【Discovery动物之最】神话故事里的生物TOP10

小菲

NO.10   凤凰<Phoenix>

No creature symbolizes eternal life more than the phoenix, a mythical bird known as much for its beauty as its immortality. The legend of the phoenix appears in a variety of ancient mythologies, including Greek, Egyptian and Indian. It is usually depicted as an eagle or other bird of prey, but may also resemble a heron in its delicate majesty. In most mythologies, the phoenix is associated with the rising of the sun and has a close relationship with the sun-god Ra. Another feature of the phoenix is that only one can exist at a time. When it senses that its life is coming to an end - about once every thousand years - the phoenix builds itself a funeral pyre made of cinnamon or other aromatic material and allows itself to be consumed by the flames. Then, as the old phoenix is reduced to ashes, a new one rises to begin its life on Earth.
世界上没有一种生物能如凤凰般象征着生命的永恒，虽然这是一种传说中的鸟类，但是因为它的美丽和不朽而被人熟知。
凤凰最早出现在神话中，像希腊、埃及、印度和中国等的古老传说中经常会有关于凤凰的描述。它通常被描绘成了一种威严庄重的神灵形象，外貌类似猎鹰或者其它鸟类。
在绝大部分的神话中，凤凰与太阳的升起以及太阳神RA密切相关。还一个特点就是凤凰一般只能存在一段时间。当凤凰感觉到自己的生命即将结束的时候（大约是一千年），它将点燃肉桂或者其它材料为自己进行火化，让自己在火焰中消逝，然后一个老的凤凰将化为灰烬，一个新的凤凰又会从地球上诞生。

[ 本帖最后由 小菲 于 2011-3-16 17:47 编辑 ]

小菲

NO.9   半人马 <Centaur>

Originating in the mythical tales of ancient Greece, the legend of the centaur has long fascinated mankind. Being part man and part horse, the centaur is stuck between two worlds: that of the wild beast and that of the civilized human being. Not only were centaurs part animal, they are also described as rowdy warrior types prone to heavy drinking and other primal excesses, which often brought them into conflict with their more cultured cousin, man. One exception is the great and wise Chiron, a centaur who was also a gifted healer and respected intellectual.
人类一直着迷于起源自古希腊的半人马神话。这种一半是人，一半是马的生物徘徊在了两个世界之间：即人类文明和野蛮世界。他们不仅被描述成一种人马形的特殊生物，更被形容成一种喜欢酗酒，行为野蛮的粗暴战士，这使半人马被认为是很容易和自己的兄弟同胞们发生冲突的。当中唯一例外的是伟大而又睿智的Chiron，身为一个半人马，他却是一名天才般的医师和受人尊敬的先知。

[ 本帖最后由 小菲 于 2011-3-16 17:47 编辑 ]

小菲

NO.8   美人鱼 <Mermaids>

Since ancient times, sailors crossing the world's oceans have reported seeing mermaids, beautiful fish-maidens with long flowing hair and incredible powers of seduction. These exquisite creatures are described as irresistibly attractive with the torso and head of a young woman and the lower body of a fish. The first mermaid stories date back at least 3,000 years, and reports were still common up until the discovery of the New World by Europeans. Such tales sometimes describe mermaids as helpful, saving sailors who had the misfortune to fall overboard. Others convey a more menacing intention on the part of the fish-ladies, such as their fondness for making ships crash onto rocky shores. Still others describe these fin-tailed beauties as murderous beasts that seduce men with beautiful songs and then kill then mercilessly for the sheer joy of it.
自古以来，就有水手在航海记录中提到美人鱼，她们是拥有长而柔顺的秀发，发散着难以抗拒的魅力的少女。这种精美的生物，在人们描述中通常是拥有年轻的女性头部、性感的女性身躯以及鱼型下半身的魅力形象。
第一个美人鱼的故事可以追溯到至少3000年前，直到欧洲人发现新大陆之前，关于美人鱼的相关报告依然很普遍。这些故事有时是描述美人鱼帮助人，拯救那些不幸跌进水里的水手。有的故事则述说了这些人鱼小姐喜欢让船舶触礁来从中取乐的险恶用心。还有一些人形容这些尾巴长着鱼鳍的美女是杀人不眨眼眼的怪兽  他们喜欢用优美的歌声勾引男性，然后再无情的杀死他们来取乐。

[ 本帖最后由 小菲 于 2011-3-16 17:47 编辑 ]

