演讲题目：The myth of Medusa

演讲简介：

美杜莎被愤怒的雅典娜变成了可怕的蛇发女妖戈耳工，之后她便躲进了一个隐蔽的洞穴里。一批又一批想要成为英雄的人前往那个洞穴，企图通过杀死美杜莎来扬名立万，但每次都被她的目光所石化。直到另一位年轻人珀尔修斯踏上了追求荣耀的征程。劳拉・艾特肯 - 伯特为我们讲述美杜莎的神话故事，以及她那臭名昭著的能把人石化的能力。



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Before, her hair was a writhing nest of snakes and her eyes had the power to petrify, Medusa was a young woman who worshipped at the temple of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war.

以前，美杜莎的头发是蛇的扭动巢穴，她的眼睛有着石化的力量，她是一位在雅典娜神庙礼拜的年轻女子，智慧和战争女神。

But all the while, as Medusa tended to Athena's shrine, Poseidon, god of the seas and horses, was watching her.

但与此同时，当美杜莎照料雅典娜的神殿时，海神与马之神波塞冬一直在注视着她。

And one night, he crept into the temple as Medusa prayed, and assaulted her.

一天晚上，当美杜莎祈祷时，他悄悄进入寺庙并袭击了她。

Athena reacted swiftly to the desecration of her shrine.

雅典娜对亵渎她的神殿做出了迅速的反应。

But instead of punishing Poseidon, she focused her wrath on Medusa.

但她没有惩罚波塞冬，而是将愤怒集中在美杜莎身上。

The young woman felt her body transform until she was a monstrous Gorgon, her face framed by coils of hissing snakes.

这位年轻女子感觉到自己的身体发生了变化，变成了一个巨大的戈尔工，她的脸被一圈嘶嘶作响的蛇包围。

No man could freely look upon her again, for if they met her eyes, they'd instantly turn to stone.

没有男人可以再自由地看着她，因为如果他们与她的眼睛相遇，他们会立即变成石头。

Medusa sought refuge in a hidden cave inhabited by the world's two other Gorgons, Stheno and Euryale.

美杜莎在一个隐藏的洞穴中寻求庇护，洞穴中居住着世界上另外两个蛇发女神斯泰诺和欧律亚莱。

However, unlike Stheno and Euryale, who could never die, Medusa remained mortal.

然而，与永远不会死的史泰诺和欧律亚莱不同，美杜莎仍然是凡人。

Time passed and would-be heroes journeyed to the cave to make their names by murdering Medusa— but fell to her gaze every time.

时间流逝，未来的英雄们纷纷前往洞穴，通过谋杀美杜莎而声名鹊起--但每次都落入了她的目光。

This was the way of things until another young man, named Perseus, began his quest for glory— Medusa his intended trophy.

事情就是这样，直到另一位名叫珀尔修斯的年轻人开始追求荣耀--美杜莎是他想要的战利品。

Perseus was born of the mortal princess Danae after Zeus impregnated her in the form of golden rain.

英仙座是由凡人公主达娜厄生下的，宙斯以金色雨的形式让她怀孕。

However, Danae's father had received a prophecy foretelling that her son would kill him,

然而，达娜埃的父亲收到了一个预言，预言她的儿子会杀了他，

so he locked Danae and Perseus in a chest and threw it into the sea.

于是他把达娜厄和珀尔修斯锁在一个箱子里，然后把它扔进海里。

Safeguarded by the gods, they survived.

在众神的保护下，他们活了下来。

But the king of their new land, Polydektes, lusted after Danae.

但他们新土地的国王波利德克特斯对达娜厄心存渴望。

She tried turning King Polydektes away to no avail, and Perseus grew protective.

她试图赶走波利德克特斯国王，但没有成功，珀尔修斯变得保护起来。

To distract Perseus, Polydektes feigned that he'd finally given up on Danae and would be wedding another.

为了分散英仙座的注意力，波利德克特斯假装他终于放弃了达那厄，并将与另一个人结婚。

When Perseus offered Polydektes whatever wedding gift he desired, Polydektes saw the opportunity to be rid of Perseus,

当珀尔修斯向波利德克特斯提供他想要的任何结婚礼物时，波利德克特斯看到了摆脱珀尔修斯的机会，

and suggested that he prove his manhood by fetching a Gorgon's head.

并建议他通过摘下蛇发女怪的头来证明自己的男子气概。

Perseus accepted the foolhardy mission, gathered a crew, and set sail towards Graeae, three ancient sisters.

