TED|雷神之锤从何而来？_hammer

时间：2019-12-30 11:10:21 来源：作者：网络

原标题：TED | 雷神之锤从何而来？

TED Conferences LLC is a media organization that posts talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading."。

这是“ THU生活英语慕课”的第 655篇文章，全文共 2065字，视频 4分51秒，预计阅读 7分钟。

雷神之锤从何而来

How Thor got his hammer

内容简介

Loki the mischief-maker, writhes in Thor's iron grip. The previous night, he'd snuck up on Thor's wife and shorn off her beautiful hair. To fix what he'd done, Loki rushes to the dwarves and tricks them into making gifts for the gods. Wanting to best their smith rivals, the dwarves make a set of golden treasures, including a hammer called Mjolnir. Scott A. Mellor traces the legend of Thor's hammer. [Directed by Remus and Kiki, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Playhead].

托尔是如何得到威力无穷的雷神之锤的呢？让我们一起来看看神话故事中是怎么说的吧！

中英文对照

Loki the mischief-maker, was writhing uncomfortably in Thor’s iron grip. The previous night, while the rest of the gods slept, he’d snuck up on Thor’s wife Sif and shorn off her beautiful hair. It’d seemed like a funny prank at the time, but now Thor was about to break every bone in his body. Loki had to think of some way to fix what he’d done. Yet who could replace Sif’s matchless hair, golden like a field of summer wheat?

诡计之神洛基正在雷神托尔的铁掌之下瑟瑟发抖。昨晚，他趁众神入睡之际潜到托尔的妻子西芙身旁，一把剪下了她的秀发。当时这不过是个恶作剧，但现在托尔恨不得让他粉身碎骨。洛基得想办法弥补他的过错，但谁能挽回西芙那头无与伦比、如夏天的麦子般金黄的秀发呢？

The dwarves! – their legendary smiths could make anything. So Loki rushed to their realm, deep within the mountains of the earth. Even before he arrived, the wily Loki was already scheming how he would get the dwarves to do his bidding. He decided that his best bet was to pit two families against each other. He first visited the masterful sons of Ivaldi. He told them that their rivals, a pair of brothers named Brokk and Eitri, had claimed that they were the best craftsmen in the world and were determined to prove it in a competition. The rules were that each family had to create three gifts for the gods, including, for the Ivaldis, golden hair.

侏儒！没有什么是他们的能工巧匠造不出的。于是洛基匆匆赶到他们藏于深山的国度。早在路上，狡猾的洛基就已在盘算着怎样才能让侏儒按他的命令行事。他认为最可靠的方法是让两个家族相互挑战。他先拜访了伊瓦尔迪技术高超的儿子们，并说他们的竞争对手，布洛克和辛德里兄弟，自称是世界上最厉害的工匠，而且打算组织一场竞赛证明这一点。比赛规则：每个家族各设计三个献给诸神的礼物，其中的金发由伊瓦尔迪家族设计。

Then Loki visited Brokk and Eitri, and told them the same thing, only now claiming that the sons of Ivaldi had issued the challenge. But Brokk and Eitri couldn’t be fooled so easily, and only agreed to participate if Loki put his own head on the line. Literally—if Brokk and Eitri won, Loki would forfeit his head to them.

洛基又拜访了布洛克和辛德里，把同样的事情告诉了他们，不过却说是伊瓦尔迪的儿子们发起了这场挑战。但布洛克和辛德里还没有愚蠢到完全相信他，只肯在洛基以自己的脑袋为担保的条件下参加比赛。也就是说，如果布洛克和辛德里赢了，洛基的脑袋就归他们了。

Loki had no choice but to agree, and to save himself had to find a way to make sure the sons of Ivaldi emerged victorious. Both sets of dwarves got to work. Eitri set Brokk to man the bellows and told him not to stop for any reason, or the treasures would be ruined. Soon a strange black fly flew into the room. As a piece of pigskin was placed in the forge, the fly stung Brokk’s hand, but he didn’t flinch. Next, while Eitri worked a block of gold, the fly bit Brokk on the neck. The dwarf carried on. Finally, Eitri placed a piece of iron in the furnace. This time the fly landed right on Brokk’s eyelid and bit as hard as it could. And for just a split second, Brokk’s hand left the bellows.

