Discovering the World of

 

J.K. Rowling (Author of Harry¹ Potter): Harry Potter came to me on a train in 1990. I was sitting and just staring out the window and the idea just fell ¹⁾out of nowhere. It was the purest ²⁾stroke of inspiration I’e never had in my life, and I’e been writing about him ever since. Literally² I’e boxes, ³⁾loads of stuff on him.

Harry Potter may have fallen out of nowhere, but the magical world he inhabits didn’t just appear ⁴⁾out of thin air.

Among the characters Harry learns of is Circe, a powerful witch who turns men into pigs in one of the greatest stories ever told, The Odyssey³. Written by a blind Greek poet named Homer in the 8th century BC, the twin ⁵⁾epics, The Iliad and The Odyssey, enchanted⁵ generations of Greek children.

The epic⁴ voyage of the hero Odysseus resembles Harry’s own journey. He has a distant goal to get to, he has enormous numbers of obstacles placed in front of him and ⁶⁾monsters who he has to face, and challenge and overcome and ⁷⁾bewitchments which he has to resist, and all the time, pressing onward⁶ towards his goal. In some ways, Harry Potter is a modern Odysseus.

The stories of ancient Greece are one of J.K Rowling’s favorite sources of inspiration. Characters from Greek legend ⁸⁾crop up throughout the Harry Potter books. A real figure from ancient Athens provides the name of Harry’s schoolboy ⁹⁾archenemy, Draco Malfoy. ¹⁰⁾Commemorated in the night skies as the ¹¹⁾constellation⁸ of the dragon, Draco was a ¹²⁾lawgiver from the 7th century BC who became ¹³⁾infamous⁹ for his harsh punishments, giving us the word “raconian.”

Malfoy’s mother, Narcissa, is based on one of Greece’s most famous myths. Narcissa comes from the Greek myth of ¹⁴⁾Narcissist¹⁰; we get the word narcissism¹¹ for self-love. The story of Narcissist is the story of a Greek youth who fell in love with his own image and admiring it in a ¹⁵⁾riverbed, fell into the river and was drowned.

Harry’s giant friend Hagrid gets his name from a Greek character ¹⁶⁾exiled from the heavens but allowed to stay on as animal keeper by Zeus, king of the gods, a role almost ¹⁷⁾identical to Hagrid’s job as a ¹⁸⁾gamekeeper in the stories of Harry Potter.

One of Hagrid’s charges is Fluffy¹², the 3-headed dog who guards the out-of-bounds corridor on the 3rd floor of ¹⁹⁾Hogwarts. Well, Fluffy, the 3-headed guard dog is really a service from Greek Mythology¹³, a 3-headed guard dog, and one of the things that Rowling does that is so impressive, she stays absolutely true to the original myths while using them so lightly in her own stories. Fluffy is the perfect example.

The lake next to Hogwarts hides another monster once thought mythical¹⁴, but all too real. The giant ²⁰⁾squid, because it lives so deep and is so rarely seen, has gripped people’s imaginations for ²¹⁾millennia¹⁵. The ancients talked about the ²²⁾Kraken, and this idea that there is an immense creature deep in the depths of the ocean, or indeed the lake at the bottom of the grounds, is a wonderfully fascinating one because it’s a combination of the mythical possibilities and reality.

Next to Hogwarts, in the forbidden forest, ²³⁾dwell yet more creatures from classical mythology, the star-gazing ²⁴⁾centaurs. In that same forest live some of the most ²⁵⁾illusive¹⁷ creatures in Harry’s magical world: ²⁶⁾unicorns¹⁹, creatures hunted in vain in our own world. Unicorns, in Harry’s adventure as well as in classical mythology, are pure goodness. For centuries, people searched for them, because it was believed that their ²⁷⁾horns or their blood would have magical medicinal qualities, and these characteristics of unicorns do come into play in the stories.