英仙座接受了这个鲁莽的任务，召集了一批船员，扬帆驶向三个古老的姐妹格雷。

They shared a single eye and tooth and harbored numerous secrets.

他们共用一只眼睛和一颗牙齿，并隐藏着无数秘密。

As one sister passed their eye to another,

当一个姐妹把目光投向另一个姐妹时，

Perseus grabbed it and forced them to reveal the locations of the nymphs of the River Styx and the cave of the Gorgons.

珀尔修斯抓住了它，强迫他们透露了冥王河峡谷和蛇发女神洞穴的位置。

With the nymphs' help, he obtained Hermes' winged sandals, Hades' cap of invisibility, and a special satchel.

在男爵的帮助下，他得到了赫尔墨斯的带翼凉鞋、哈迪斯的隐形帽和一个特殊的背包。

And he accepted a gleaming sickle from Hermes, and a shield that shone like a mirror from Athena herself,

他接受了赫尔墨斯赠送的一把闪闪发光的镰刀，以及雅典娜本人赠送的一面像镜子一样闪闪发光的盾牌，

the goddess who'd cursed Medusa with her monstrous form to begin with.

一开始就用她的怪物形象诅咒了美杜莎的女神。

Then, one night, Perseus approached and Medusa fell asleep.

然后，一天晚上，珀尔修斯走近，美杜莎睡着了。

Perseus entered, crept towards the Gorgons' slumbering forms, guiding his way with the reflections on Athena's shield.

珀尔修斯走了进来，蹑手蹑脚地走向蛇发女巨人沉睡的身体，用雅典娜盾牌上的倒影指引他的去路。

When he came upon Medusa resting peacefully, he bore his sword down upon her neck.

当他看到平静地休息的美杜莎时，他用剑刺向她的脖子。

From the wound sprung Medusa and Poseidon's hybrid offspring: a winged horse named Pegasus and a warrior called Chrysaor.

从伤口中生出了美杜莎和波塞冬的杂交后代：一匹名为飞马的有翼马和一位名为克里索尔的战士。

As Perseus stuffed Medusa's head in his satchel, Stheno and Euryale awoke to the horrific scene and attacked.

当珀尔修斯把美杜莎的头塞进他的背包时，斯忒诺和欧律阿勒醒来，看到了可怕的场景，并发动了攻击。

But donning the cap of invisibility and winged sandals, Perseus escaped unscathed,

但珀尔修斯戴着隐形帽和带翅膀的凉鞋，毫发无伤地逃脱了，

reached only by Euryale's pained cry of despair echoing through the cave.

只有欧律亚勒绝望的痛苦呐喊在洞穴中回响。

Perseus was met by his crew's adulation.

珀尔修斯受到了船员们的奉承。

And because death had failed to dim the power of Medusa's gaze, Perseus used her severed head to kill Polydektes, then gave it to Athena,

由于死亡未能削弱美杜莎凝视的力量，珀尔修斯用她被砍下的头杀死了波里德克特斯，然后把它交给了雅典娜，

who placed it on her shield.

她把它放在她的盾牌上。

But Athena's wasn't the only shield emblazoned with Medusa's face.

但雅典娜的盾牌并不是唯一一个印有美杜莎面孔的盾牌。

Ancient Greek and Roman artists committed Medusa's image to everything from armor and paintings to ceramics and mosaic floors.

古希腊和罗马的艺术家们将美杜莎的形象描绘在从盔甲、绘画到陶瓷和马赛克地板的所有东西上。

And while it was customary for ancient Greek subjects to appear in profile, Medusa was almost always facing directly outwards.

虽然古希腊臣民通常以侧面出现，但美杜莎几乎总是面朝外。

She was an apotropaic symbol, one that imbued both fear and protection at once.

她是一个冷漠的象征，同时充满恐惧和保护。

Her story reverberated through time.

她的故事在时间中回响。

In many versions, including the earliest, she was always a Gorgon; in others, like the ancient Roman poet Ovid's, she had a sympathetic,

在许多版本中，包括最早的版本中，她始终是一个戈尔工;在其他版本中，例如古罗马诗人奥维德的版本，她有一种同情心，

human backstory— as a woman who'd experienced cruelty and injustice, not just a simple monster to slay.

人类的背景故事-作为一个女人谁经历了残酷和不公正，而不仅仅是一个简单的怪物杀死。