悠悠乐英语 DK视觉系列学科英语科学探索思维 2021-08-12

DK the book of mythical beasts magical creatures《神话中的野兽与魔法生物之书》writen by stephen krensky斯蒂芬·克伦斯基

INTRODUCTION
介绍
Ancient people were curious about the universe around them. What made the sun cross the sky each day? Why were some rainstorms nothing more than falling water while others included loud rumbles and bright flashes of light?
古人对周围的宇宙很好奇。是什么让太阳每天横穿天空？为什么有些暴雨只不过是落水，而另一些暴雨则是巨大的隆隆声和明亮的闪光？
To answer these questions, they created stories, tales of fantastic figures who did amazing things. These beings were good or evil, thoughtful or thoughtless, but many had wisdom to share or lessons to teach. Some became part of their local folklore while others rose to sacred heights.
为了回答这些问题，他们创造了故事，讲述了做了惊人事情的神奇人物的故事。这些存在是好的或坏的，有思想的或没有思想的，但许多人有智慧分享或教训教训。一些成为当地民间传说的一部分，而另一些则上升到了神圣的高度。
Even as these myths reflected their own unique cultures, they often echoed other legends from around the globe. Today, science has explained many of the mysteries that people once puzzled over, but the ageless characters and creatures of time-honoured myths remain tightly woven into our imagination. Here they will continue to inspire new stories, now and forevermore.
即使这些神话反映了他们自己独特的文化，它们也经常与来自世界各地的其他传说相呼应。今天，科学已经解释了许多人们曾经困惑的谜团，但古老神话中永恒的人物和生物仍然紧密地交织在我们的想象中。在这里，他们将继续激发新的故事，现在和永远。

After the death of Ymir, only two giants survived – Ymir’s grandson, Bergelmir, and his wife. All future giants were descended from them.
伊米尔死后，只有两个巨人幸存下来——伊米尔的孙子伯格米尔和他的妻子。所有未来的巨人都是他们的后代。

Moon Rabbit Charming creature of Chinese legend who makes its home on the moon According to Chinese folklore, if you look up at the moon in the night sky, you may just be able to make out a shadowy figure – this is the Moon Rabbit.
月亮兔中国传说中的可爱动物，在月球上安家根据中国民间传说，如果你仰望夜空中的月亮，你可能只会看到一个模糊的身影——这就是月亮兔。
This creature is not alone, though. It is a friend of the moon goddess Chang’e, who is the one who brought it to the moon in the first place. Stories about the Moon Rabbit have existed for over two thousand years. In many of them, it is said to spend much of its time grinding the elixir of life with a pestle and mortar, or bowl.
不过，这种生物并不孤单。它是月亮女神嫦娥的朋友，嫦娥是把它带到月球上的人。关于月亮兔的故事已经存在两千多年了。据说，在许多地方，人们用杵、臼或碗磨长生不老药。
This elixir is a potion that is said to grant whoever drinks it eternal life. According to Korean legend, however, the Moon Rabbit is actually making rice cakes. This is also a task that requires pounding, but is not perhaps quite as mysterious or profound.
这种长生不老药是一种药剂，据说可以让喝它的人获得永生。然而，根据韩国传说，月兔实际上是在做年糕。这也是一项需要重击的任务，但可能没有那么神秘或深刻。
It is said that the Moon Rabbit once left the moon when a terrible plague beset the Chinese city of Beijing. Recognizing the dire need of the people, Chang’e sent the Moon Rabbit down to help.
据说，当一场可怕的瘟疫袭击中国的北京时，月亮兔离开了月球。嫦娥意识到人们的迫切需要，便派月亮兔下去帮忙。
The Moon Rabbit visited each infected family with a medicine to cure them. The Moon Rabbit is also sometimes called the Jade Rabbit or the Gold Rabbit, but whatever its name, it can be found pounding away in plain sight to anyone who looks up at the moon in the night sky.
月亮兔带着治愈他们的药物拜访了每个受感染的家庭。月亮兔有时也被称为玉兔或金兔，但不管它叫什么名字，只要在夜空中仰望月亮，人们都能清楚地看到它在发出砰砰声。

Ghosts Appearing in folklore around the world, ghosts are spirits, and many are the spirits of dead people or animals.
鬼魂出现在世界各地的民间传说中，鬼魂是灵魂，许多是死人或动物的灵魂。
Some ghosts are out for revenge because of the way they died. Others are just angry and mean. Then there are the good spirits who dedicate themselves to watching over loved ones they have left behind.
一些鬼魂因为他们的死亡方式而复仇。其他人只是愤怒和卑鄙。还有一些善良的灵魂，他们献身于照顾他们所留下的亲人。

Ammit Demon known to Ancient Egyptians as the “Devourer of the Dead” The mythical demon or goddess Ammit was pretty hard to miss. She had the head of a crocodile, the mid-section of a lion, and the rear of a hippopotamus.
古埃及人称之为“亡灵吞噬者”的安米特恶魔神话中的恶魔或女神安米特很难被错过。她有鳄鱼的头，狮子的中部，河马的后部。
From the Egyptian standpoint, these animals had one thing in common. They all ate people. And Ammit did so, too. Her titles included “Devourer of the Dead”, “Eater of Hearts”, “Demoness of Death”, and “Bone Eater”. None of these descriptions was very comforting.
从埃及人的角度来看，这些动物有一个共同点。他们都吃人。安米特也这样做了。她的头衔包括“死亡的吞噬者”、“心的食者”、“死亡的恶魔”和“食骨者”。这些描述都不是很令人安慰。
However, Ammit lived in the underworld, so the only people who had to deal with her were already dead – in a meeting that took place soon after death. The Ancient Egyptians believed that when they died, they were judged to see if they were worthy of residing in the underworld.
然而，安米特生活在地下世界，因此唯一必须与她打交道的人已经死了——在死后不久举行的一次会议上。古埃及人相信，当他们死后，人们会对他们进行审判，看他们是否配住在地下世界。
Their hearts were placed on a scale and measured against the ostrich feather belonging to the goddess Ma’at. If the heart was lighter or weighed the same as the feather, then the person was considered to have been virtuous enough to continue on to Osiris, and an afterlife of immortality.
他们的心脏被放在一个天平上，并根据玛特女神的鸵鸟羽毛进行测量。如果心脏较轻或重量与羽毛相同，那么这个人被认为是足够有道德的，可以继续到奥西里斯，并且来世不朽。
But if the heart was heavier, then Ammit ate the heart right then and there, leaving the dead person’s soul to travel restlessly forever and never find peace. The Ancient Egyptians did not worship Ammit. She was simply a grim reminder of the fate that was waiting for anyone whose life and actions disappointed the gods.
但是如果心脏更重，那么安米特就在此时此地吃掉了心脏，留下死者的灵魂永远不安地旅行，永远找不到安宁。古埃及人不崇拜安米特。她只是一个冷酷的提醒，提醒着那些生活和行为让神失望的人，命运正等待着他们。