the devil appears as an upright lizard—

惡魔長得像一隻直立的蜥蜴，

with a second miniature face glinting on his rear and.

臀部還長著一個眼神閃爍的小臉。

The epitome of these monster Satans

義大利詩人但丁‧阿利格耶里， 在《神曲Ⅰ：地獄篇》中

appeared in Italian poet Dante Alighieri’s “Inferno.”

統合了撒旦這些怪物般的形象。

Encased in the ninth circle of hell,

但丁的撒旦是一頭巨獸， 有著三顆頭與蝙蝠翅膀，

Dante’s Satan is a three-headed, bat-winged behemoth who feasts on sinners.

被囚禁在第九層的地獄裡， 以罪人為食。

But he’s also an object of pity:

但他也是個讓人憐憫的角色：

powerless as the panicked beating of his wings

他驚慌失措、無力地拍打翅膀，

only encases him further in ice.

卻只讓自己更加深陷冰窟。

The poem’s protagonist escapes from hell by clambering over Satan’s body,

《神曲》的主角手腳並用， 爬過撒旦的身體，逃出地獄，

and feels both disgust and sympathy for the trapped beast—

雖因這受束縛的野獸感到噁心， 但也對他同情不已。

prompting the reader to consider the pain of doing evil.

這也鼓勵讀者思考 做壞事帶來的痛苦。

By the Renaissance, the devil started to assume a more human form.

在文藝復興期間， 惡魔的形象開始變得更像人類。

Artists painted him as a man with cloven hooves and curling horns

藝術家將惡魔畫成人型， 但加上偶蹄與捲曲的角，

inspired by Pan, the Greek god of the wild.

其靈感來自於希臘的牧神——潘。

In his 1667 masterpiece “Paradise Lost,”

英國詩人約翰‧彌爾頓

在他 1667 年的 長詩名作《失樂園》中，

English poet John Milton depicted the devil as Lucifer,

將惡魔描繪成路西法。 ［失樂園，共十卷］

an angel who started a rebellion on the grounds that God is too powerful.

路西法本來是個天使， 卻因為上帝的絕對力量而號召反抗。

Kicked out of heaven, this charismatic rebel becomes Satan,

被逐出天堂後，這充滿魅力的 叛逆者成了撒旦，

and declares that he’d rather rule in hell than serve in heaven.

並表明自己寧願統治地獄， 也不願留在天堂服侍上帝。

Milton’s take inspired numerous depictions of Lucifer as an ambiguous figure,

彌爾頓的版本影響了 後世對路西法的描繪：

他並非純然邪惡，而是有多面的性格。

rather than a purely evil one.

Milton’s Lucifer later became an iconic character for the Romantics of the 1800s,

之後，彌爾頓的路西法成為十九世紀 浪漫主義者眼中的代表性人物——

who saw him as a hero who defied higher power in pursuit of essential truths,

為了追求真相的本質， 不惜反抗更高權威，

with tragic consequences.

卻走上悲劇末路的英雄。

Meanwhile, in the German legend of Doctor Faust,

同時，從可追溯到十六世紀的 德國浮士德博士傳說中，

which dates to the 16th century,

we get a look at what happens when the devil comes to Earth.

我們可以一窺惡魔 降臨人世時會發生甚麼事。

Faust, a dissatisfied scholar,

浮士德是個對生活不滿意的學者，

pledges his soul to the devil in exchange for bottomless pleasure.

發誓將靈魂賣給惡魔， 為的是換來無盡的歡愉。

With the help of the devil’s messenger Mephistopheles,

在惡魔信使梅菲斯特的幫助下，

Faust quickly seizes women, power, and money—

浮士德很快地得到 女人、權力與財富，

only to fall into the eternal fires of hell.

卻墮入地獄，被永世火焰焚燒。

Later versions of the story show Mephistopheles in different lights.

其後的不同版本也以不一樣的方式 刻畫梅菲斯托費勒斯。

In Christopher Marlowe's account,

在克里斯托弗·馬羅的劇作中，

a cynical Doctor Faustus is happy to strike a deal with Mephistopheles.

憤世嫉俗的浮士德博士， 和梅菲斯托費勒斯交易時相當高興。

In Johann Wolfgang van Goethe’s version,

在約翰·沃夫岡·馮·歌德的版本裡，

Mephistopheles tricks Faust into a grisly deal.

梅菲斯托費勒斯誆騙浮士德， 讓他簽署可怕的交易。

Today, a Faustian bargain refers to a trade that sacrifices integrity

今天，我們將為獲得短期利益 而出賣道德正直的行為，

for short-term gains.

稱為「浮士德式交易」。

In stagings of Goethe’s play,

哥德的劇作搬上舞台時，

Mephistopheles appeared in red tights and cape.

梅菲斯托費勒斯 穿著紅緊身褲與紅斗篷登場。

This version of the devil was often played as a charming trickster—

在這個版本裡的惡魔， 通常都以充滿魅力的狡詐者之姿登場，

one that eventually paraded through comic books,

後來在漫畫世界、廣告 和電影中最常見的

advertising, and film in his red suit.

也是這個身穿紅袍的惡魔。

These three takes on the devil are just the tip of the iceberg:

這三種不同的描寫 不過是惡魔多種面貌中的冰山一角，

the devil continues to stalk the public imagination to this day,

直到今天，惡魔仍不斷激發 大眾的無盡想像，

tempting artists of all kinds to render him

誘惑著所有類型的藝術家

according to new and fantastical visions.

根據新潮或奇幻的版本重新塑造他。