血鹰 - 人类历史上最残酷的惩罚：英语精读讲义

Try and put yourself in this position for a moment. 短語搭配

试着设想一下你处于这种境地。

You're a king in 9th century medieval England

你是公元9世纪中世纪英格兰的一位国王，

and you've been attacked and overrun by rather fearsome Viking hordes

你遭到相当可怕的维京部落的袭击和蹂躏，

who've made the trip to kill and pillage in that order. 語氣意圖

他们不远万里跑来，为了杀戮和掠夺，按这个顺序。

You've been told you're going to be executed

你被告知你将被处决，

and so you wait in some kind of tent

所以你在某种帐篷里等待，

wondering how that's going to play out. 短語動詞

想知道这一切将如何收场。

What usually happens on your home turf is offenders go to the chopping block. 習語

通常在你的地盘上发生的是，罪犯会上断头台。

You think, okay,

你心想，好吧，

it'll be quick and painless.

这会很快，没有痛苦。

I'll say my prayers

我会做我的祈祷，

and that'll be that. 習語

然后就结束了。

I'm a martyr.

我是个殉道者。

Heaven will be good to me.

天堂会善待我的。

But you underestimate the brutal creativity of your foes.

但你低估了你的敌人残忍的创造力。

You soon find out you're going to have your ribs and lungs

你很快就会发现，你的肋骨和肺部将被

pulled through your back

从背部拉出来，

to be turned into a kind of winged creature.

把你变成一种长着翅膀的生物。

Damn,

该死，

that's going to be rough, you think.

这将会很难熬，你心想。

And that's the blood eagle

简而言之，

in short. 表達脈絡

这就是血鹰。

But we'll add a bit more to the description

但我们还要对这种令人作呕的维京处决程序

of this nasty Viking execution procedure.

增加一点描述。

First, the person is laid on their chest

首先，这人被安排趴着，

with their back facing the air.

背部朝上。

Perhaps if the victim hadn't been told what was going to happen, 語法

也许如果受害者没被告知会发生什么，

they might have thought they were going to lose their head,

他们可能会以为自己要掉脑袋了，

as was the custom in Anglo-Saxon England.

因为这是盎格鲁-撒克逊英格兰的习俗。

We can't be sure if they were told or not

我们无法确定他们是否被告知，

because there's no nothing in Viking literature that tells us so. 語法

因为维京文学中没有任何东西告诉我们这一点。

We also presume they were held down by a few people 短語動詞

我们还推测，他们被几个人按住，

or tied down.

或者被绑起来。

These bits are missing in the old texts.

旧文献中缺失了这些细节。

So the person is lying on their front waiting.

所以这个人正面朝下躺着等待。

This form of execution was a kind of ritual,

这种处决形式是一种仪式，

so no doubt it would have happened in a special place

所以毫无疑问，它会在一个特殊的地方发生，

and would have been observed by a lot of Viking men.

并且会被许多维京人围观。

The naked victim is then approached by an executioner

然后刽子手走向赤裸的受害者，

with a very sharp knife or something bigger,

拿着一把非常锋利的刀或者更大的东西，

like an axe.

比如斧头。

In some cases,

在某些情况下，

he might have an eagle carved into his skin. 語法

他可能会在皮肤上刻上一只鹰。

This was merely an aperitif. 習語

这仅仅是个开胃菜。

With that knife,

用那把刀，

he then tears through the flesh in the man's back

然后他撕开这人背部的血肉，

with so much power that he actually severs the ribs. 語法

力量如此之大，以至于他实际上切断了肋骨。

Those ribs are pulled and stretched outward like wings.

那些肋骨被拉开，像翅膀一样向外伸展。

The pièce de résistance is when the man's lungs 習語

最核心的一步是当这个人的肺部

are pulled through his back

被从背部拉出，

and wrapped over the rib wings.

并包裹在肋骨形成的翅膀上。

This procedure was supposed to give more of

这个过程本应带来更多

an impression of bird's wings,

鸟翼的印象，

hence the blood eagle.

