Fantasy In fluences:Ancient Greek Mythology古希腊神话之于奇幻文学

文/维多利亚·胡珀 译/柴晚锁 武立红

By Victoria Hooper

When we think of typical fantasy,we tend to imagine a setting influenced by western medieval ideas, complete with knights, horses,longswords and dragons. However,there are much deeper, older roots to the magic, monsters, tropes1tropes 喻指；借喻。and archetypes2archetype 典型。that dominate the fantasy genre. Classical, Celtic, and Norse mythology, among others, have all had a huge impact on the stories and worlds that we are familiar with. In this article, I’ll be exploring the in fluence of Ancient Greek mythology in particular.

The hero and his quest

[2] A hero is called, perhaps by a higher power, perhaps by chance, or due to their ancestry or position in life. They fight their way through many tasks and trials on the route to victory, sometimes picking up or losing companions along the way. Eventually they succeed, and are rewarded with fame, sex, or riches,hopefully all three. Sound familiar?

[3] The quest story is as old as civilisation, but it is the Greek heroes who seem to have had the biggest impact on what we in the west think of as a hero. There’s Jason, of Argonauts3阿尔戈英雄，希腊传说中同伊阿宋一道乘快船“阿尔戈号”去科尔基斯（Colchis）取金羊毛的50位英雄，其中包括下文出现的赫拉克利斯、忒修斯等。“阿尔戈号”因其建造者、造船能手阿尔戈斯而得名，是当时希腊最大的船。fame.There’s Odysseus, the wily, resourceful hero.

Theseus: the just hero (and general do gooder)

[4] Then there’s Theseus, the hero who killed the Minotaur that lurked4lurk 潜伏。at the centre of King Minos’ labyrinth.Theseus found his way out of the maze thanks to the priestess (and princess)Ariadne and her ball of thread. All labyrinths in stories owe a debt to the Theseus myth, as does the word‘labyrinth’ (to mean maze) itself.

[5] Theseus is also famous for being a just hero who couldn’t stand to see his people suffer. When King Minos’ men drew lots5draw lots 抽签。to see which of the Athenian youths would be taken as tribute6tribute贡品。,Theseus deliberately put himself forward in place of another.

[6] In fantasy, too, heroes will often give themselves up to face danger in place of those who are weaker. A good example that seems to be drawn straight from the Theseus myth isThe Hunger Games7电影《饥饿游戏》，改编自美国作家苏珊·柯林斯（1962— ）同名小说。, in which Katniss puts herself forward in place of her sister.

Heracles: the tortured hero

[7] Heracles is probably the best known Greek hero. He completed twelve seemingly impossible tasks before being admitted to Olympus as a god. He is also a surprisingly dark hero. He was tricked by Hera into murdering his children. Wrestling with the enormous weight of this guilt, it was to absolve8absolve 洗清；开脱。himself that he took on his famous twelve tasks. This tortured hero archetype, the man or woman spurred9spur 促使。to action through the loss of loved ones,has been common in fantasy over the years.

The chosen one

[8] Prophecy is a common theme in fantasy. A hero is often raised above all others by the designs of fate. A prophecy tends to be introduced in one of the early books in a series, leaving fans to speculate and theorise about what it might imply. This is because prophecies are usually cryptic10cryptic 晦涩；难解。, and will rarely turn out to mean quite what we expected. The prophecy in theHarry Potterseries could have referred to Neville Longbottom as much as to Harry, but in choosing to kill Harry, and marking him in the process, Voldemort unknowingly created his own nemesis11nemesis 几乎难以应对的困境。.In theA Song of Ice and Fireseries12美国作家乔治·马丁的代表作，其中的亚梭尔·亚亥（Azor Ahai）是一位生活在大约8000年前的传奇英雄，在长夜用一把名为光明使者的剑打败了异鬼。,a cryptic prophecy concerning the reincarnation13reincarnation 再生；转世。of the hero Azor Ahai has had fans guessing and secondguessing for years. Prophecies are never simple.

[9] This idea comes straight from ancient mythology. Greek heroes would almost always have a prophecy attached to them. Zeus knew that Thetis’ son would be a mighty hero, so he married her to a mortal, Peleus, in order to limit the boy’s power. The result was Achilles. Achilles knew he would die at Troy, but that he would achieve everlasting fame. When Jason arrived at Pelias’ palace with one sandal missing,Pelias knew this was the man who would overthrow him.

[10] In fact, prophecy was something of a badge of hero-ship; all good heroes had one, and all aspiring leaders wanted one. Greek tyrants would sometimes attach prophecies to their name in an attempt to legitimise14legitimise 使合法化。their reign.

