The myth of Loki’s monstrous children - Iseult Gillespie

譯者: 柏陞 郭 審譯者: Helen Chang

Odin, the king of Asgard, was plagued by nightmares.

阿斯嘉特之王：奧丁 被數個惡夢困擾著。

Three fearsome figures haunted his dreams:

有三幅駭人的形象出現在他的夢裡：

a massive, writhing shadow;

一個巨大、不停扭動的黑影；

a shambling, rotting corpse;

一具步履蹣跚的腐屍；

and worst of all, a monstrous beast with a deadly bite.

而其中最可怕的， 是一頭張著血盆大口的猛獸。

Night after night, the creatures besieged the king.

夜復一夜，奧丁被這些怪物折騰著。

And although their true forms were unknown to him,

雖然奧丁無法認出他們的真面目，

he could tell they were related to Asgard’s most persistent problem:

但他知道，這一切都跟阿斯嘉特 頭號麻煩人物有關，

Loki.

那個人就是洛基。

Despite having settled down with his wife and sons,

儘管早已成家也育有兒子，

Loki had been sneaking off to visit the giantess Angrboda.

洛基卻還是會溜出門 與女巨人安格爾波達幽會。

And when the king learned this affair had produced three children,

而奧丁又聽說這段戀情 誕下三位孩子時，

he was filled with unease.

他感到十分地不安。

Odin summoned Thor and Tyr, two of his bravest warriors,

於是奧丁召喚他麾下 最勇猛的兩位武士：索爾和提爾

to travel to Jotunheim to capture Loki’s secret children.

去約頓海姆帶回 洛基秘密生下的子嗣。

Upon arriving at Angrboda’s home,

當他們到達女巨人的家時，

the pair were immediately accosted by Loki's first child,

這對搭檔立刻被洛基的第一個孩子，

a serpent named Jörmungandr.

一條名叫耶夢加德的大蛇襲擊。

The God of Thunder dodged the snake’s venom

雷神躲開大蛇的毒液，

and swiftly bound him to a pine tree.

然後迅速地把牠綑在一棵松樹上。

The second child, Hel, appeared as a glowing young woman from the right

至於第二個孩子：赫爾， 從右半身看來是名光鮮亮麗的女子，

and a moldering corpse from the left.

而另一側卻是個腐屍。

Her flesh flaked onto the ground as she silently submitted to her captors.

隨著腐肉成片落在地上， 她也默默地成為俘虜。

Finally, the third child leapt at Tyr.

最後，第三個孩子躍向提爾

The small wolf was fierce but harmless.

這隻小狼看似兇猛，實則無害。

Tyr playfully cuffed its claws and stowed the cub in his pocket.

提爾逗趣地銬住牠的爪子， 然後把小傢伙放進他的口袋。

Back in Asgard, the warriors presented their prisoners

回到阿斯嘉特， 兩位戰士呈上他們的俘虜。

and fearful recognition seized Odin's heart.

旋即奧丁心頭湧上恐怖的印象。

Though these three were meager reflections of his dark dreams,

即使他們三個還很弱小， 但無疑是對應了他的惡夢。

the king was determined to dispose of them before his visions came true.

在他洞察的未來兌現之前， 國王決心要處理掉他們。

First, he banished Jörmungandr to the sea at the edge of the world.

首先，他把耶夢加德放逐到 世界邊緣的海中。

Then he sent Hel deep below the earth to join her fellow corpses.

然後把赫爾打落冥府， 讓她與死者同行。

But the wolf, named Fenrir, presented a challenge.

但是這隻叫芬里爾的狼 卻是個棘手的難題，

He’d already grown strong enough to threaten the gods,

因為牠天生強壯， 足以對諸神構成威脅。

so Odin took a more patient approach.

因此，奧丁投入更多耐心處理牠。

For months, he supervised the creature, watching Fenrir grow

幾個月以來，奧丁親自 監視著芬里爾成長。

牠從一個小傢伙變成一隻狼， 最後成為一支足以匹敵神明的野獸。

from a cub to a wolf to a beast who spoke with the voice of a God.

Tyr visited frequently and found Fenrir to be strong and clever.

提爾經常去看照芬里爾， 且發現芬里爾不但強壯又聰穎。

But as their bond deepened, Odin's fear only grew.