Rowing borrows heavily from ²⁸⁾Arthurian legend. The ²⁹⁾parallels between Harry Potter and King Arthur are quite extraordinary. I mean, you can almost start off with the fact that, like King Arthur, Harry Potter is ³⁰⁾spirited away by a magician, taken away from the place where his real parents are because of the danger that he faces. That’s exactly the situation in Arthurian legend. And then you take it further that just as Merlin tutored Arthur, so Harry Potter at Hogwarts is being trained in using the magical powers that he has inside him. With his queen, Gwenivere, and his best knight²⁰, Sir Lancelot, Arthur untied²¹ the kingdom and built the majestic^{22 31)}Camelot. A story of 3 friends that has echoes in Harry’s adventures. Then there’s the other interesting parallel that Ron, Miney, and Harry are not ³²⁾dissimilar to Arthur, Lancelot and Gwenivere, which leaves all sorts of interesting possibilities for the way this ³³⁾saga²³ will develop.

Using myths and legends from all over the world, J.K.Rowling has created a world of her own, an enchanting²⁴ realm magically unites children worldwide. Whatever continues to ³⁴⁾unfold, readers can expect to ³⁵⁾uncover more connections with our own ³⁶⁾muggle world. If we follow the clues in Harry’s magical world, perhaps, we can discover the real magic in our own. CE

 

 

04、《哈利·波特》

故事里的故事

 

罗琳（《哈利·波特》作者）：《哈利·波特》是我在1990年坐火车时想出来的。当时我坐着看窗外的风景，构思就这么突然产生了。那样的灵感我一生中从未有过，然后我就动笔写他的故事。我收集了许多许多关于他的材料。

《哈利·波特》的来因或许难以解释，但他的魔法世界却有依有据。

哈利学习的人物之一是瑟茜，瑟茜是法力高强的女巫，能把人变成猪。她出现在最伟大的故事之一——《奥德赛》中。《奥德赛》由失明的希腊诗人荷马在公元前8世纪写成。《伊利亚特》和《奥德赛》这两篇史诗，迷住了一代又一代的希腊儿童。

英雄奥德修斯的史诗式旅程和哈利·波特的旅程很相似：有遥远的目标要实现，面前有无数的障碍，有要面对的怪物，要克服的挑战和要抵抗的诱惑，要一直奋力朝目标前进。从某种意义上来说，哈利·波特正是一个现代的奥德修斯。

古希腊故事是最受J.K.罗琳喜爱的灵感来源之一。希腊传说中的人物也在《哈利·波特》系列故事中频频出现。为哈利·波特的一个敌对同学——德拉科·马尔福——提供了名字的，在古代雅典真有其人。“德拉科”这个名字的本义是纪念夜空中的天龙星座，该雅典人在公元前7世纪是个立法者，因厉行严惩而声名狼藉，单词“draconian(严酷的)”亦由此而来。

马尔福的妈妈叫娜西莎，该名字的典故是希腊一个非常有名的神话，来自希腊神话中自恋者的故事。如今我们用“narcissism”这个词来表示“自恋”的意思。故事讲述一名希腊青年爱上自己的倒影，在河边欣赏自己的倒影时坠河溺死。

哈利的巨人朋友海格，得名自一位被赶出天堂的希腊人物，但此人得到众神之首——宙斯的批准，留下来看守动物。他和《哈利·波特》故事中海格的职责几乎一模一样：都是猎禽看守人。

海格看守的动物之一是三头狗毛毛，它看守着霍格沃茨魔法学校三楼的三不管走廊。三头狗毛毛确实是出自希腊神话中的三头看门狗。罗琳的这个写法给人留下了很深刻的印象，她完全忠实于神话，并将典故轻松地运用到自己的故事里。毛毛就是个最好的例子。

霍格沃茨学校旁边的湖里匿藏着另一个怪物，人们曾以为它只是传说，结果实有其物。巨乌贼居于深水处，难以一见，因此数千年来被认为是人类的幻想。古代人谈及海妖，说有巨怪存在于海洋深处和湖底。这个构思很有意思，因为它将神话中的可能性和现实结合在了一起。

霍格沃茨学校旁的禁林里住着更多经典神话中的生物，如：观星的半人马族。同一森林里还有哈利的魔法世界里最难以一见的生物之一——独角兽，这种生物在尘世中是捕捉不到的。在哈利的探险故事里，在经典神话中，独角兽都代表着绝对善良。许多世纪以来人们寻找着它们，因为据说它们的角和血具有神奇的治疗作用，独角兽的这些特点也都在《哈利·波特》中出现过。