这就是血鹰的由来。

It sounds too bad to be true. 習語

这听起来糟透了，不像是真的。

So how do we know this actually happened? 表達脈絡

那么我们怎么知道这确实发生过呢？

Well, during the Viking Age,

在维京时代，

they had poets as many old cultures did back then.

他们和当时许多古老文化一样，有诗人。

This was called skaldic poetry. 文化背景

这被称为斯卡尔德诗歌。

These poems would become parts of sagas,

这些诗歌会成为萨迦的一部分，

stories which detail things such as Viking invasions,

那些故事详细描述了诸如维京人入侵、

the legends of great kings,

伟大国王的传说、

bloody battles, etc.

血腥的战斗等事情。

Some of these stories have survived

其中一些故事流传了下来，

and they've been translated.

并被翻译了过来。

There's a story called the Orkneyinga Saga

有个故事叫做《奥克尼人萨迦》，

and this details the exploits of a guy named Harald the First Fairhair, 用詞

它详细记载了一个叫“金发哈拉尔”的人的事迹，

which is said to have been the first king of Norway. 語法

据说他是挪威的第一任国王。

He is credited with being the ruler 短語搭配

他被认为是当维京人占领

when the Vikings took over the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland.

奥克尼和设得兰群岛北岛时的统治者。

If you don't know where they are,

如果你不知道它们在哪里，

and we don't expect most of you will,

而且我们也没指望你们大多数人会知道，

they're north of Scotland.

它们在苏格兰的北部。

But sets of islands not on the mainland.

但那是岛屿群，不在大陆上。

If you didn't know,

如果你不知道，

a group of islands is called an archipelago.

一群岛屿被称为群岛。

See,

看，

we're not just about describing blood and gore.

我们不仅仅是在描述血腥和暴力。

The saga details life on these islands.

萨迦详细记录了这些岛屿上的生活。

Some scholars might question if what's written actually went down 短語動詞

一些学者可能会质疑写下来的东西是否真的发生过，

because the saga was written many years after King Harald was around. 用詞

因为这部萨迦是在哈拉尔国王存在很多年之后写的。

It was written in the 13th century,

它是写于13世纪，

but the Vikings were there since the 9th century.

但维京人从9世纪就在那里了。

Word of mouth might have passed down the details. 講解

细节可能是通过口口相传流传下来的。

Anyway,

无论如何，

to cut a short story even shorter, 習語

长话短说，

one of Harald's warrior sons named Halfdan Long-leg

哈拉尔的一个名叫长腿哈夫丹的战士儿子

was executed because he'd been involved in power struggles

被处决了，因为他卷入了权力斗争，

that had killed a member of Viking nobility

那场斗争杀死了一名维京贵族

and another 60 men.

和另外60个人。

He'd done this with his brother.

他是和他兄弟一起做这事的。

That brother was banished from Orkney,

那个兄弟被驱逐出了奥克尼，

but the mastermind of the operation didn't get so lucky.

但这起行动的主谋却没有这么走运。

The son of the slain nobleman got his revenge

被杀贵族的儿子报了仇，

and demanded the blood eagle be performed on Halfdan Long-leg

并要求在长腿哈夫丹身上执行血鹰，

as a sacrifice to the god Odin. 文化背景

作为对奥丁神的献祭。

This is how it's been translated.

它是这样被翻译过来的。

Earl Einar went up to Halfdan

埃纳尔伯爵走到哈夫丹跟前，

and cut the blood eagle on his back

在他背上刻下了血鹰，

in the fashion that he thrust his sword into his chest by the backbone

方式是用他的剑沿着脊柱刺入他的胸膛，

and severed all the ribs down to the loins

切断所有一直到腰部的肋骨，

and then pulled out the lungs.

然后拉出肺部。

And that was Halfdan's death.

这就是哈夫丹的死。

That's case one.

那是第一个案例。

Case two involves a formidable Viking warrior named Ivar the Boneless,

第二个案例涉及一位名叫无骨者伊瓦尔的可怕维京武士，

who's said to have been the son of the Norse hero Ragnar Lodbrok.