隨著他們的友誼增長 奧丁便是更加惴惴不安。

One day, Odin forged his heaviest chains

有一天，奧丁打造出 一條最重的鎖鏈，

and hauled them to Fenrir with a challenge.

並把鍊子拉來向芬里爾發起挑戰。

He would bind the wolf to test his growing strength.

他要將鍊子纏在芬里爾身上 以測試牠日益增長的力氣。

Fenrir eagerly accepted the challenge and splintered the metal like old wood.

芬里爾迫不及待地接受挑戰， 然後將鎖鏈如朽木般輕易地掙裂。

Odin returned to the forge, crafting shackles that no man could lift alone.

於是奧丁回到工作坊， 鍛造出沒有人能獨自掙脫的鍊子。

These sturdy chains gave Fenrir pause.

這條堅固的鍊子使 芬里爾遲疑了一會兒。

But with an encouraging wink from Tyr, he accepted the challenge.

但在提爾一個眨眼的鼓勵下， 芬里爾再次接受了挑戰。

The beast strained for a moment and then shattered his restraints

猛獸奮力掙扎了一陣子， 隨即把鍊子斷成千百個碎片。

into a thousand pieces.

Desperate, Odin sought help from the most skilled makers of all:

這下子，奧丁決定孤注一擲 向最厲害的工匠們求助，

the Dwarves.

他們就是矮人。

Rather than metal, they sought the rarest ingredients;

比起使用金屬，矮人工匠集齊了 最珍稀的材料：

from feline footsteps and fish breath

從貓的腳步聲、魚的呼吸

to the sinews of mountains and mighty bears.

到山的基座、巨熊的腳腱。

With these, the Dwarves crafted Gleipnir,

用這些材料，矮人鍛造出 格萊普尼許(Gleipnir)。

an unbreakable chain in the guise of fine thread.

這是一條牢不可破， 偽裝成細線的鎖鏈。

When Odin challenged Fenrir a third time, the wolf laughed.

當奧丁向芬里爾發起第三次挑戰時， 牠不禁大笑了起來。

But as he examined the thread more closely,

可是牠開始仔細檢查這條線後，

Fenrir sensed Odin’s trickery and began to feel some fear himself.

芬里爾察覺奧丁心懷不軌， 牠便害怕起來了。

Fenrir struck a deal.

於是芬里爾提出了一個協議：

He would accept the challenge,

如果要牠接受挑戰，

but only if a god kept their hand in his mouth throughout.

那就必須有一位神願意全程 把手放進牠的嘴裡。

With a heavy heart, Tyr volunteered.

帶著沉重的心情， 提爾自願獻出手臂。

The gods bound the wolf and as he strained Gleipnir only grew tighter.

諸神捆住了芬里爾， 而牠越是掙扎，鍊子就越緊。

Fenrir felt the agony of betrayal—

芬里爾深深地因遭背叛感到痛苦，

not only from Odin, but from his reluctant friend.

這份痛楚並不只來自奧丁， 還有牠最難得的朋友。

With a howl of fury, he bit through Tyr’s wrist

在一聲憤怒的長嚎後， 牠咬斷提爾的一隻手，

and vowed to destroy Odin for tricking him.

並發誓要摧毀詐欺牠的奧丁。

Watching his nightmare come to life,

眼見自己的噩夢就要成真，

Odin thrust Tyr’s blade between Fenrir jaws,

奧丁拔出提爾的配劍， 刺向芬里爾的頷間。

releasing a torrent of saliva that became a furious river.

傾漏出的唾液滔滔不絕， 變成了一條憤怒的河。

While the beast was not dead, he was bound,

但這頭野獸並沒有死， 而是被囚禁著。

and Odin celebrated his victory over fate.

而奧丁則慶賀自己戰勝了命運。

But in truth, his actions had only sealed his doom.

但事實上，他的行動只讓自己 離毀滅更近一步。

Beneath the waves, Jörmungandr grew to encircle the world.

因為在浪濤之下， 耶夢加德已大到能包圍世界，

Hel rose to rule the dead as queen of the Underworld.

而赫爾則成為了冥界的死亡女王；

And every day, Fenrir strained a little more against his chains,

隨著日子過去， 芬里爾漸漸掙脫牠的束縛

inching ever closer to his bloody revenge.

離牠喋血復仇的日子也越來越近。