罗琳在书中大量借用了亚瑟王的传说。哈利·波特和亚瑟王有惊人的相似之处。比如在故事开始，哈利·波特就像亚瑟王一样被魔法师带走，为了脱离险境而被从亲生父母处带走，那完全是亚瑟王传说中的情景。接着有默林来教授亚瑟，哈利·波特则是在霍格沃茨学习运用体内的魔法力量。亚瑟王和他的格温娜维尔皇后、以及最好的武士兰斯洛爵士一起统一王国，建立了宏伟的卡米洛。三个朋友的故事在《哈利·波特》中得到重现。罗恩、赫敏、哈利与亚瑟、兰斯洛、格温娜维尔之间的异曲同工之妙处，为该篇小说的一切有趣发展可能埋下了伏笔。

J.K.罗琳运用全世界的神话与传说，创造出了一个自己的世界，一个将世界各地的儿童神奇地联系在一起的迷人领域。无论《哈利·波特》的故事会怎样发展下去，读者们将发现它与我们的“麻瓜”世界有更多的联系。在寻找哈利魔法世界中的线索时，我们或许也发现了自己拥有的真正魔力。CE

 

 

 

1) out of nowhere [非正式用法]不知从哪来，突然冒出

2) stroke [ strEuk ] n. 敲，击

3) loads of 大量，许多

4) out of thin air 无中生有，凭空

5) epic [ 5epik ] n. 史诗

6) monster [ 5mCnstE ] n. 怪物

7) bewitchment [bI`wItFmEnt] n. 妖术，迷惑力

8) crop up 被提到

9) archenemy [ 5B:tF5enimi ] n. 主要敌人

10) commemorate⁷ [ kE5memEreit ] v. 纪念

11) constellation [ kCnstE5leiFEn ] n. 星座

12) lawgiver [5lC:^IvEr] n. 立法者

13) infamous [ 5infEmEs ] a. 臭名昭著的

14) narcissist [ 5nB:sisist ] n. 自恋者

15) riverbed [5rivEbed] n. 河床

16) exile [ 5eksail ] v. 放逐

17) identical [ ai5dentikEl] a. 同样的

18) gamekeeper [5geim-ki:pE] n. 动物看守者

19) Hogwarts [hgwC:z] n. 《哈利·波特》书中的魔法学校。

20) squid [ skwid ] n. 乌贼

21) millennia [mi`leniE] n. millenium（千年）的复数

22) Kraken [ 5krB:kEn ] n. 挪威传说中的北海巨妖

23) dwell [ dwel ] v. 居住

24) centaur¹⁶ [ 5sentC: ] n. 希腊神话中人首马身的怪物

25) illusive [ i5lu:siv ] a. 幻影的，虚假的

26) unicorn¹⁸ [ 5ju:nikC:n ] n. 独角兽，麒麟

27) horn [hC:n] n. 角

28) Arthurian [ a:5WjuEriEn ] a. 亚瑟王的

29) parallel [ 5pArElel ] n. 类似，相似物

30) spirit away 神秘地带走

31) Camelot [ 5kAmilCt ] n. 英国传说中亚瑟王宫殿所在地

32) dissimilar [ di5similE ] a. 不一样的，不同的

33) saga [ 5sB:^E ] n. 英雄传奇

34) unfold [ Qn5fEuld ] v. 开展，显露

35) uncover [ Qn5kQvE ]v. 揭露，揭开

36) muggle [`mQ^l] n. 在《哈利·波特》书中，会巫术的人称不会巫术的凡人为“麻瓜”。

 

1 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

2 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

3 odyssey   

n.长途冒险旅行；一连串的冒险

参考例句：

• The march to Travnik was the final stretch of a 16-hour odyssey.去特拉夫尼克的这段路是长达16小时艰险旅行的最后一程。
• His odyssey of passion, friendship,love,and revenge was now finished.他的热情、友谊、爱情和复仇的漫长历程，到此结束了。

4 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

5 enchanted   

adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She was enchanted by the flowers you sent her. 她非常喜欢你送给她的花。
• He was enchanted by the idea. 他为这个主意而欣喜若狂。