据说他是挪威英雄拉格纳·罗斯布洛克的儿子。

Why boneless,

为什么叫无骨者，

you might ask? 表達脈絡

你可能会问？

And historians have wondered the same thing.

历史学家也想知道同样的问题。

Some think he wasn't actually boneless,

有些人认为他其实并非没有骨头，

but that his manhood didn't work very well.

而是他的男子气概不太行。

What he lacked physically, 語法

他在身体上缺乏的东西，

he made up for in brains 短語動詞

用大脑弥补了，

because it's said he was an outstanding tactician in battle.

因为据说他在战斗中是一位杰出的战术家。

This was a time when the Vikings were taking over large parts of Anglo-Saxon England

那时维京人正在接管盎格鲁-撒克逊英格兰的大部分地区，

and it's detailed in the saga called the Tale of Ragnar's Sons.

这在名为《拉格纳诸子传》的萨迦中详细记载。

It depicts what went down with the 9th century king Aella of Northumbria.

它描述了9世纪诺森布里亚国王艾拉发生了什么。

That's northern England.

那就是英格兰北部。

King Aella learns about an upcoming invasion by the great Ragnar Lodbrok.

艾拉国王得知了伟大的拉格纳·罗斯布洛克即将入侵的消息。

There are different accounts of what he got up to and how he died,

关于他做了什么以及他是怎么死的，有不同的说法，

but one such account, um, spoiler alert, 文化背景

但其中一种说法，嗯，剧透警告，

if you haven't finished watching the show Vikings,

如果你还没看完电视剧《维京传奇》，

plug your ears, now.

现在请堵上耳朵。

Is he's captured by King Aella and thrown into a snake pit.

就是他被艾拉国王抓获并扔进蛇坑里。

There he perishes.

他在那里丧生。

Ivar the Boneless is too clever to invade northern England

无骨者伊瓦尔太聪明了，不会在

when the army there is so strong.

北方军队如此强大的时候去入侵英格兰北部。

He bides his time. 習語

他等待时机。

In fact,

事实上，

he stays in England,

他留在了英格兰，

but asks King Aella for something called a wergild, 文化背景

但向艾拉国王要一种叫做“赎命金”的东西，

which is a kind of compensation for a man's life.

这是对人命的一种补偿。

In this case,

在这个案子里，

his father's.

是他父亲的命。

He tells Aella

他告诉艾拉，

that all he wants is an ox's hide 語法

他想要的只是一张牛皮，

and he'll only take the land that he can stretch the hide around.

他只会拿走那张牛皮所能圈出的土地。

In modern parlance, 用詞

用现代话说，

Aella might have thought, what an idiot.

艾拉可能会想，真是个白痴。

But smart Ivar cut the hide into very thin string

但聪明的伊瓦尔把牛皮切成了非常细的绳子，

and stretched that around a large area.

并把它圈在一大片区域周围。

He said this will be a new city

他说这将是一座新城市，

and that city is supposed to be York in northern England.

那座城市应该就是英格兰北部的约克。

Ivar proceeds to get all the chieftains in that region on his side. 習語

伊瓦尔接着把那个地区的所有酋长拉拢到他这一边。

He now has a powerful army

他现在有一支强大的军队，

and so decides it's time to attack the rest of England

于是决定是时候攻击英格兰其他地区

and get revenge on Aella. 短語搭配

并向艾拉复仇了。

Many of the northern English pledge allegiance to Ivar 短語搭配

许多英格兰北部的人宣誓效忠伊瓦尔，

because they respect him,

因为他们尊重他，

which sounds a bit like Norse propaganda.

这听起来有点像挪威人的政治宣传。

This all ended with Aella being captured 語法

这一切以艾拉被捕

and Ivar becoming the king of northeastern England.

以及伊瓦尔成为英格兰东北部国王而告终。

His brothers basically go on a pilgrimage

他的兄弟们基本上进行了一场朝圣之旅，

rampaging in England and all over Europe.