[11] Prophecies are also problematic in Greek myth. A prophecy tends to be cryptic or to hold a double meaning, and they can be self-fulfilling15self-fulfilling 应验；一语成谶。. Sometimes in trying to stave off16stave off 阻挡；规避。the prophesied outcome, the person only brings it closer.Oedipus’ parents learned this when they abandoned their baby, knowing he would one day kill his father and marry his mother. However, Oedipus was found and given to the childless rulers of another city. When he grew up,he travelled to Thebes and did indeed murder his father and marry his mother.

Monsters and beasts

[12] Most importantly, there will be monsters. For the Greeks it was mythical beasts: cyclopes17cyclope 希腊神话传说中的巨人，前额中央长着一只独眼。, sea monsters and gorgons18gorgon 希腊神话中长着蛇发的三姐妹之一，相传人只要看她一眼，就会被变成石头。; for fantasy heroes it’s orcs19orc半兽人，该词源自拉丁文Orcus。, goblins20goblin淘气包，传说中长得渺小、丑陋的一种生灵，喜欢捉弄人。, trolls21troll丑鬼，传说中一种相貌丑陋的人，既可能是巨人，也可能是侏儒。,giants, giant spiders, giant snakes, giant scorpions, and… giant anything. From Shelob22系列奇幻小说《魔戒》中邪恶的蜘蛛精尸罗。to Gwythaints23, monsters are everywhere.

[13] Many creatures from Greek mythology have become common staples of fantasy today. Usually these begin as a single, unique being in the myths, but are transformed into whole new species by fantasy authors and game-designers. Pegasus, a flying horse who was born from Medusa’s head and ridden by the hero Bellerophon, has become a species of flying horse called pegasi.

The riddling Sphinx

[14] The Sphinx made its way to24make one’s way to前往；设法进入。Greek myth via Egypt. The Greek Sphinx was a lion with a woman’s head and chest, and an eagle’s wings, which,in the myth of Oedipus, asked riddles

23劳埃德·亚历山大（1924—2007）所著少儿系列奇幻作品《蒲莱丁传奇》（The Chronicles of Prydain）中一个形似巨鸟的邪恶怪物。of passersby. If they answered wrongly,they were eaten. Oedipus solved the riddle, defeating the creature and freeing the city of Thebes from its reign of terror.

[15] Sphinxes have found their way into many stories, and riddles as a means of gaining entry or obtaining information (usually with the threat of death if answered incorrectly) are a very common element of both fantasy and fairytales. Perhaps the most well known example comes fromThe Hobbit, in which Gollum poses a set of riddles to Bilbo, hoping to eat him when he fails.The Sphinx’s specific riddle—what walks on four legs in the morning, two at midday and three in the evening?—also makes regular appearances in fantasy.

Centaurs

[16] A discussion on Greek mythological beasts could not be complete without mentioning centaurs.Centaurs are often rather noble creatures in fantasy (NarniaandHarry Potterin particular), but in the myths they were animalistic, barbaric, rowdy25rowdy 喧闹；凶暴。, and ageneral embarrassment.

[17] Greek mythology can boast an intimidating number of monsters and weird creatures, most of which have been picked up byDungeons and Dragons26《龙与地下城》，TSR开发的一款桌面角色扮演游戏，于1974年发行第一版。or other early fantasy trendsetters. Re-animated skeletons, oneeyed giants, living statues, maenads,gorgons, three-headed dogs, nymphs and dryads, satyrs (fauns), harpies,furies, hydras, Titans, tritons, and even werewolves, have all graced27grace 装点；点缀。fantasy’s pages and screens.

The evil sorceress

[18] Greek heroes, like fantasy heroes,also commonly faced evil sorcerers28,who were almost always women. In the Ancient GreekOdyssey, the sorceress Circe transformed Odysseus’ men into pigs.

[19] Jason (of the Argonauts) was aided in his quest by Medea, a powerful sorceress who turned against her own family out of love for him. When Jason broke his promises to her, she sought revenge by murdering their children. She has great power, but she is frightening, irrational and emotional,and so is ultimately a liability to the hero. Other sorceresses fair no better29fair no better （命运、表现等）与……同样糟糕。in Greek myth. In Greek mythology,magic is often dangerous, unpredictable and evil, and is almost always wielded by women, reflecting a strongly patriarchal30patriarchal 男权的；父系的。society’s fear of powerful women.