小菲

NO.7   利维坦 <Leviathan>

Coming in at No. 7 in our countdown is the biblical monster Leviathan, a giant sea creature with glowing eyes and a nasty habit of crushing ships and devouring ocean-going humans. With its enormous body and scaly skin, Leviathan is usually referred to as a giant monstrous fish, but is also commonly described as a serpent, crocodile or marine mammal. It is mentioned numerous times in the Old Testament, but it is sometimes unclear whether this creature was created by God or Satan. According to some ancient religious texts, God may have originally created a male and female Leviathan, but destroyed the female in order to protect the world from the possibility of a multitude of angry monsters roaming the seas.
在我们的倒数里排行第七的圣经里的怪物-利维坦，一个眼睛发光，有吞噬远洋的船只和人类恶习惯的巨大海洋生物。凭借其巨大的身体和鳞状皮肤，利维坦一般被描述成一个巨大且可怕的鱼，但也经常被描绘为一条蛇、鳄鱼和其它海洋哺乳动物。
利维坦无数次在《旧约》中被提及，但是很多时候仍然不清楚这些生物到底是由上帝还是撒旦创造的。根据一些古老的宗教经文，上帝可能创造了雄性和雌性利维坦各一名，但是后来为了保护世界毁灭了雌性，以防出现大量的暴躁怪物漫游进海洋。

小菲

NO.6   龙 <Dragons>

Dragon mythology extends back through the ages at least 4,000 years. They are commonly depicted as large flying reptiles that breathe fire or shoot deadly poison from their nostrils. Tales of these giant beasts date to the dawn of human existence. They've also inspired many a young warrior to take up arms, bravely trying to prevent a malevolent dragon from consuming a fair maiden. On the other hand, some cultures actually revere the dragon for being gentle and wise. In China, dragons are a symbol of courage and heroism and are seen as protectors of the community.
有关于龙的神话向后延伸至少有4000年。它们通常被描述为一种能喷火，鼻孔能放出致命毒气的巨大飞行爬虫动物。这些巨型动物据说远在人类诞生之前就存在了。
在许多的传说里，年轻的战士拿起武器，勇敢地去阻止那些企图吃掉美丽淑女的恶龙。另一方面，有些文化其实是非常崇敬温柔和智慧的龙。在中国，龙是一种勇气和英雄主义的象征，被视作是人们的保护神。

上善若水

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小菲

NO.5   飞马 <Pegasus>

This mythical animal is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea, and the monster Medusa. He is portrayed as a beautiful winged horse, sometimes white, sometimes white with gold wings and sometimes gold all over. There are a couple of versions of the birth of Pegasus in Greek mythology. In one, he sprang from Medusa's neck when the hero Perseus beheaded her. In another, Pegasus was born of the droplets of blood that spilled from Medusa upon her death. The image of Pegasus has been a favorite of artist for centuries; his likeness has inspired countless paintings and sculpture. There is also a constellation for Pegasus, a gift from Zeus upon his death.
这种神秘的生物是波塞冬的儿子、海洋之神-怪物墨杜萨。他通常被描述成一个有着美丽翅膀的骏马，有的描述是全身雪白，有的是白色身躯金色翅膀，有的是全身金色。
希腊神话中关于飞马的诞生，有两个版本。第一种是，当英雄珀尔修斯将美杜莎斩首的时候，从美杜莎脖子一跃而出。另一种说法是，飞马诞生自美杜莎死后洒出的血液与海马混合而诞生。
飞马的形象几个世纪以来备受艺术家喜爱，它的形象激发了无数的绘画和雕塑作品的诞生。飞马座这个星座，正是宙斯在珀伽索斯死后赠予他的礼物。

小菲

NO.4   塞壬 <Sirens>

Sirens source from ancient Greek myth legend, the myth of the she portrayed as a celebrity face the sea monster, bird body sea have flying in the song sounds voice, common passing navigator and temptation to ship foundered on rocks, the crew will become sirens stomach meals. Sirens HeShen ella is the daughter of eros crow, from his blood was born beauty the demon. Because music lose game with MUSES by wings to pull MUSES, which cannot fly. After losing the sirens have wings in coastline cruising, sometimes for mermaid changeable with his own music talent, passing sailors to attract destruction they encounter.
塞壬来源自古老的希腊神话传说，在神话中的她被塑造成一名人面鸟身的海妖，飞翔在大海上，拥有天籁般的歌喉，常用歌声诱惑过路的航海者而使航船触礁沉没，船员则成为塞壬的腹中餐。塞壬是河神埃克罗厄斯的女儿，是从他的血液中诞生的美丽妖精。因为与缪斯比赛音乐落败而被缪斯拔去双翅，使之无法飞翔。失去翅膀后的塞壬只好在海岸线附近游弋，有时会变幻为美人鱼，用自己的音乐天赋吸引过往的水手使他们遭遇灭顶之灾。
　后大约在17世纪，欧洲渔业大兴，黄昏返岸的船只由于太快以防触礁，人们就把暗礁上装上警笛，提示渔民们Siren的故事，使减速或绕行，以防船只触礁。后引申为警报器，警笛。