6 onward   

adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先

参考例句：

• The Yellow River surges onward like ten thousand horses galloping.黄河以万马奔腾之势滚滚向前。
• He followed in the steps of forerunners and marched onward.他跟随着先辈的足迹前进。

7 commemorate   

vt.纪念，庆祝

参考例句：

• This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
• We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。

8 constellation   

n.星座n.灿烂的一群

参考例句：

• A constellation is a pattern of stars as seen from the earth. 一个星座只是从地球上看到的某些恒星的一种样子。
• The Big Dipper is not by itself a constellation. 北斗七星本身不是一个星座。

9 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

10 narcissist   

n.自我陶醉者

参考例句：

• Don't get caught in the trap of always trying to please a narcissist. 不要让自己一直陷入讨好自恋者的困境中。 来自互联网

11 narcissism   

n.自我陶醉，自恋

参考例句：

• Those who suffer from narcissism become self-absorbed.自恋的人会变得自私。
• The collective narcissism of the Kerouac circle is ultimately boring.凯鲁亚克和他周围人物的集体自我陶醉欲最终使人厌烦不已。

12 fluffy   

adj.有绒毛的，空洞的

参考例句：

• Newly hatched chicks are like fluffy balls.刚孵出的小鸡像绒毛球。
• The steamed bread is very fluffy.馒头很暄。

13 mythology   

n.神话，神话学，神话集

参考例句：

• In Greek mythology,Zeus was the ruler of Gods and men.在希腊神话中，宙斯是众神和人类的统治者。
• He is the hero of Greek mythology.他是希腊民间传说中的英雄。

14 mythical   

adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的

参考例句：

• Undeniably,he is a man of mythical status.不可否认，他是一个神话般的人物。
• Their wealth is merely mythical.他们的财富完全是虚构的。

15 millennia   

n.一千年，千禧年

参考例句：

• For two millennia, exogamy was a major transgression for Jews. 两千年来，异族通婚一直是犹太人的一大禁忌。
• In the course of millennia, the dinosaurs died out. 在几千年的时间里，恐龙逐渐死绝了。

16 centaur   

n.人首马身的怪物

参考例句：

• His face reminded me somehow of a centaur.他的脸使我想起半人半马的怪物。
• No wonder he had soon been hustled away to centaur school.也难怪父母匆匆忙忙就把他送到了半人马学校。

17 illusive   

adj.迷惑人的，错觉的

参考例句：

• I don't wanna hear too much illusive words.我不想听太多虚假的承诺。
• We refuse to partake in the production of illusive advertisements.本公司拒绝承做虚假广告。

18 unicorn   

n.(传说中的)独角兽

参考例句：

• The unicorn is an imaginary beast.独角兽是幻想出来的动物。
• I believe unicorn was once living in the world.我相信独角兽曾经生活在这个世界。

19 unicorns   

n.（传说中身体似马的）独角兽( unicorn的名词复数 )；一角鲸；独角兽标记

参考例句：

• Unicorns are legendary beasts. 独角兽是传说里的野兽。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Assemble50 Elder Druids, 30 Silver Unicorns and10 Green Dragons do defend it. 募集50个德鲁伊长老，30只银色独角兽和10条绿龙用于防御。 来自互联网

20 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

21 untied   

松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决

参考例句：

• Once untied, we common people are able to conquer nature, too. 只要团结起来，我们老百姓也能移山倒海。
• He untied the ropes. 他解开了绳子。

22 majestic   

adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的

参考例句：

• In the distance rose the majestic Alps.远处耸立着雄伟的阿尔卑斯山。
• He looks majestic in uniform.他穿上军装显得很威风。

23 saga   

n.(尤指中世纪北欧海盗的)故事，英雄传奇

参考例句：

• The saga of Flight 19 is probably the most repeated story about the Bermuda Triangle.飞行19中队的传说或许是有关百慕大三角最重复的故事。
• The novel depicts the saga of a family.小说描绘了一个家族的传奇故事。

24 enchanting   

a.讨人喜欢的

参考例句：

• His smile, at once enchanting and melancholy, is just his father's. 他那种既迷人又有些忧郁的微笑，活脱儿象他父亲。
• Its interior was an enchanting place that both lured and frightened me. 它的里头是个吸引人的地方，我又向往又害怕。