[20] This tendency to write powerful,magical sorceresses as evil at worst and petty or inscrutable31inscrutable 难以捉摸；无法看透。at best is a common theme that has run through mythology, fairytales and fantasy.Although society and ideology has changed since the days of the Ancient Greeks, the influence of Circe and Medea can still be seen in the powerful sorceresses of many fictional worlds:The Witch Queen (Stardust), Queen Jadis/The White Witch (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe), Melisandre(A Song of Ice and Fireseries), and The Wicked Witch of the West (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), to name just a few. ■

提起典型的奇幻故事，我们脑海里往往会浮现出一幅深受西方中世纪观念影响的场景，加上骑士、骏马、长剑、恶龙等，便构成了全套标配。不过，追根溯源，充斥于这类作品中的魔法、怪物、喻指以及范式化角色却都有着更深远、更古老的起源。古典神话、凯尔特神话、北欧神话及其他种种，都对我们耳熟能详的那些故事和世界具有重大影响。本文中，我将带您重点探索来自古希腊神话的影响。

英雄及其求索

[2]英雄之所以得名，或许是因为拥有异乎寻常的能力，或许是由于机缘巧合，再或是得益于先辈的蒙荫或显赫的身世地位。通往胜利的旅程中，他们一路披荆斩棘，克服重重磨难，完成诸多任务，沿路时而还会结识或失去一些伙伴。最终，他们大获成功，并因此赢得盛誉、美人或财富，如果运气好，甚至可以三者兼得。是否似曾相识？

[3]自人类文明之始，便有了求索的故事。不过，在我们西方人如何理解英雄这一问题上，影响至为深远的却是古希腊的英雄们。比方说，位居阿尔戈英雄之列的伊阿宋，机敏狡黠、足智多谋的英雄奥德修斯。

忒修斯：正义英雄（及普遍意义上的“善人”）

[4]再有英雄忒修斯，是他杀死了潜伏在弥诺斯国王迷宫中伺机攻击的半人半牛怪弥诺陶洛斯。在女祭司（及克里特公主）阿里阿德涅及其线团的帮助下，忒修斯成功破解迷宫，找到了出路。纵观各类故事，所有迷宫的起源都可追溯到忒修斯的传说，连“迷宫”这个词对应的英文labyrinth也同样如此。

[5]忒修斯也以其正直的秉性闻名于世，他无法忍受自己的人民受苦受难。在弥诺斯国王准备用抽签方式决定将哪几个雅典童男童女作为贡品进贡的关头，忒修斯挺身而出，换下另一个人。

[6]奇幻故事中，英雄们面对险境时也往往会牺牲自己，保护弱者。《饥饿游戏》便是一个极好的例子，其中凯特尼斯甘愿代替妹妹去参加饥饿游戏的情节，似乎便直接取材于忒修斯传奇。

赫拉克利斯：饱经磨难的英雄

[7]赫拉克利斯很可能是古希腊众英雄中最著名的一位。他完成了12件貌似几乎不可能完成的任务，然后被接纳进入奥林匹斯众神之列。令人意想不到的是，他也是一位黑暗英雄。他受赫拉蛊惑杀死了亲生儿女。正是为了洗脱心头沉重的愧疚，他才接受了众所周知的12项使命。这类饱经磨难的典范式英雄，即因痛失挚爱亲人而奋起行动的男女，多年来已成为奇幻故事中司空见惯的形象。

天意难违

[8]预言是奇幻故事常见的主题。英雄之所以脱颖而出，通常都是因为命运的安排。预言往往在系列故事早期的某部作品中就已埋下伏笔，其寓意则留待粉丝们揣摩推测、说理论道。之所以如此，是因为预言通常都晦涩难解，且最终结局很少与我们的预期吻合。《哈利·波特》系列小说中的预言既可以指向哈利，也完全可以指向纳威·隆巴顿，然而，伏地魔选择杀死哈利并在此过程中留下了标记（哈利额头的闪电疤痕），不经意间却让自己也陷入了难以自拔的困境。《冰与火之歌》系列故事中，关于英雄亚梭尔·亚亥转世之谜的那则讳莫如深的预言，一度令粉丝们多年猜了又猜，困惑不已。预言从来都是高深莫测。

[9]这一理念的根源可直接追溯到远古神话。古希腊英雄们身上几乎毫无例外都附着某一条预言。宙斯清楚知道，忒提丝的儿子将成为一位勇武的英雄，于是将她嫁给凡人佩琉斯，以便这一孩子的威力能够受到制约。阿喀琉斯便是这一安排的结晶。阿喀琉斯清楚知道自己终将殒命于特洛伊，却不知将获得流芳千古的美名。伊阿宋光着一只脚来到珀利阿斯王宫那一刻，后者就已经意识到，这个人将注定推翻自己的王位。

[10]实际上，预言俨然就是英雄气概的一种勋章，每一位正义的英雄都拥有一枚，每一位壮志凌云的领袖也都渴望得到一枚。古希腊的某些暴君有时会将自己的名字附上某些预言，意欲让其统治变得名正言顺。

