On the coast of Northern Ireland, a vast plateau of basalt slabs and columns called the Giant’s Causeway stretches into the ocean. The scientific explanation for this is that it’s the result of molten lava contracting and fracturing as it cooled in the wake of a volcanic eruption. But an ancient Irish myth has a different accounting.
在北愛爾蘭的海岸, 有玄武岩板和柱子 形成的一大片高地, 叫做巨人堤道, 延伸到海洋當中。 它背後的科學解釋 是在火山噴發時,冷卻的熔岩收縮 和斷裂所造成的結果。 但有個古老的愛爾蘭神話說法不同。
According to legend, the giant Finn MacCool lived happily on the North Antrim coast with his wife Oonagh. Their only disturbance came from the taunts and threats of the giant Benandonner, or the red man, who lived across the sea in Scotland. The two roared insults and hurled rocks at each other in dramatic shows of strength.
根據傳說, 巨人芬麥克庫爾在北安特里姆郡 海岸過著快樂的生活, 和妻子烏娜同住。 唯一會打擾他們的, 就是巨人班納唐諾的奚落和威脅, 該巨人也被稱為紅人, 住在海洋另一端的蘇格蘭。 他們兩人會大吼辱罵對方, 向對方投擲石頭, 非常戲劇性地展示力量。
Once, Finn tore up a great clump of land and heaved it at his rival, but it fell short of reaching land. Instead, the clump became the Isle of Man, and the crater left from the disturbed earth filled with water to become Lough Neagh. The giants’ tough talk continued, until one day Benandonner challenged Finn to a fight, face to face. And so the Irish giant tossed enough boulders into the sea to create a bridge of stepping stones to the Scottish coast.
有一次,芬把一大塊土地 拉扯起來,扔向他的對手, 但沒有丟到對岸就落下了。 那片地反而變成了曼島, 而地上留下的那個坑洞被水填滿, 變成了內湖。 兩個巨人的粗暴對談持續著, 直到有一天,班納唐諾 向芬提出面對面的挑戰。 於是,愛爾蘭巨人丟了 很多巨石到海洋中, 用墊腳石連成一座橋, 連到蘇格蘭海岸。
Finn marched across in a fit of rage. When Scotland loomed before him, he made out the figure of Benandonner from afar. Finn was a substantial size, but at the sight of his colossal enemy thundering towards him, his courage faltered. With one look at Benandonner’s thick neck and crushing fists, Finn turned and ran.
芬帶著一陣怒火,走到對岸。 蘇格蘭就在眼前了, 他遠遠看出了班納唐諾的身影。 芬的體型相當大, 但在看到巨大敵人怒吼衝向他時, 他的勇氣動搖了。 看了一眼班納唐諾的粗脖子 和具破壞力的拳頭,芬轉身就跑。
Back home, with Benandonner fast approaching, Finn trembled as he described his enemy’s bulk to Oonagh. They knew that if he faced Benandonner head on, he’d be crushed. And so Oonagh hatched a cunning plan - they needed to create an illusion of size, to suggest Finn was a mountain of a man whilst keeping him out of sight.
回到家時,班納唐諾正在快速追來, 芬邊發抖邊向烏娜描述 他的敵人有多巨大。 他們知道,如果和班納唐諾硬碰硬, 他會被碾碎。 所以烏娜想出一個狡猾的計畫。 他們需要創造出體型的幻覺, 顯示芬的體型像山一樣大, 但又不能讓芬被看見。
As Benandonner neared the end of the bridge, Oonagh stuffed her husband in a huge cradle. Disguised as an enormous baby, Finn lay quiet as Benandonnner pounded on the door. The house shook as he stepped inside.
當班納唐諾到達橋的末端時, 烏娜把她的丈夫 塞到一個大型搖籃中, 偽裝成一個巨大的寶寶, 當班納唐諾重重地敲門時, 芬安靜地躺著。 他進入時,整間房子都在晃動。
Oonagh told the enraged visitor that her husband wasn’t home, but welcomed him to sit and eat while he waited. When Benandonner tore into the cakes placed before him, he cried out in pain for he’d shattered his teeth on the metal Oonagh had concealed inside. She told him that this was Finn’s favorite bread, sowing a seed of doubt in Benandonner’s mind that he was any match for his rival.
烏娜告訴這位巨大的訪客, 說她丈夫不在家, 但歡迎他進來坐坐, 等待的時候可以吃點東西。 當班納唐諾狼吞虎嚥面前的蛋糕時, 他痛苦地大叫, 因為他的牙齒咬到烏娜 藏在蛋糕中的金屬而碎了。 她告訴他,那是芬最喜歡的麵包, 在班納唐諾的腦中播下懷疑的種子, 讓他懷疑自己是否打得過這個對手。
When Finn let out a squawk, Benandonner’s attention was drawn to the gigantic baby in the corner. So hefty was the infant swaddled under piles of blankets, Benandonner shuddered at the thought of what the father would look like. He decided he’d rather not find out.
當芬發出了粗厲的叫聲, 班納唐諾的注意力被 角落的巨大寶寶吸引過去。 在一堆毯子下的這個嬰兒 肌肉是如此發達, 班納唐諾發抖地想著嬰兒的爸爸 不知道會是什麼樣子。 他決定他不想知道答案。
As he fled, Benandonner tore up the rocks connecting the shores, breaking up the causeway. What remains are two identical rock formations: one on the North Antrim coast of Ireland and one at Fingal’s Cave in Scotland, right across the sea.
當班納唐諾逃離時, 他把連結海岸的石頭都拔起, 讓堤道斷開。 只留下了兩個還能辨視的石頭結構: 一個在愛爾蘭的北安特里姆郡, 另一個就在對岸, 蘇格蘭的芬格爾洞。