A brief history of goths - Dan Adams

譯者: Helen Chang 審譯者: S Sung

What do fans of atmospheric post-punk music

帶有獨特情緒的後龐克音樂粉絲們

have in common with ancient barbarians?

和古代野蠻人之間有哪些共同點呢？

Not much.

並不多。

So why are both known as goths?

何以二者都被稱為哥德人呢？

Is it a weird coincidence

是奇怪的巧合，

or a deeper connection stretching across the centuries?

還是兩者間的深層連結 跨越了數個世紀呢？

The story begins in Ancient Rome.

故事始於古羅馬時期，

As the Roman Empire expanded, it faced raids and invasions

伴隨著領土擴張，羅馬帝國的國界

from the semi-nomadic populations along its borders.

遭受許多半游牧民族的入侵和襲擊。

Among the most powerful were a Germanic people known as Goths

其中最強勢的 是被稱為哥德人的德國人，

who were composed of two tribal groups,

由兩個部落組成：

the Visigoths

東哥德人

and Ostrogoths.

和西哥德人。

While some of the Germanic tribes remained Rome's enemies,

雖然有些德國部落始終與羅馬為敵，

the Empire incorporated others into the imperial army.

但是其他的部落被收編為帝國軍隊。

As the Roman Empire split in two,

當羅馬帝國一分為二時，

these tribal armies played larger roles in its defense

這些部落軍隊扮演了防禦敵人

and internal power struggles.

和內部權力鬥爭的重要角色。

In the 5th century, a mercenary revolt lead by a soldier named Odoacer

第五世紀士兵奧多亞塞帶領傭兵反叛，

captured Rome and deposed the Western Emperor.

逮捕並廢黜了西羅馬帝王。

Odoacer and his Ostrogoth successor Theoderic

奧多賽亞以及他的繼承人 東哥德首領狄奧多里克

technically remained under the Eastern Emperor's authority

名義上持續受東羅馬皇帝統治，

and maintained Roman traditions.

並維持著羅馬的傳統。

But the Western Empire would never be united again.

但是西羅馬帝國從未再合併過，

Its dominions fragmented into kingdoms ruled by Goths

而是分裂成被哥德人

and other Germanic tribes

及其他融入當地文化的德國部落

who assimilated into local cultures,

所統治的各個主權國，

though many of their names still mark the map.

許多當時的名稱 仍呈現在今日的地圖上。

This was the end of the Classical Period

這乃是古典時期的終結，

and the beginning of what many call the Dark Ages.

和所謂「黑暗時期」的開始。

Although Roman culture was never fully lost,

儘管羅馬文化並未完全消失

its influence declined and new art styles arose

但影響力式微，新的藝術風格興起，

focused on religious symbolism and allegory

著重於宗教象徵和寓言，

rather than proportion and realism.

而非謹守於比例和現實。

This shift extended to architecture

這種轉變延伸到建築風格，

with the construction of the Abbey of Saint Denis in France in 1137.

1137 年興建的法國聖丹尼斯修道院

Pointed arches, flying buttresses, and large windows

有著尖形拱門、飛扶壁和大窗戶，

made the structure more skeletal and ornate.

使建築顯得更瘦削、華麗，

That emphasized its open, luminous interior

它強調開放而明亮的室內空間，

rather than the sturdy walls and columns of Classical buildings.

摒棄古典建築的結實牆壁或柱子，

Over the next few centuries,

在接下來的幾個世紀裡

this became a model for Cathedrals throughout Europe.

成為歐洲大教堂的範本。

But fashions change.

但時尚風又轉向了，

With the Italian Renaissance's renewed admiration for Ancient Greece and Rome,

意大利的文藝復興 再度傾心於古希臘和古羅馬，

the more recent style began to seem crude and inferior in comparison.

