Fantasy In fluences:Ancient Greek Mythology古希臘神話之于奇幻文學

文/維多利亞·胡珀 譯/柴晚鎖 武立紅

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阿爾戈英雄，希臘傳說中同伊阿宋一道乘快船“阿爾戈號”去科爾基斯（Colchis）取金羊毛的50位英雄，其中包括下文出現的赫拉克利斯、忒修斯等。“阿爾戈號”因其建造者、造船能手阿爾戈斯而得名，是當時希臘最大的船。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 潛伏。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 抽簽。to see which of the Athenian youths would be taken as tribute6tribute貢品。,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電影《饑餓游戲》，改編自美國作家蘇珊·柯林斯（1962— ）同名小說。, 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；開脫。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 晦澀；難解。, 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 幾乎難以應對的困境。.In theA Song of Ice and Fireseries12美國作家喬治·馬丁的代表作，其中的亞梭爾·亞亥（Azor Ahai）是一位生活在大約8000年前的傳奇英雄，在長夜用一把名為光明使者的劍打敗了異鬼。,a cryptic prophecy concerning the reincarnation13reincarnation 再生；轉世。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 應驗；一語成讖。. Sometimes in trying to stave off16stave off 阻擋；規避。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 希臘神話傳說中的巨人，前額中央長著一只獨眼。, sea monsters and gorgons18gorgon 希臘神話中長著蛇發的三姐妹之一，相傳人只要看她一眼，就會被變成石頭。; for fantasy heroes it’s orcs19orc半獸人，該詞源自拉丁文Orcus。, goblins20goblin淘氣包，傳說中長得渺小、丑陋的一種生靈，喜歡捉弄人。, trolls21troll丑鬼，傳說中一種相貌丑陋的人，既可能是巨人，也可能是侏儒。,giants, giant spiders, giant snakes, giant scorpions, and… giant anything. From Shelob22系列奇幻小說《魔戒》中邪惡的蜘蛛精尸羅。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；設法進入。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勞埃德·亞歷山大（1924—2007）所著少兒系列奇幻作品《蒲萊丁傳奇》（The Chronicles of Prydain）中一個形似巨鳥的邪惡怪物。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 喧鬧；兇暴。, 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《龍與地下城》，TSR開發的一款桌面角色扮演游戲，于1974年發行第一版。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 裝點；點綴。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 （命運、表現等）與……同樣糟糕。in Greek myth. In Greek mythology,magic is often dangerous, unpredictable and evil, and is almost always wielded by women, reflecting a strongly patriarchal30patriarchal 男權的；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 難以捉摸；無法看透。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，我們腦海里往往會浮現出一幅深受西方中世紀觀念影響的場景，加上騎士、駿馬、長劍、惡龍等，便構成了全套標配。不過，追根溯源，充斥于這類作品中的魔法、怪物、喻指以及范式化角色卻都有著更深遠、更古老的起源。古典神話、凱爾特神話、北歐神話及其他種種，都對我們耳熟能詳的那些故事和世界具有重大影響。本文中，我將帶您重點探索來自古希臘神話的影響。

英雄及其求索

[2]英雄之所以得名，或許是因為擁有異乎尋常的能力，或許是由于機緣巧合，再或是得益于先輩的蒙蔭或顯赫的身世地位。通往勝利的旅程中，他們一路披荊斬棘，克服重重磨難，完成諸多任務，沿路時而還會結識或失去一些伙伴。最終，他們大獲成功，并因此贏得盛譽、美人或財富，如果運氣好，甚至可以三者兼得。是否似曾相識？

[3]自人類文明之始，便有了求索的故事。不過，在我們西方人如何理解英雄這一問題上，影響至為深遠的卻是古希臘的英雄們。比方說，位居阿爾戈英雄之列的伊阿宋，機敏狡黠、足智多謀的英雄奧德修斯。