洛基只好答应，但为了保住脑袋，他必须想方设法使伊瓦尔迪的儿子们获胜。两派侏儒都投入了工作。辛德里派布洛克去拉风箱，并吩咐无论如何都不能停下来，否则礼物就做不成了。不一会儿，一只奇怪的黑苍蝇飞进了房间。趁一块猪皮革还在锻铁炉里，苍蝇叮了布洛克的手，但布洛克没有停下。接着，在辛德里锻造金块时，苍蝇咬了布洛克的脖子。这位侏儒忍痛工作。最后，辛德里把一铁块放进了熔炉。这回苍蝇停在了布洛克的眼皮上，使尽浑身力气咬了下去。就在那一刻，布洛克的手松开了风箱。

That’s all it took; their final treasure hadn’t stayed in the fire long enough. Loki now reappeared in his normal form, overjoyed by their failure, and accompanied the dwarves to present their treasures to the gods.

这就玩完了：最后一件礼物没有被锻造充足。洛基现回了原型，幸灾乐祸，还陪着侏儒们将礼物送给众神。

First, Loki presented the treasures from the sons of Ivaldi. Their golden hair bound to Sif’s head and continued to grow, leaving her even more radiant than before. Next, for Odin the all-father, a magnificent spear that could pierce through anything. And finally a small cloth that unfolded into a mighty ship built for Freyr, god of the harvest.

洛基先送上伊瓦尔迪的儿子们的礼物。他们制作的金发与西芙的头完美融合，而且还能继续生长，令她更加光彩照人。紧接着送给众神之王奥丁的是一把无所能敌的矛，没有它刺穿不了的东西。最后，一块展开之后变为神船的布料被送给了弗雷——丰饶之神。

Then Brokk presented the treasures made by him and his brother. For Freyr they’d forged a golden-bristled boar who’d pull Freyr’s chariot across the sky faster than any mount. For Odin, a golden arm ring which would make eight more identical rings on every ninth night. And for Thor, a hammer called Mjolnir. Its handle was too short, and Loki smirked at the obvious defect. But then Brokk revealed its abilities. Mjolnir would never shatter, never miss its mark and always return to Thor’s hand when thrown. Despite the short handle, the gods all agreed this was the finest gift of all.

接下来布洛克递上了由他们兄弟俩制作的礼物。他们为弗雷送上一只金鬓山猪，它能拉着弗雷的战车穿过天空，速度之快令其它坐骑望尘莫及。他们为奥丁送上一只金手镯，它每过九个晚上就会复制出八只一样的镯子。他们为托尔送上一把名为 “姆乔尔尼尔”的铁锤。锤柄很短，洛基为这个明显的缺陷偷偷发笑，但接着布洛克展示了铁锤的威力。 “姆乔尔尼尔”坚不可摧，每击必中，每次投掷后都会返回托尔手中。尽管锤柄偏短，众神还是一致推选铁锤为最佳礼物。

Remembering what was at stake, Loki tried to flee, but Thor reached him first. But before the dwarves could have their due, clever Loki pointed out that they had won the rights to his head, but not his neck, and thus had no right to cut it. All begrudgingly admitted the truth in that, but Brokk would have the last laugh. Taking his brother’s awl, he pierced it through Loki’s lips and sewed his mouth shut, so the trickster god could no longer spread his malicious deceit. Yet the irony was not lost on the gods. For it was Loki’s deceit that had brought them these fine treasures and given Thor the hammer for which he’s still known today.

想到自己的脑袋危在旦夕，洛基试图逃跑，但被托尔捉了回来。但在侏儒们得手之前，机灵的洛基指出他们的确赢了他的脑袋，但没有权利动他的脖子，所以不能动刀。在场的人不情愿地承认了这个事实，但笑到最后的还是布洛克。他拿出兄弟的尖锥，用它穿过洛基的嘴唇，最终缝上了他的嘴。所以这个诡计之神再也不能施展他恶毒的骗术了。但对众神来说，仍然颇为讽刺。要不是洛基的把戏，他们就不会有这么多珍贵的礼物，托尔也不会拥有这把传诵至今的雷神之锤了。