Name: 這些跟聖誕節有關的「怪獸」你知道幾個？ (Why Do These Christmas Monsters Want To Destroy the World? | Monstrum)
Uploaded: 2024-12-14T21:01:20.000Z
Duration: 7 min 28 s

Have you heard of the Greek Christmas monster, Kallikantzeros?

你聽說過希臘聖誕怪獸卡利坎策羅斯嗎？

有趣的是，我的岳父母是希臘人。

So when the Kallikantzeros came up as I researched winter monsters, surely they could enlighten me.

是以，當我研究冬季怪物時，我想到了卡利坎策羅人，他們肯定能給我一些啟發。

Kallikantzeri take the whole Christmas monster in a different direction.

Kallikantzeri 將整個聖誕怪獸帶向了另一個方向。

They're little hairy black monsters with red eyes, hooves, and long black tails.

它們是毛茸茸的黑色小怪物，長著紅色的眼睛、蹄子和黑色的長尾巴。

眾所周知，它們會在你的食物裡撒尿。

So even though this once popular Christmas monster fell into obscurity, you might want to keep a fire burning this holiday season.

是以，儘管這個曾經風靡一時的聖誕怪獸已經銷聲匿跡，但在這個節日裡，你可能還是想讓它繼續燃燒。

Even though the folklore's origin is rooted in Greek culture, versions of the legend span cultures across the Mediterranean.

儘管這一民間傳說起源於希臘文化，但其版本卻跨越了整個地中海文化。

Kallikantzeros spend most of the year underground, trying to chop down the mythical tree that holds up the Earth, which would bring about the collapse of the world.

Kallikantzeros 一年中的大部分時間都在地下度過，他們試圖砍倒支撐地球的神話之樹，因為這會導致世界崩潰。

But every year, just before they saw through the world tree, Christmas Day arrives and Kallikantzeri join humans in the mortal world to wreak havoc.

但是每年，就在他們看穿世界樹之前，聖誕節到了，Kallikantzeri 與凡間的人類一起大肆破壞。

During the 12 days of Christmas from December 25th to January 6th, they roam the Earth, terrorizing their human victims.

在 12 月 25 日至 1 月 6 日的 12 天聖誕節期間，它們在地球上游蕩，恐嚇人類受害者。

Their main targets are sinners, or those who are just plain lazy.

他們的主要目標是罪人，或是那些懶惰的人。

但任何人都是公平競爭的對象。

It's said they drain people of their life force.

So does that make the Kallikantzeri a type of vampire, as some claim?

那麼，Kallikantzeri 是否也像某些人所說的那樣，是一種吸血鬼呢？

While it is vampiric, draining the life force from the living, it isn't undead, so therefore, not a true vampire.

雖然它是吸血鬼，會吸乾活人的生命力，但它不是不死之身，是以不是真正的吸血鬼。

But like a vampire, they only come out at night, scratching their victims with their long nails.

但就像吸血鬼一樣，它們只在晚上出來，用長長的指甲抓撓受害者。

They've been known to kidnap people, and in extreme cases, they will feast on human flesh.

眾所周知，它們會綁架人，在極端情況下，它們會以人肉為食。

According to one legend from the island of Naxos, a woman spotted a suspicious skin bag, and yes, I too have no idea exactly what that means, but she recognized it as a Kallikantzeros.

根據納克索斯島的一個傳說，一個女人發現了一個可疑的皮包，是的，我也不知道那到底是什麼意思，但她認出那是一個卡利坎策羅斯人的皮包。

After making the sign of the cross, she slit the bag and ran home.

做完十字架手勢後，她割開袋子跑回家。

The next day, a young girl suddenly appeared in the village with a mutilated hand, and everyone presumed she was the transformed Kallikantzeros.

第二天，村裡突然出現了一個手掌殘缺不全的年輕女孩，大家都以為她就是變身的卡利坎澤洛斯。

In other stories, they ride horses or roosters around villages, generally making mayhem.

在其他故事中，他們騎著馬或公雞在村子裡四處作亂。

Kallikantzeri are known to be very mischievous, peeing on food or putting out hearth fires.

眾所周知，Kallikantzeri 非常調皮，會在食物上撒尿或撲滅爐火。

There's a few things known to thwart Kallikantzeri.

已知有幾樣東西可以阻擋卡利坎特澤裡。

Exposing them to sunlight or setting them on fire will kill them.

將它們暴露在陽光下或點火會殺死它們。

Just trick it into counting to three, since three is a holy number, and by pronouncing it, they will burst into flames.