在英格兰和整个欧洲肆虐。

Aella,

同时，

meanwhile,

艾拉，

is about to get the dreaded blood eagle treatment 語氣意圖

即将接受可怕的血鹰酷刑，

and in an 11th century poem,

在一首11世纪的诗歌中，

this is how it went down in translation.

它是这样被翻译出来的。

And Ivar,

而伊瓦尔，

the one who dwelt at York,

那个居住在约克的人，

has Aella's back cut with an eagle.

让艾拉的背上刻下一只鹰。

That's a rather family-friendly description of events 語氣意圖

这是一个相当适合家庭观看的事件描述，

because we have another description too if your bloodlust wasn't satiated.

因为如果你的嗜血欲望没有得到满足，我们还有另一个描述。

It went like this.

它是这样的。

They caused the bloody eagle to be carved on the back of Aella

他们让人在艾拉的背上雕刻血鹰，

and they cut away all of the ribs from the spine

他们切掉了脊柱上的所有肋骨，

and then they ripped out his lungs.

然后扯出了他的肺部。

Okay,

好吧，

so did all this actually happen?

那么这一切真的发生过吗？

Well, who knows

嗯，谁知道呢，

because any historian that tells you that it's the truth

因为任何告诉你这是真相

or not the truth can't really be sure either.

或者不是真相的历史学家，也都不能确定。

They weren't there.

他们当时不在场。

Some scholars say that Norse poets,

一些学者说挪威诗人，

like modern poets,

就像现代诗人一样，

were cryptic,

隐晦难懂，

used symbolism,

使用象征主义，

and so weren't always literal.

所以并不总是字面意思。

Saying that in the 12th century,

话虽如此，在12世纪，

a Danish poet named Saxo Grammaticus also

一位名叫萨克索·格拉马提库斯的丹麦诗人也

wrote about the people being cut apart

写到了人被切开

and turned into an eagle.

变成一只鹰的事。

So there definitely seems to be a theme shared in those dark days.

所以在那些黑暗的日子里，这绝对似乎是一个共同的主题。

In that account,

在那篇记述中，

the Vikings took the ritual a step further 習語

维京人把仪式又推进了一步，

and poured salt into the open body.

并把盐倒进切开的身体里。

Some say it might have happened

有人说这可能发生过，

and others seem to think that a lot has been lost in the translation over the years. 習語

而其他人似乎认为这么多年来，在翻译中丢失了很多信息。

You see,

你要知道，

the writers of sagas wrote that stuff hundreds of years after the fact. 短語搭配

写萨迦的人是在事发数百年后才写下这些东西的。

As you know yourself,

你自己也知道，

things tend to get exaggerated over the passage of time. 語法

随着时间的流逝，事情往往会被夸大。

What starts as some guy pushing another in a train station 語法

从某个人在火车站推了另一个人开始，

can, by the end of the week,

到周末的时候，

be a bloody brawl

可能会变成一场血腥斗殴，

where someone lost teeth and an eye.

有人被打掉了牙齿和一只眼睛。

A hero might also emerge from the mayhem.

混乱中可能还会出现一位英雄。

Did those stories of Viking violence get embellished

那些关于维京暴力的故事是否被添油加醋，

since people admired them

因为人们钦佩他们，

and so stretched the ferocity of the Vikings?

从而夸大了维京人的凶猛？

Or were they accurate?

或者它们是准确的？

We just don't know.

我们无从知晓。

But it's a fact that the blood eagle was talked about a bit.

但血鹰经常被谈论是一个事实。

Scholars are still in disagreement today. 短語搭配

学者们直到今天仍有分歧。

But in the interests of this show, 短語搭配

但为了这个节目的利益，

we won't ask you to let the facts get in the way of a good tale. 短語動詞

我们不会让你让事实阻碍一个好故事。

To keep your watch party going,

要继续你的观影派对，

click on this amazing video right here

点击这里这个神奇的视频，

or head over here and click this totally incredible video instead.

或者转到这里，点击这个完全令人难以置信的视频。