小菲

NO.3   海德拉 <Hydra>

Hydra is the multi-headed serpent beast with poisonous blood and breath so bad it could kill a man. There are numerous references to Hydra in Greek literature and poetry, but one individual Hydra is the most well-known for having been slain by the hero Hercules. He was known as the "Hydra of Lerna" because he lived in the marshlands of the Lernaean region of Greece. As the legend goes, it was impossible to win a battle with Hydra because cutting off one of its heads meant that two more would grow back in its place. Then the hero Hercules came along and figured out a strategy for winning a fight with Hydra. After chopping off one of the beasts' heads, he quickly burned the stump so a new one could not regenerate. He proceeded to unburden the monster of its remaining heads, cauterizing each wound as he cut.
海德拉一般被描述为一只有九个头的蜥蜴怪兽，它充满剧毒的血液和呼吸可以轻易杀死一个人。希腊的文学和诗歌中有无数关于这只多头蜥蜴的参考文献，但是海德拉最被人们广泛所知的是因为它被英雄赫拉克勒斯所斩杀。
它被称为“勒耳那的水蛇 ”，因为他是住在希腊勒耳那地区的沼泽地里。传说中，这是一场不可能取胜的战斗，因为切断海德拉的一个头的同时，它可在身体的其它地方长出两个甚至更多的头。不过英雄赫拉克勒斯出现了，他想出了一个打赢海德拉的战斗策略。他每砍掉一个头就用树桩做的火把伤口灼伤，让他再也长不出头来。而最后一个头在砍下之后，赫拉克勒斯就把它的头用大石头压着，让它再也不能作怪，最后还把身上所有的箭都沾上了海德拉的毒血，成为赫拉克勒斯后来最致命的武器。

小菲

NO.2   斯芬克斯 <Sphinx>

No. 2 in our countdown has the body of a lion and the head of a human, sometimes male, sometimes female. The legend of the sphinx has its origin in ancient Egyptian mythology dating back about 4,000 years. Often associated with guardianship, this creature is frequently placed architecturally at the entrance to a building or a city. The oldest and most famous sphinx is probably the Great Sphinx of Giza, which is situated along the west bank of the Nile River near the city of Cairo in Egypt as a guardian of the ancient tombs. One of the most intellectual of all the mythical creatures, the sphinx is known for its fondness of riddles. According to legend, anyone who was unable to solve the riddle of the sphinx was not only forbidden to pass – they were immediately devoured.
排在我们第二位的拥有一个狮子的身体和人类的面孔，有时候为男性，有时候为女性。斯芬克斯（狮身人面像）的传说在古代希腊，可以追溯到4000年前。它经常和守护相联系，在古代，这种生物的雕像经常被人们摆在建筑物或者城市的门口，最古老和最富有盛名的斯芬克斯雕像恐怕就是位于埃及开罗市尼罗河西岸的吉萨金字塔的狮身人面像了，它是一个古老陵墓的守护者。其中一种最智慧精神的神话故事就是喜欢猜灯谜的斯芬克斯。据传说，说要是无法回答斯芬克斯的谜题，不禁被禁止通行，他们还会立即被斯芬克斯所吞噬。

小菲

NO.1   独角兽 <Unicorns>

Unicorns are magnificent and noble creatures that have enchanted young and old across the globe and through the ages. They are both a symbol of purity and goodness and the personification of untamed freedom. Many cultures throughout the world have their own version of the unicorn myth, but most depict them as white horses with a long horn extending from the forehead. The horn is usually spiraled, which makes light dance across the body of the animal as the sun shines down upon it.
Unicorns are often associated with rainbows and fair maidens. According to legend, unicorns can only be captured by maidens alone in the forest. Unlike most mythical animals, which seem to be based on humanity's deepest fears, most unicorn tales convey an animal that is quite gentle and good. Unicorn lore dates back several thousand years, and occasional "sightings" are still being reported today.
独角兽以它的高贵和华丽，迅速风靡全球如魔法般吸引了无数男女老幼。它象征着纯洁、善良和人格化的无拘束的自由。世界各地的许多文化都有自己版本的独角兽神话，但绝大部分都将其描述成为一个额头长着长角的白马。它们的角通常是螺旋着上升的，会让光线光会环绕在它们自己就像太阳落在了它们的身体上面一样。
独角兽的故事往往伴随着彩虹和仙女。根据传说，独角兽只能在有在少女独自在森林里的时候才能被捕获。不像绝大部分的神话动物是建立在人类最深层的恐怖的基础上，大多数的独角兽故事传达了一个感觉——温顺和友好。独角兽的传说最早可以追溯到几千年前，但是直到今天，偶尔出现的独角兽目击报告仍然不断。

小菲

辛苦艰难了一下午终于翻译完了...楼主水平有限，如有错误，欢迎大家指证哈

lilitown

翻译很给力

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喜欢相同类型的电影。

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