只要騙它數到三，因為三是一個神聖的數字，只要念出這個數字，它們就會燃燒起來。

Or you could leave a colander on your doorstep, since Kallikantzeri are unable to resist counting the holes.

或者你也可以在家門口放一個笸籮，因為 Kallikantzeri 會忍不住去數笸籮上的洞。

They can also be warded off by nailing a pig jaw on your door or over your chimney.

還可以在門上或煙囪上釘一個豬下巴來驅趕它們。

There might be a connection to Greek mythology.

Pigs were associated with the goddess Demeter, who's connected to fertility, farming, and birth.

豬與德墨忒爾女神有關，德墨忒爾女神與生育、農耕和出生有關。

So nailing a pig jaw on your door might remind the Kallikantzeros of the cyclical nature of time that would force them to return to their underground toil.

是以，在門上釘一個豬下巴可能會提醒卡利坎策羅人時間的週期性，迫使他們回到地下勞作。

Church bells and Christmas carols drive them away, which makes sense given the monsters' association with Greek orthodoxy.

教堂的鐘聲和聖誕頌歌把它們趕走了，鑑於怪獸與希臘正教的聯繫，這也是合情合理的。

In early Greek Orthodox tradition, a child born on or around Christmas Day can become a Kallikantzeros.

在早期的希臘東正教傳統中，在聖誕節當天或前後出生的孩子可以成為 Kallikantzeros。

This created a stigma around babies born during the time of Jesus' birth.

這給耶穌出生時出生的嬰兒帶來了恥辱。

There is a way to stop the baby from becoming a monster, though, with certain extreme precautions.

不過，只要採取一些極端的預防措施，還是有辦法阻止嬰兒變成怪物的。

You could wrap the newborn in straw or garlic, or both, then hold them over a fire.

你可以用稻草或大蒜，或兩者包裹新生兒，然後把它們放在火上烤。

一旦腳趾被燒燬，它們就安全了。

It was believed that the fire permanently shortens their nails, and if you don't do that, the babies can develop fangs, hooves, a tail, and black skin.

人們認為，火會永久性地縮短它們的指甲，如果不這樣做，嬰兒就會長出獠牙、蹄子、尾巴和黑色皮膚。

Kallikantzeri are thought to be part human, part animal.

人們認為 Kallikantzeri 有一部分是人類，一部分是動物。

Descriptions vary, but the most popular belief is that they are small in stature, have red eyes, black shaggy hair, boar teeth, and sport a long black tail.

對它們的描述不盡相同，但最普遍的說法是它們身材矮小、眼睛呈紅色、毛髮蓬鬆呈黑色、長著野豬牙、有一條黑色的長尾巴。

Some of them may have a hunchback or twisted body.

有些人可能會駝背或身體扭曲。

They'll often sport one human foot and one hoof.

它們通常有一隻人腳和一隻蹄子。

Traditionally, on January 6, the feast day of the Epiphany, local priests would sprinkle every home with holy water, which was believed to drive out any lingering Kallikantzeri in a sort of pseudo-exorcism.

傳統上，在 1 月 6 日的主顯節這一天，當地的牧師會向每家每戶灑上聖水，人們相信聖水可以驅除任何殘留的卡利坎特澤里人，這是一種偽驅魔術。

When they returned underground, the Kallikantzeri found that the World Tree had healed itself, and the sawing began again.

當他們回到地底時，卡利坎特澤里人發現世界樹已經痊癒，於是鋸木工作又開始了。

So what are the origins of these odd little devils?

那麼，這些奇怪的小惡魔的起源是什麼呢？

We have to go back to ancient Greek spiritual traditions.

我們必須追溯到古希臘的精神傳統。

The Kallikantzeri return every year, and their cyclical nature speaks to ancient Greek conceptions of time.

Kallikantzeri 每年都會回來，它們的週期性體現了古希臘人對時間的概念。

There was chronos, or measured, quantitative time, and kairos, which was based more on experiencing a moment than being tied to a day, number, or moon phase.

時間有chronos和kairos之分，chronos是經過測量的定量時間，而kairos則更多地基於對某一時刻的體驗，而不是與日期、數字或月相掛鉤。

So Kallikantzeri are a bit of both, making them integral to time itself.

是以，Kallikantzeri 是兩者兼而有之，與時間本身密不可分。

I also can't help but think about other Greek monsters, like the ancient Greek Lamiae, a woman cursed by the goddess Hera.

我還不禁想起了其他希臘怪物，比如古希臘的拉米亞，一個被赫拉女神詛咒的女人。

She was driven insane by the loss of her own children, so began to eat other people's offspring.