忒修斯：正義英雄（及普遍意義上的“善人”）

[4]再有英雄忒修斯，是他殺死了潛伏在彌諾斯國王迷宮中伺機攻擊的半人半牛怪彌諾陶洛斯。在女祭司（及克里特公主）阿里阿德涅及其線團的幫助下，忒修斯成功破解迷宮，找到了出路?？v觀各類故事，所有迷宮的起源都可追溯到忒修斯的傳說，連“迷宮”這個詞對應的英文labyrinth也同樣如此。

[5]忒修斯也以其正直的秉性聞名于世，他無法忍受自己的人民受苦受難。在彌諾斯國王準備用抽簽方式決定將哪幾個雅典童男童女作為貢品進貢的關頭，忒修斯挺身而出，換下另一個人。

[6]奇幻故事中，英雄們面對險境時也往往會犧牲自己，保護弱者?！娥囸I游戲》便是一個極好的例子，其中凱特尼斯甘愿代替妹妹去參加饑餓游戲的情節，似乎便直接取材于忒修斯傳奇。

赫拉克利斯：飽經磨難的英雄

[7]赫拉克利斯很可能是古希臘眾英雄中最著名的一位。他完成了12件貌似幾乎不可能完成的任務，然后被接納進入奧林匹斯眾神之列。令人意想不到的是，他也是一位黑暗英雄。他受赫拉蠱惑殺死了親生兒女。正是為了洗脫心頭沉重的愧疚，他才接受了眾所周知的12項使命。這類飽經磨難的典范式英雄，即因痛失摯愛親人而奮起行動的男女，多年來已成為奇幻故事中司空見慣的形象。

天意難違

[8]預言是奇幻故事常見的主題。英雄之所以脫穎而出，通常都是因為命運的安排。預言往往在系列故事早期的某部作品中就已埋下伏筆，其寓意則留待粉絲們揣摩推測、說理論道。之所以如此，是因為預言通常都晦澀難解，且最終結局很少與我們的預期吻合?！豆げㄌ亍废盗行≌f中的預言既可以指向哈利，也完全可以指向納威·隆巴頓，然而，伏地魔選擇殺死哈利并在此過程中留下了標記（哈利額頭的閃電疤痕），不經意間卻讓自己也陷入了難以自拔的困境?！侗c火之歌》系列故事中，關于英雄亞梭爾·亞亥轉世之謎的那則諱莫如深的預言，一度令粉絲們多年猜了又猜，困惑不已。預言從來都是高深莫測。

[9]這一理念的根源可直接追溯到遠古神話。古希臘英雄們身上幾乎毫無例外都附著某一條預言。宙斯清楚知道，忒提絲的兒子將成為一位勇武的英雄，于是將她嫁給凡人佩琉斯，以便這一孩子的威力能夠受到制約。阿喀琉斯便是這一安排的結晶。阿喀琉斯清楚知道自己終將殞命于特洛伊，卻不知將獲得流芳千古的美名。伊阿宋光著一只腳來到珀利阿斯王宮那一刻，后者就已經意識到，這個人將注定推翻自己的王位。

[10]實際上，預言儼然就是英雄氣概的一種勛章，每一位正義的英雄都擁有一枚，每一位壯志凌云的領袖也都渴望得到一枚。古希臘的某些暴君有時會將自己的名字附上某些預言，意欲讓其統治變得名正言順。

[11]古希臘神話中，預言也頻頻招致麻煩。預言往往十分隱晦，或者一語雙關，而且極易一語成讖。有時，一個人越是刻意躲避預言的結果，反倒越加快了其成真的步伐。俄狄浦斯的父母對此有切身體會。得知新生的兒子有一天可能弒父娶母，他們于是狠心將他拋棄。然而，俄狄浦斯被人救下并送往另一座城市，那里某位沒有子嗣的統治者收養了他。長大成人之后，他來到忒拜，果不其然，在不知情的情況下殺了自己的父親，娶了自己的母親。

怪物與野獸

[12]最為重要的是，故事中必有怪物。對古希臘人而言，這些通常都是具有神秘力量的某種野獸，如獨眼巨人、海怪、蛇首人身女妖等；對奇幻故事中的英雄而言，則通常是半人半獸怪、淘氣包、丑鬼、巨人、巨型蜘蛛、巨蟒、巨蝎……乃至一切體型碩大的東西。從蜘蛛尸羅到巨鳥圭瑟恩，怪物幾乎無處不在。

