至尊魔戒有多强大？：英语精读讲义

These books are all about this

这些书讲的都是这枚

ring, how it's found and spoiler alert, 短語搭配

戒指，它是如何被发现的，以及（剧透警告）

how it's destroyed.

它是如何被毁灭的。

While Tolkien built the largest and most consistent fictional universe,

虽说托尔金构建了最大、最连贯的虚构宇宙，

he sure didn't mind being vague at times. 語法

但他有时也确实不介意模棱两可。

So if you finished the story and then thought,

所以如果你读完故事后心想，

wait,

等等，

what can this ring do and where did it come from?

这枚戒指能做什么，它又是从哪来的？

This is your video.

这期视频就是为你准备的。

First thing first,

首先，

the One Ring is not the only ring.

至尊魔戒并非唯一的戒指。

It's Lord of the Rings after all and that lord is Sauron. 短語搭配

毕竟书名是《魔戒》，而那位魔王就是索伦。

Long before this story starts,

在故事开始很久之前，

Sauron disguised himself and came to the elves to work with their master craftsman Celebrimbor to forge the rings of power.

索伦伪装自己，来到精灵之中，与他们的能工巧匠凯勒布理鹏合作锻造了力量之戒。

Together they made 16 called the lesser rings.

他们一起制造了16枚所谓的“次级戒指”。

Then Celebrimbor took Sauron's formula and made three on his own that turned out more powerful than the original 16. 講解

随后凯勒布理鹏拿了索伦的配方，自己锻造了三枚，结果比原来的16枚还要强大。

Why make rings based on the suggestion of a stranger whose resume has a millennia-long gap?

为什么要根据一个履历有千年空白的陌生人的建议来造戒指呢？

Because he promised the rings would fix the elves' biggest problem.

因为他承诺这些戒指能解决精灵最大的难题。

This world is winding down. 短語動詞

这个世界正在衰退。

The amount of big and awesome and magic decreases as a function of time here. 用詞

这里的宏大、震撼和魔法的数量随着时间的推移而减少。

For elves,

对于精灵这种

magic immortal creatures,

拥有魔法的不朽生物来说，

this is bad news.

这是个坏消息。

Sauron said the rings would preserve what their wearers cared about most.

索伦说戒指能保存佩戴者最在乎的东西。

That's why the elven kingdoms are so fantastical compared to the rest of the world.

这就是为什么与世界其他地方相比，精灵王国如此梦幻。

Their rings have preserved them.

他们的戒指保护了他们。

Unlike the famous poem implies, 語法

与那首著名诗歌所暗示的不同，

the elves made all the rings for themselves,

精灵们为自己制造了所有的戒指，

intending exactly zero to get into the hands of men or dwarves, 短語搭配

完全没打算让任何一枚落入人类或矮人的手中，

whom the elves think are stinky.

因为精灵觉得他们很臭。

So obviously something went wrong,

所以显然出了些差错，

which brings us back to the One Ring to rule them all. 表達脈絡

这把我们带回到那枚统御众戒的至尊魔戒。

Sauron's chief ability is to dominate the minds of others.

索伦的主要能力是控制他人的心智。

And that's partly why he's able to control such large armies

这也是他能控制如此庞大军队的部分原因，

and he secretly made the One Ring as a kind of lens to focus this power. 習語

而且他暗中打造了至尊魔戒，作为一种透镜来聚焦这种力量。

His formula for ring construction,

他的戒指制造配方，

unknown to Celebrimbor, 語法

在凯勒布理鹏不知情的情况下，

also made the wearers of the 19 rings more vulnerable.

也让那19枚戒指的佩戴者变得更加脆弱。

Basically,

基本上，

the One Ring buffs his psi attack and the other rings debuff psi defense. 用詞

至尊魔戒增强了他的精神攻击，而其他戒指削弱了精神防御。

Plan A was to control a bunch of high-level elves,

A计划是控制一群高等级精灵，

but when he put the One Ring on,

但当他戴上至尊魔戒时，

the elves' base level stats allowed them to resist and take off their rings just in time. 短語搭配

精灵们的基础属性让他们得以抵抗，并及时摘下了戒指。

Sauron captured Celebrimbor and tortured him until he gave up the 16 lesser rings, 短語動詞

索伦抓住了凯勒布理鹏并折磨他，直到他交出了那16枚次级戒指，

but he died before revealing who was protecting the three most powerful ones.

但他在透露谁在保护最强大的那三枚戒指之前就死去了。

So now Sauron had 16 mind controlling rings

于是现在索伦拥有了16枚控制心智的戒指，

and had to turn to plan B, 短語動詞

不得不转向B计划，

dwarves.

也就是矮人。

Sauron manipulated seven rings into the hands of the dwarven kings,

索伦设法将7枚戒指交到了矮人国王们的手中，

but that didn't work well either.

但这招也不太管用。

Dwarves are a kind of clockwork creature Sauron found impossible to control,

矮人是一种类似发条机械的生物，索伦发现根本无法控制他们，

but the rings weren't super helpful for dwarves either,

但戒指对矮人来说也没什么大用，

who loved treasure above all else. 短語搭配

因为他们最爱的是财宝。

So the rings grew their hoards large enough to attract dragons 語法

于是戒指让他们的财宝堆积如山，足以引来恶龙，

who ate the dwarves and their precious rings.