使當時那種風格相形見絀。

Writing in his 1550 book, "Lives of the Artists,"

喬爾喬·瓦薩里在 1550 年的著作 《藝術家的生活》中

Giorgio Vasari was the first to describe it as Gothic,

首次稱那種風格為「哥德式」，

a derogatory reference to the Barbarians

把它與摧毀古典文明的蠻人 相提並論，是種貶抑的說法。

thought to have destroyed Classical civilization.

The name stuck, and soon came to describe the Medieval period overall,

從此這個用詞難被甩脫， 進而被用來描述整體中世紀，

with its associations of darkness, superstition, and simplicity.

和黑暗、迷信、幼稚的聯想。

But time marched on, as did what was considered fashionable.

隨著時間推移和時尚推展。

In the 1700s, a period called the Enlightenment came about,

啟蒙時期在 1700 年代到來，

which valued scientific reason above all else.

最推崇科學理性。

Reacting against that, Romantic authors like Goethe and Byron

反對派的浪漫主義作家歌德和拜倫

sought idealized visions of a past of natural landscapes

則尋求過往自然景觀的理想化視角

and mysterious spiritual forces.

和神秘的精神力量。

Here, the word Gothic was repurposed again

於此，哥德一詞的含義被重新定位

to describe a literary genre that emerged as a darker strain of Romanticism.

來描述這種較黑暗的 浪漫主義系列文學流派。

The term was first applied by Horace Walpole

霍勒斯·渥波爾於

to his own 1764 novel, "The Castle of Otranto"

1764 年的小說《奧特蘭托堡》中

as a reference to the plot and general atmosphere.

首次用哥德這詞來描述 小說情節及整體氛圍。

Many of the novel's elements became genre staples

後來小說中的許多元素 成為流派的主要元素，

inspiring classics and the countless movies they spawned.

啟發了經典文學 以及無數次被改編成電影。

The gothic label belonged to literature and film until the 1970s

1970 年代以前 哥德風格專屬於文學和電影，

when a new musical scene emerged.

然後一種新的音樂場面出現了。

Taking cues from artists like The Doors and The Velvet Underground,

受到門戶樂團和地下絲絨樂團的啟發，

British post-punk groups,

英國的後龐克樂團

like Joy Division,

例如歡樂分隊、

Bauhaus,

包豪斯樂團

and The Cure,

和治療樂隊，

combined gloomy lyrics and punk dissonance

混合了陰鬱的歌詞、 龐克的不協調音樂、

with imagery inspired by the Victorian era,

維多利亞時代的意象、

classic horror,

經典的恐懼元素、經典恐怖、

and androgynous glam fashion.

以及中性風格。

By the early 1980s, similar bands were consistently described

到了 1980 年代早期， 這類風格的樂隊

as Gothic rock by the music press,

被音樂媒體貫稱為「哥德搖滾」，

and the stye's popularity brought it out of dimly lit clubs

這種受歡迎的風格 使表演場地從燈光幽暗的俱樂部

to major labels and MTV.

轉向主流唱片公司和音樂電視台。

And today, despite occasional negative media attention and stereotypes,

雖仍偶有負面的媒體報導和刻板印象，

Gothic music and fashion continue as a strong underground phenomenon.

如今哥德音樂和時尚 已是活躍的特殊地下現象，

They've also branched into sub-genres,

並已分枝出次類別，

such as cybergoth,

例如 cybergoth、

gothabilly,

gothabilly、

gothic metal,

哥德金屬、

and even steampunk.

甚至蒸汽龐克。

The history of the word gothic is embedded

哥德這個詞

in thousands of years worth of countercultural movements,

嵌入反文化運動的歷史長達上千年，

from invading outsiders becoming kings

自外族入侵稱王，

to towering spires replacing solid columns

至高聳的尖塔取代了堅固的柱子，

to artists finding beauty in darkness.

以及至藝術家發現黑暗中的美。

Each step has seen a revolution of sorts

每一步都被視為某種改革，

and a tendency for civilization to reach into its past to reshape its present.

也是回溯過去的文明 進而重塑現在的趨勢。

翻譯： Helen Chang