The myth of Loki and the master builder - Alex Gendler

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: H_L Au

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

阿斯加德是驚異的國度， 也是北歐眾神的家。

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

那裡奧丁的瓦爾哈拉殿堂 比山岳還高聳，

and Bifrost, the rainbow bridge, anchored itself.

還有彩虹橋也屹立在此。

But though their domain was magnificent,

雖然他們的領土很壯麗，

it stood undefended from the giants and trolls of Jotunheim,

卻無法抵禦來自 約頓海姆的巨人和巨怪，

who despised the gods and sought to destroy them.

他們看不起眾神， 且企圖摧毀他們。

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

有一天，當最強壯的神索爾 在對抗這些敵人時，

a stranger appeared, riding a powerful gray horse.

一名陌生人出現了， 騎著一匹強大的灰馬。

The visitor made the gods an astonishing offer.

這位訪客向眾神提出了 一個驚人的提議。

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

他會為他們建造 前所未見的最偉大城牆，

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

高聳到任何巨人也無法攀爬， 堅固到任何巨怪也無法擊破。

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

他要的回報只是 和美麗的女神芙蕾亞結婚——

along with the sun and moon from the sky.

外加天上的太陽和月亮。

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

眾神推諉掉了這個請求， 準備將他打發走。

But the trickster Loki concocted a devious plan.

但喜愛惡作劇的洛基 策劃出了一個狡詐的計畫。

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

他告訴眾神，他們應該 接受這個陌生人的提議，

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

但設下非常嚴苛的條件，

讓他無法在時間內完成城牆。

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

這麼一來，他們就沒有損失，

還能免費得到大半部分的城牆。

Freya didn’t like this idea at all,

芙蕾亞一點也不喜歡這個點子，

but Odin and the other gods were convinced

但奧丁和其他神都被說服了，

and came to an agreement with the builder.

和這位建造者達成了協議。

He would only have one winter to complete the wall.

他只有一個冬天的時間完成城牆。

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

如果在夏天的第一天， 有任何一部分還沒有完成，

he would receive no payment.

他就得不到報酬。

And he could have no help from any other people.

他不能向其他人求助。

The gods sealed the deal with solemn oaths

眾神立下鄭重的誓言， 達成這項協議，

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

並發誓這位石匠在阿斯加德 不會受到任何傷害。

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

早上，這位陌生人 以驚人的速度開始挖地基，

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

晚上，他前往山上取得石頭建材。

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

但就只是隔天早上，眾神看到 他返回時，便開始擔心了。

that the gods began to worry.

As agreed, no other people were helping the mason.

這位石匠依約定 沒有找任何人幫忙。

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

但他的馬斯瓦迪爾法利 能夠搬運非常重的石頭，

it left trenches in the ground behind them.

重到在他們身後還會 留下一條拖行的溝。

Winter came and went.

冬天到來，冬天過去，

The stranger kept building, Svadilfari kept hauling,

陌生人持續建造著， 斯瓦迪爾法利持續搬運著，

and neither snow nor rain could slow their progress.

不論下雪或下雨，都無法 讓他們的進度慢下來。

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

只剩三天夏天就要到來， 城牆高高屹立著，堅固不破，

with only the gate left to be built.

只剩下大門還沒完成。

Horrified, the gods realized that not only would they lose

眾神嚇壞了，驚覺他們不僅會

their fertility goddess forever,

永遠失去他們的生育女神，

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

而且若沒有了太陽和月亮， 世界就會陷入永恆的黑暗。

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

他們很納悶當初怎麼會 下這麼蠢的賭注——

and then remembered Loki and his terrible advice.

接著，想起了洛基 和他那糟糕的建議。

Suddenly, Loki didn’t feel so clever.

突然，洛基似乎不那麼聰明了。

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

他的眾神夥伴都威脅他 要死於無法想像的痛苦

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

除非他能想辦法避免 這位建造者取得報酬。

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

洛基保證他會處理此事 之後便匆匆離開。

Outside, night had fallen,

在外面，夜幕低垂，

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

建造者準備要再跑一趟， 去取得最後一批石頭。

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

但當他呼叫斯瓦迪爾法利過來時， 田野上出現了一匹母馬。

She was so beautiful that Svadilfari ignored his master

母馬美麗到讓斯瓦迪爾法利 無視了自己的主人，

and broke free of his reins.

爭脫了韁繩。

The mason tried to catch him,

石匠試圖抓住牠，

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

但母馬奔向樹林深處， 斯瓦迪爾法利則跟了過去。

The stranger was furious.

陌生人非常憤怒。

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

他知道是眾神在背後搞鬼， 因此去找他們對質：

no longer as a mild-mannered mason,

不再以態度溫和的石匠形式出現，

but in his true form as a terrifying mountain giant.

而採用他的真實形態： 駭人的山巨人。

This was a big mistake.

這真是大錯特錯。

Thor had just returned to Asgard,

索爾才剛返回阿斯加德，

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

而現在，眾神知道 他們之中有一個巨人了，

they disregarded their oaths.

他們不再理會他們的誓言。

The only payment the builder would receive—

建造者唯一能得到的報酬——

and the last thing he would ever see—

和他最後看到的——

was the swing of Thor’s mighty hammer Mjolnir.

就是索爾揮舞他的 雷神之槌妙爾尼爾。

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

眾神補上最後幾塊石頭， 完成了城牆，並慶祝他們的勝利。

Loki was not among them, however.

不過，洛基並沒有加入他們。

Several months would pass before he finally returned,

幾個月之後他才回來，

followed by a beautiful gray foal with eight legs.

背後跟著一匹美麗的 八腳灰色小馬。

The foal would grow into a magnificent steed named Sleipnir

這匹小馬長大後成為駿馬， 叫做斯雷普尼爾，

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

成為奧丁的座騎，跑得比風還快。

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

至於這匹馬是從哪裡來的， 這就是洛基不想談的議題了。