恶龙吃掉了矮人和他们宝贵的戒指。

Finally,

最后，

in the hands of men,

在人类这种

ever the corruptible species, 表達脈絡

始终容易堕落的物种手中，

the rings worked as expected.

戒指如预期般发挥了作用。

Sauron controlled their minds

索伦控制了他们的心智，

and as mortals,

而作为凡人，

they valued their lives the most,

他们最看重自己的生命，

which the rings stretched for thousands of years,

于是戒指将他们的生命拉长了数千年，

stretched so thin the men turned into invisible wraiths. 習語

拉得如此稀薄，以至于人类变成了隐形的戒灵。

Anyway,

无论如何，

these domination plans don't go unnoticed. 短語搭配

这些统治计划并非无人察觉。

There's a big war.

发生了一场大战。

Sauron is defeated and fades

索伦被击败并消散，

and the One Ring is lost.

至尊魔戒也遗失了。

But the One Ring is tricksy.

但至尊魔戒很狡猾。

It has a mind of its own and wants to get back to Sauron, 習語

它有自己的意识，并想回到索伦身边，

which brings us back to its powers.

这又把我们带回到它的力量上。

First,

首先，

the ring tempts everyone,

戒指会诱惑所有人，

well, 表達脈絡

好吧，

almost everyone,

几乎所有人，

with promises that yes,

向他们承诺，是的，

this little ring can be a mighty weapon or a tool to reshape the world

这枚小戒指可以成为强大的武器或重塑世界的工具，

and gosh,

哎呀，

don't you just look like the best guy to use it? 語氣意圖

难道你不就是使用它的最佳人选吗？

Let's go vanquish the powerful demigod who lives over there to get started,

让我们去消灭住在那边的那个强大的半神来作为开始，

shall we? 語氣意圖

好吗？

Hmm?

嗯？

This is why the hobbits made great ring-bearers,

这就是为什么霍比特人是出色的持戒者，

because they're pretty happy with the way things are and don't aspire to greatness. 短語搭配

因为他们对现状非常满意，并不渴望伟大。

Of course,

当然，

there's Gollum who started out as a hobbit,

还有咕噜，他最初也是个霍比特人，

but all things considered, 短語搭配

但综合考虑，

he held out pretty well for a couple hundred years. 短語動詞

他居然挺过了几百年，算是相当不错了。

Set the ring on the desk of most men 語法

要是把戒指放在大多数人类的桌子上，

and they wouldn't be able to finish their coffee

他们恐怕连咖啡都没喝完，

before heading to Mordor to rule the world and do it right this time.

就已经前往魔多去统治世界，且自信这次一定能搞对。

It's worth considering that the One Ring's promises are just lies, 短語搭配

值得思考的是，至尊魔戒的承诺只是谎言，

that no one could really overthrow Sauron with it.

根本没人能真正用它推翻索伦。

The ring only wants to trick its wearer to get found, 語法

戒指只想欺骗佩戴者以便自己被发现，

which brings us to invisibility,

这就说到了隐身能力，

which outside the minds of characters

撇开角色的心理不谈，

is the only tangible power the ring displays for everyone else.

这是戒指对其他人展现出的唯一实质力量。

Invisibility seems great,

隐身看起来很棒，

but while you're hiding from that troll,

但当你躲避那个食人妖时，

you shine like a beacon in the unseen world 習語

你在不可见的世界里就像灯塔一样耀眼，

where the also invisible ringwraiths can easily spot you.

而同样隐身的戒灵可以轻易地发现你。

In summary, 表達脈絡

总结一下，

the One Ring,

至尊魔戒，

A,

A，

turns you invisible in the most unhelpful manner,

以最没用的方式让你隐身，

B,

B，

is probably filled with lies because

里面可能充满了谎言，因为

C, it's part of Sauron and works for him.

C，它是索伦的一部分，为他效力。

He's so connected to it that its destruction ends him for good, 講解

他和它联系如此紧密，以至于它的毁灭将彻底终结他，

but the formula also intertwines the One Ring with all the rest. 短語搭配

但那个配方也将至尊魔戒与其他所有戒指交织在一起。

And so when it fails, 語法

因此当它失效时，

so do they.

它们也会失效。

This is why the elves are so somber.

这就是为什么精灵们如此忧郁。

Victory over Sauron also means that the rings won't preserve their kingdoms anymore

战胜索伦也意味着戒指将不再保护他们的王国，

and all will diminish.

一切都将衰退。

These books are the end of the age of magic 表達脈絡

这些书标志着魔法时代的终结

and the beginning of the age of men.

和人类时代的开始。

Hello internet.

你好，互联网。

If you like Lord of the Rings and this artwork,

如果你喜欢《魔戒》和这些画作，

I've made a wallpaper pack of every piece of art available over at Patreon.

我在Patreon上把所有艺术图做成了一个壁纸包。

They're all available in 4K,

它们都是4K分辨率，

so you can use them on anything from a huge screen

所以你可以在任何设备上使用，从巨大的屏幕

all the way down to your iPhone.

一直到你的iPhone。

Click here to go check them out.

点击这里去看看吧。