[11]古希腊神话中，预言也频频招致麻烦。预言往往十分隐晦，或者一语双关，而且极易一语成谶。有时，一个人越是刻意躲避预言的结果，反倒越加快了其成真的步伐。俄狄浦斯的父母对此有切身体会。得知新生的儿子有一天可能弑父娶母，他们于是狠心将他抛弃。然而，俄狄浦斯被人救下并送往另一座城市，那里某位没有子嗣的统治者收养了他。长大成人之后，他来到忒拜，果不其然，在不知情的情况下杀了自己的父亲，娶了自己的母亲。

怪物与野兽

[12]最为重要的是，故事中必有怪物。对古希腊人而言，这些通常都是具有神秘力量的某种野兽，如独眼巨人、海怪、蛇首人身女妖等；对奇幻故事中的英雄而言，则通常是半人半兽怪、淘气包、丑鬼、巨人、巨型蜘蛛、巨蟒、巨蝎……乃至一切体型硕大的东西。从蜘蛛尸罗到巨鸟圭瑟恩，怪物几乎无处不在。

[13]希腊神话中的很多生灵已然成为当今奇幻故事中司空见惯的重要成分。通常，这些生灵一开始只是神话故事中某个独特的动物，但奇幻作家、游戏设计者们却在此基础上衍生开发出一类全新的物种。天马珀伽索斯原本是古希腊英雄柏勒洛丰的坐骑，诞生自怪物美杜莎的脑袋中，如今已发展成为一类飞马，统称“佩嘉西”。

谜一般的斯芬克斯

[14]斯芬克斯通过古埃及进入希腊神话。古希腊版的斯芬克斯是一头狮子，长着女人的头、上身以及鹰的双翼。据俄狄浦斯神话讲述，她经常要求过往的行人猜谜，假如猜错，就会被她吃掉。俄狄浦斯成功解开谜语，打败这一怪物，将忒拜城从她的恐怖统治下解救了出来。

[15]斯芬克斯出现在很多故事中。无论是在奇幻故事还是童话中，通过破解谜语获得通关密码或得到线索（一旦答错往往就会面临灭顶之灾）都是极其常见的情节要素。最著名的例子或许该属《霍比特人》，咕噜向比尔博抛出一连串谜语，希望后者答不上来好将他吃掉。斯芬克斯最有代表性的一则谜语是：什么东西早晨四条腿走路，中午两条腿走路，傍晚三条腿走路——这则谜语频繁出现于各种奇幻故事之中。

半人半马兽

[16]讨论古希腊神话中的兽类，怎能不提到半人半马兽？在奇幻故事（特别是《纳尼亚传奇》和《哈利·波特》）中，半人半马兽通常都是非常高贵的生物，但在神话中却往往暴力、粗野、喧闹，总是让人为难。

[17]古希腊神话中的怪物异兽数量之多不胜枚举，令人望而却步，其中多数都出现在了《龙与地下城》及其他奠定奇幻故事走向的某些早期作品中。复活的骷髅、独眼巨人、活雕塑、穿狐狸皮的酒神女信徒、蛇首女妖、三头犬、自然精灵和树精、半人半羊神、人面鸟身女神、愤怒女神、多头蛇、泰坦、人鱼生物特里同，乃至狼人，都装点了奇幻作品的书页及屏幕。

邪恶女巫

[18]与奇幻故事中的英雄一样，古希腊英雄们通常还不得不面对邪恶的巫师，而且几乎是清一色的女巫。古希腊史诗《奥德赛》中，女巫师喀耳刻曾将奥德修斯的船员统统变为猪。

[19]阿尔戈英雄伊阿宋的求索历程曾得到美狄亚帮助。美狄亚是一位强大的女巫师，出于对伊阿宋的爱慕，她不惜背叛家族。伊阿宋背弃对她的诺言后，为了复仇，她杀了两人的孩子。她法术无边，但喜怒无常，不可理喻，令人望而生畏，因此最终成了这位英雄的负累。古希腊神话中的其他女巫师也大体无异。希腊神话中，魔法通常都危险重重，深奥莫测，卑劣邪恶，而且几乎毫无例外都掌握在女性手中，这反映了男权社会对拥有巨大威力的女性的强烈恐惧。

[20]法术无边的女巫师，往差了说，多数都秉性卑劣邪恶，往好了说，也往往心胸狭隘、难以捉摸。这向来是神话、童话以及奇幻作品中一脉相承的共同主题。与古希腊时代相比，尽管我们的社会及意识形态都已发生了截然改变，但很多虚构世界里法术无边的女巫师身上，喀耳刻和美狄亚的影响依然清晰可辨：《星尘》中的巫师女王、《狮子、巫师与衣橱》中的贾迪思女王（白衣巫师）、《冰与火之歌》系列作品中的梅丽珊卓，还有《绿野仙踪》中的邪恶巫师，不过只是其中几例。 □

（译者单位：北京林业大学）