The dark history of werewolves - Craig Thomson

譯者: Ng Kai Yuan 審譯者: Adrienne Lin

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

1589 年秋天，德國貝德堡鎮

held a highly publicized trial.

舉辦了全面公開的審判。

Peter Stubbe was accused of several gruesome crimes,

彼得·斯通普被指控的幾項罪名

including murder, assault, and cannibalism.

包括謀殺、襲擊和食人。

But perhaps the most sinister accusation of them all,

但也許當中最邪惡的罪名是

was of being a werewolf.

作為一名狼人。

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

彼得承認是魔鬼給了他一條魔法腰帶，

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

戴上就可以變身狼人， 實施惡行。

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

在這個審判出現之前， 狼人的故事就已經存在並延續至今。

They’re especially prominent in European literature and folklore,

在歐洲文學和民俗中特別有名，

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

狼作為頂級掠食者的地方 通常會出現狼人文化。

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

多年來，狼人的形象不斷演變，

often reflecting the fears and prejudices of that time.

經常反映了當時的恐懼和偏見。

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

早期文學中，狼人有時 被描述為被同情的人物：

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

渴望可以變回人類的受害者。

In the story of Gilgamesh,

在吉爾加梅什的故事中，

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

有著關於狼人最早的記載之一， 年代可追溯到4000年前。

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

故事中，一名牧羊人 愛上了愛情女神伊施塔爾，

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

當她對這段關係感到厭倦時，將他變成一隻狼。

In this and several other stories that followed,

在這個故事和繼而後到的其他故事中，

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

狼人通常是被妖艷虛偽的女性 玩弄的男性。

In the medieval story of “Bisclavret,”

在中世紀的故事《狼人之詩》中，

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

一名騎士由於妻子的詭計， 受困於狼人外表的束縛，

who leaves him to elope with another man.

隨後他妻子還與另一個男人私奔。

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

其他早期的故事 探討人類對本性黑暗面的畏懼，

including taboos such as cannibalism and murder.

其中包括食人和謀殺等禁忌。

In ancient Greek mythology,

在古希臘神話中，

King Lycaon was transformed into a wolf by Zeus,

國王萊卡翁試圖誘導神吃人肉，

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

結果被宙斯懲罰變成狼。

As Catholicism spread throughout Europe,

隨著天主教傳播到歐洲，

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

狼人愈來愈與魔法，巫術 和異教信仰串聯在一起。

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

到了 16 世紀， 許多人難以分辨狼人是虛構還是真實的。

Political, economic, and religious upheavals

政治、經濟和宗教變動引發了

gave rise to the infamous European witch trials.

臭名昭著的歐洲女巫審判。

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

雖然女巫是主要討伐目標，但在某些地區，

alleged werewolves like Peter Stubbe were also tried and executed.

像彼得·斯通普那樣被視為狼人的人 也會被審判並處決。

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

如今，一些歷史學家 視這系列的審判是由於恐懼

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

和社會早期為了解暴力犯罪的意圖所引起的。

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

到了 17 世紀， 隨著醫學和心理學的進步，

as medicine and psychology advanced,

公眾對狼人的迷信消弭殆盡，

the myth would re-emerge in literature.

但將在文學中以神話的形式重現。

By the Victorian period, werewolves had transformed again,

到了維多利亞時代， 狼人的形象再次改變，

often embodying fears of moral and psychological decay.

通常體現的是對道德和人性淪喪的恐懼。

In George Reynolds’s “Wagner the Wehrwolf,”

在喬治·雷諾茲所著的《狼人瓦格納》中，

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

主角與魔鬼簽訂了協議以獲取永生。

But in return, he transforms into a violent howling wolf

而代價是每個月底

at the end of every month.

將變身成一隻會嚎叫又殘暴的狼。

By the mid-20th century,

20 世紀中期，

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

狼人找到了新的出沒場所：銀幕。

Here, the werewolf began to take its modern form.

這裡，狼人開始用全新的方式詮釋。

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

例如，詛咒可以透過咬傷傳播，

and triggered by a full moon

滿月時觸發變身的想法，

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

在1935年的《倫敦狼人》首次釋出。

Produced in the United States,

這部電影在美國製作，

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

內容指出狼人的感染源來自東方，

specifically Tibet.

尤其是西藏。

This mirrored xenophobic fears of the time—

反映了當時對外地人的恐懼——

that East Asian immigrants into North America and Europe

東亞居民移居到北美和歐洲，

threatened the stability and power of the west.

破壞西方的穩定和威脅他們的權力。

Werewolf hunters adopted silver as their weapon of choice

1941年上映的《狼人》中

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

狼人獵手使用銀子彈作為武器。

Written by Jewish writer Curt Siodmak,

這部電影由猶太作家 庫爾特·西奧德馬克編寫,

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

許多學者認為這是在諷喻納粹的殘酷。

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

在電影中，狼人的目標受害者 手掌上會出現五角星圖案，

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

認為是在刻意影射1930和1940年在歐洲

found in Europe during the 1930 and 40s.

出現的大衛之星。

Since the 1950s, cinematic werewolves have frequently infected

自1950年以來，電影裡的狼人會經常感染

a new group of victims:

一群新的受害者：

the teenager.

青少年。

Here, werewolves are often symbols of male aggression

在這裡，狼人經常象徵著男性衝動的行為

and the uncertainty of adolescence.

和青春期的情緒不穩定。

By the end of the century,

到了世紀末，

some films began to use the beastly transformation

有些電影開始利用野獸般的變身

to explore themes of puberty,

來探索青春期，

occasionally with a distinctly feminist perspective.

偶爾明顯的使用女權主義角度展示。

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

然而，和所有的傳說級怪物一樣， 狼人仍在，

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

並將繼續改變迎合未來觀眾的需求。

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

但是，目前，最好還是儲備銀器，

keep to the road, and beware the moon.

開車時別偏離主要道路， 還有，要小心滿月。