她因為失去了自己的孩子而發瘋，於是開始吃別人的孩子。

She becomes more physically monstrous as she ate each one.

她每吃一個，身體就變得更加畸形。

There's also an older Greek boogeyman called Bobalas, who was infamous for eating misbehaving children.

希臘還有一個更古老的惡人，名叫波巴拉斯，他因吃掉不聽話的孩子而臭名昭著。

As the Kallikantzeri legend became more popular, parents would conceal the child's birth date, and in extreme cases, the child may even be murdered.

隨著 Kallikantzeri 傳說越來越流行，父母會隱瞞孩子的出生日期，在極端情況下，孩子甚至會被謀殺。

Obviously, many parents didn't want to do this, so they would pray for illness to take the baby away naturally.

顯然，很多父母並不想這樣做，所以他們會祈求疾病自然帶走孩子。

Kallikantzeri mythology might have also been associated with physical disabilities.

卡利坎特澤裡神話也可能與身體殘疾有關。

Newborns born around this time of year who were blind or had physical abnormalities might be callously labeled as Kallikantzeros.

每年這個時候出生的新生兒，如果失明或身體有異常，可能會被冷酷地貼上 "Kallikantzeros "的標籤。

It's no secret ancient Greeks put extra value on strength and beauty.

古希臘人格外重視力量和美貌，這早已不是什麼祕密。

看看他們的雕像和英雄就知道了。

Not to mention the Olympics, where originally athletes competed in the nude.

奧運會就更不用說了，最初運動員都是裸體參賽的。

Greek law even denoted that to legally be a citizen, you had to be a privileged man who was said to be of fit mind and body.

希臘法律甚至規定，要成為合法的公民，必須是身心健康的特權人士。

Eventually, Kallikantzeri superstitions changed with the times.

最終，Kallikantzeri 的迷信隨著時代的變遷而改變。

They became more of a fun tale to tell around Christmas, teasing children or scaring them into behaving, especially during the dangerously cold winter months.

尤其是在寒冷危險的冬季，它們更像是聖誕節前後的一個有趣故事，用來戲弄孩子或嚇唬他們，讓他們乖乖聽話。

In the mid-20th century, people would throw Kallikantzeri dolls along with small gifts down chimneys.

20 世紀中期，人們將卡利坎特澤裡玩偶和小禮物一起扔進煙囪。

Sometimes they would hang Kallikantzeri on the front door of friends or family.

有時，他們會把 Kallikantzeri 掛在朋友或家人的門前。

當然是為了表達你對他們的愛。

Because nothing says Christmas cheer like a goblin suddenly appearing at your doorstep.

因為沒有什麼比突然出現在你家門口的小妖精更能表達聖誕的快樂了。

They would be used to either scare or mock people who still believed in the tradition.

它們會被用來嚇唬或嘲笑那些仍然相信傳統的人。

The popularity of Kallikantzeros faded as religious, scientific, and social opinion evolved.

隨著宗教、科學和社會輿論的發展，Kallikantzeros 的受歡迎程度逐漸減弱。

But when they do appear in popular culture, they are often removed from any kind of world-destroying malevolent intentions.

但是，當它們出現在大眾文化中時，它們往往沒有任何毀滅世界的惡意。

In an episode of Grimm, the Kallikantzeri serve as a metaphor for the unruly time of adolescence.

在《格林》的一集中，卡利坎特澤里人隱喻了青春期的不羈。

Of course, the family in the story is Greek, so it nods to its Greek roots.

當然，故事中的家庭是希臘人，所以它也向希臘根源致敬。

I think that's the ultimate purpose they serve today, to connect the past cultural traditions to present ones.

我認為這就是它們今天的最終目的，將過去的文化傳統與現在的文化傳統聯繫起來。

Although I don't think my in-laws would love if I started chucking things down their chimney, regardless of the reason.

雖然我不認為我的岳父母會喜歡我開始從他們的煙囪裡扔東西，不管是出於什麼原因。

Every year, PBS Digital Studios sends out an audience survey, which we use to help understand what you enjoy on YouTube and what you would want to see us make more of.

每年，PBS 數字工作室都會發出一份閱聽人調查，我們通過這份調查瞭解您喜歡 YouTube 上的哪些內容，以及您希望我們製作更多的內容。

You also get to vote on new show ideas, so it'd be great if Monstrum fans were well-represented in the polls.

您還可以對新節目的創意進行投票，是以，如果夢幻劇場的粉絲能在投票中得到充分代表，那就再好不過了。