[13]希臘神話中的很多生靈已然成為當今奇幻故事中司空見慣的重要成分。通常，這些生靈一開始只是神話故事中某個獨特的動物，但奇幻作家、游戲設計者們卻在此基礎上衍生開發出一類全新的物種。天馬珀伽索斯原本是古希臘英雄柏勒洛豐的坐騎，誕生自怪物美杜莎的腦袋中，如今已發展成為一類飛馬，統稱“佩嘉西”。

謎一般的斯芬克斯

[14]斯芬克斯通過古埃及進入希臘神話。古希臘版的斯芬克斯是一頭獅子，長著女人的頭、上身以及鷹的雙翼。據俄狄浦斯神話講述，她經常要求過往的行人猜謎，假如猜錯，就會被她吃掉。俄狄浦斯成功解開謎語，打敗這一怪物，將忒拜城從她的恐怖統治下解救了出來。

[15]斯芬克斯出現在很多故事中。無論是在奇幻故事還是童話中，通過破解謎語獲得通關密碼或得到線索（一旦答錯往往就會面臨滅頂之災）都是極其常見的情節要素。最著名的例子或許該屬《霍比特人》，咕嚕向比爾博拋出一連串謎語，希望后者答不上來好將他吃掉。斯芬克斯最有代表性的一則謎語是：什么東西早晨四條腿走路，中午兩條腿走路，傍晚三條腿走路——這則謎語頻繁出現于各種奇幻故事之中。

半人半馬獸

[16]討論古希臘神話中的獸類，怎能不提到半人半馬獸？在奇幻故事（特別是《納尼亞傳奇》和《哈利·波特》）中，半人半馬獸通常都是非常高貴的生物，但在神話中卻往往暴力、粗野、喧鬧，總是讓人為難。

[17]古希臘神話中的怪物異獸數量之多不勝枚舉，令人望而卻步，其中多數都出現在了《龍與地下城》及其他奠定奇幻故事走向的某些早期作品中。復活的骷髏、獨眼巨人、活雕塑、穿狐貍皮的酒神女信徒、蛇首女妖、三頭犬、自然精靈和樹精、半人半羊神、人面鳥身女神、憤怒女神、多頭蛇、泰坦、人魚生物特里同，乃至狼人，都裝點了奇幻作品的書頁及屏幕。

邪惡女巫

[18]與奇幻故事中的英雄一樣，古希臘英雄們通常還不得不面對邪惡的巫師，而且幾乎是清一色的女巫。古希臘史詩《奧德賽》中，女巫師喀耳刻曾將奧德修斯的船員統統變為豬。

[19]阿爾戈英雄伊阿宋的求索歷程曾得到美狄亞幫助。美狄亞是一位強大的女巫師，出于對伊阿宋的愛慕，她不惜背叛家族。伊阿宋背棄對她的諾言后，為了復仇，她殺了兩人的孩子。她法術無邊，但喜怒無常，不可理喻，令人望而生畏，因此最終成了這位英雄的負累。古希臘神話中的其他女巫師也大體無異。希臘神話中，魔法通常都危險重重，深奧莫測，卑劣邪惡，而且幾乎毫無例外都掌握在女性手中，這反映了男權社會對擁有巨大威力的女性的強烈恐懼。

[20]法術無邊的女巫師，往差了說，多數都秉性卑劣邪惡，往好了說，也往往心胸狹隘、難以捉摸。這向來是神話、童話以及奇幻作品中一脈相承的共同主題。與古希臘時代相比，盡管我們的社會及意識形態都已發生了截然改變，但很多虛構世界里法術無邊的女巫師身上，喀耳刻和美狄亞的影響依然清晰可辨：《星塵》中的巫師女王、《獅子、巫師與衣櫥》中的賈迪思女王（白衣巫師）、《冰與火之歌》系列作品中的梅麗珊卓，還有《綠野仙蹤》中的邪惡巫師，不過只是其中幾例。 □

（譯者單位：北京林業大學）