The myth of Thor's journey to the land of giants - Scott A. Mellor

譯者: Regina Chu 審譯者: Marssi Draw

Thor—son of Odin, god of thunder, and protector of mankind—

索爾──奧丁之子 雷神及人類的守護者

struggled mightily against his greatest challenge yet: opening a bag of food.

拼了老命對抗他此生最大的挑戰 就是：打開一包食物

It’d all started when Thor,

故事是這麼開始的

索爾與他的人類侍從飛毛腿希亞費

along with his fleet-footed human servant Thjalfi and Loki, the trickster god,

以及詐騙之神洛基

set out on a journey to Jotunheim, land of the giants.

出發前往約頓海姆，巨人之國

Along the way, they’d met a giant named Skrymir,

在路上他們遇到一個巨人 名叫斯克里米爾

who offered to accompany them and even carry their provisions in his bag.

他願意陪他們一起去 甚至願意幫他們背食糧

But when they made camp, Skrymir dozed off

但是他們紮營的時候 斯克里米爾睡著了

and Thor couldn’t untie the sack.

而索爾打不開袋子

Frustrated and hungry, Thor tried to wake the giant three times

索爾又氣餒肚子又餓 他試了三次想叫醒巨人

by striking his head with his hammer Mjolnir as hard as he could.

用他的大槌子妙爾尼爾 使勁敲巨人的頭

But each time, Skrymir thought it was only a falling acorn

但是每次斯克里米爾 都以為是橡實掉下來敲到他

and went back to sleep.

就又繼續睡了

The next morning, Skrymir departed

隔天早晨斯克里米爾離開他們

and eventually, the travelers reached a massive fortress called Utgard.

這群旅人最終到了一座巨大的堡壘

稱作厄特加爾

Inside the long hall, they met the king of giants, Utgard-Loki,

他們在長長的大廳裡 見到巨人國王烏特迦·洛奇

who greeted his guests with a challenge:

他用各式挑戰歡迎客人：

each of them was to prove they were the best at some particular skill.

每一個人都要證明自己擅長某樣技藝

Loki went first, declaring himself the world’s fastest eater.

洛基第一個接受挑戰

他宣稱自己是世界上吃東西最快的人

To test him, the king summoned his servant Logi

國王為了驗證 傳了他的侍從羅吉出來

and the two were placed at either end of a long trough stuffed with food.

這兩人就坐在長長的食槽兩端 裡面擺著滿滿的食物

Loki ate his way inward with blinding speed.

洛基用壓倒性的速度向內吃了起來

But when the contestants met in the center,

但是當兩位比賽者在桌子中間相遇時

Loki saw that his adversary had not only eaten just as much food,

洛基看到他的對手 不但吃了跟他一樣多的食物

but also the bones and even the trough itself.

還連骨頭，甚至食槽都吃掉了

Next was Thjalfi, who could outrun anything in the wild.

下一個輪到希亞費 他跑得比野外任何東西都快

The king summoned an ethereal-looking giant named Hugi,

國王宣召縹緲的修基出來

who outraced Thjalfi easily.

他輕鬆地贏過希亞費

But the boy would not give up and demanded a rematch.

但是這個男孩不死心，要求再比一次

This time, Thjalfi finished close behind

這一次，希亞費緊追在後

and the king admitted he’d never seen a human run so fast.

國王承認他從來沒看過 跑得這麼快的人

Thjalfi tried a third time, running like his life depended on it,

希亞費第三次比試 跑得之快，好像不這樣會死一樣

but Hugi was even faster than before.

可是修基比之前更快

Finally, it was Thor’s turn.

最後輪到索爾

The king offered him a drinking horn,

國王給他一個喝酒角杯

saying all his men could drain it in two gulps.

還說他的手下只要兩口就可以喝乾

Thor raised it to his lips

索爾提起酒杯沾唇

and drank the surprisingly cold and salty mead

喝下那出乎意料又冷又鹹的蜂蜜酒

in the longest gulp he could muster.

想用最大一口將酒一飲而盡

Then a second.

然後第二口

Then a third.

然後第三口

But the level of the mead in the horn was only slightly lowered.

可是角杯內的蜂蜜酒只少了一點點

To test Thor’s renowned strength, the king offered a seemingly easy challenge:

要驗證索爾出名的力大 國王提出一個看似簡單的挑戰：

lift his pet cat off the ground.

舉起他的寵貓

But this cat was as tall as Thor.

可是這隻貓跟索爾一樣高

Every time he tried to lift it, it arched its back,

每次他試著舉起牠，牠就弓起背

and straining with all his godly might, he only managed to lift one paw.

他使出吃奶的勁力 也不過舉起一隻腳爪而已

Enraged, Thor demanded to wrestle any of the giants.

索爾氣的要命 要求跟隨便一個巨人比賽摔角

The king summoned the giants’ old nursemaid, Elli.

國王於是叫了巨人的老奶媽伊里出來

Though the woman looked frail, Thor couldn’t overpower her

這位老婦人看似孱弱 索爾居然勝不過她

and grew weaker the longer he struggled, until he was brought to one knee.

而且愈戰愈沒力，最後跪倒下來

The three companions prepared to leave, disappointed and humbled.

這一行三人準備離開，又失望又受辱

But as the king escorted them out,

但是當國王護送他們出去時

he revealed that nothing in the castle had been what it seemed.

他透露說這座城堡其實完全似是而非

Loki lost the eating contest because his opponent Logi was wildfire itself,

洛基輸了吃東西比賽 因為他的對手羅吉其實是野火

devouring everything in its path.

所到之處皆被吞噬

Thjalfi couldn’t outrun Hugi because Hugi was the embodiment of thought,

希亞費跑不過修基 因為修基是思想的化身

always faster than action.

永遠都比行動快一步

And even Thor couldn’t defeat Elli, or old age,

而索爾之所以打不過伊里 其實就是年老的意思

which weakens everyone eventually.

每個人都難逃年華老去

As for the other challenges, they had also been illusions.

至於其他的挑戰也都是幻象

The drinking horn was filled with the ocean,

角杯其實充滿了海洋

and Thor had drained enough to cause the tides.

索爾已經喝得夠多，造成潮汐

The cat was the serpent that encircles the world,

貓咪是條緊繞著世界的大蛇

and Thor’s efforts shifted the earth.

索爾的努力已經撼動土地

And Skrymir had been Utgard-Loki in disguise,

斯克里米爾即是烏特迦·洛奇的化身

deflecting Thor’s hammer-blows to form valleys in the surrounding mountains.

他讓索爾的鎚力轉向 在附近的山丘打出山谷

The giant congratulated them on their prowess,

這位巨人祝賀他們高超的本事

which so frightened him he would never allow them in his land again.

可是他嚇壞了 不准他們再踏上他的土地

Thor and his companions failed the challenges presented to them.

索爾一行沒有挑戰成功

But in trying to achieve the impossible,

可是他們願意實踐不可能之事

they’d pushed themselves harder than ever before

將自己的力量推到極限

and changed the world in ways no one had expected.

以沒有人預料得到的方式改變世界