struggled mightily against his greatest challenge yet: Opening a bag of food.

拼了老命對抗他此生最大的挑戰：打開一包食物。

It'd all started when Thor,

故事是這麼開始的。

along with his fleet-footed human servant, Thjalfi and Loki, the trickster god,

索爾與他的人類侍從，飛毛腿希亞費，以及詐騙之神洛基

set out on a journey to Jotunheim, land of the giants.

出發前往巨人之國約頓海姆，

Along the way, they'd met a giant named Skrymir,

在路上他們遇到一個叫斯克里米爾的巨人，

who offered to accompany them and even carry their provisions in his bag.

他願意與他們同行，甚至還幫他們背食糧。

But when they made camp, Skrymir dozed off

但斯克里米爾在他們紮營時睡著了，

and Thor couldn't untie the sack.

而索爾打不開袋子。

Frustrated and hungry, Thor tried to wake the giant three times

索爾又氣餒又餓， 他試了三次想叫醒巨人，

by striking his head with his hammer, Mjolnir, as hard as he could.

他用他的大槌子， 妙爾尼爾， 使勁地敲巨人的頭。

But each time, Skrymir thought it was only a falling acorn

但是每次斯克里米爾都以為是掉落的橡果

and went back to sleep.

而繼續睡。

The next morning, Skrymir departed

隔天早晨斯克里米爾離開了，

and eventually, the travelers reached a massive fortress called Utgard.

這群旅人也終於抵達一座名為厄特加爾的巨大堡壘。

Inside the long hall, they met the king of giants, Utgard-Loki,

他們在長長的大廳裡見到巨人的國王，烏特迦·洛奇。

who greeted his guests with a challenge.

他用挑戰來迎接客人：

Each of them was to prove they were the best at some particular skill.

每個人都要透過挑戰證實自己最擅長的技能。

Loki went first, declaring himself the world's fastest eater.

洛基第一個接受挑戰，他宣稱自己是世界上吃東西最快的人。

To test him, the king summoned his servant, Logi,

國王為了驗證，召喚了他的侍從，羅吉。

and the two were placed at either end of a long trough stuffed with food.

他們倆分別坐在擺滿食物的長食槽兩端。

Loki ate his way inward with blinding speed.

洛基用壓倒性的速度往內吃了起來。

But when the contestants met in the center,

但當兩位選手在桌子正中央相遇時，

Loki saw that his adversary had not only eaten just as much food,

洛基發現他的對手不但吃了跟他一樣多的食物，

but also the bones and even the trough itself.

還把骨頭，甚至食槽也吃掉了。

Next was Thjalfi, who could outrun anything in the wild.

接著是希亞費，他跑得比野外任何東西都快。

The king summoned an ethereal-looking giant named Hugi,

國王召喚了看似飄逸的巨人的修基，

who outraced Thjalfi easily.

他輕鬆地打敗希亞費。

But the boy would not give up and demanded a rematch.

但這個男孩不死心，要求再比一次。

This time, Thjalfi finished close behind

這一次，希亞費緊追在後，

and the king admitted he'd never seen a human run so fast.

而國王也承認他從來沒看過跑得這麼快的人。

Thjalfi tried a third time, running like his life depended on it,

希亞費又是了第三次，拼了命地跑，

but Hugi was even faster than before.

可是修基跑得比之前還快。

Finally, it was Thor's turn.

最後輪到索爾。

The king offered him a drinking horn,

國王給他一個喝酒角杯

saying all his men could drain it in two gulps.

還說他的手下只要兩口就可以喝乾

Thor raised it to his lips

索爾將其舉到唇邊

and drank the surprisingly cold and salty mead in the longest gulp he could muster.

並盡量大口喝下意外冰涼且鹹的蜂蜜酒。

Then a second.

接著喝第二口。

Then a third.

然後喝第三口。

But the level of the mead in the horn was only slightly lowered.

可是角杯內的蜂蜜酒只下降了一點點。

To test Thor's renowned strength, the king offered a seemingly easy challenge.

為了測試索爾出了名的力氣，國王提出一個看似簡單的挑戰：

Lift his pet cat off the ground.

舉起他的寵貓。

But this cat was as tall as Thor.

可是這隻貓跟索爾一樣高。

Every time he tried to lift it, it arched its back,

每次他試著舉起牠，牠就弓起背。

and straining with all his godly might, he only managed to lift one paw.

他使出吃奶的勁兒，也只能舉起一隻腳爪。

Enraged, Thor demanded to wrestle any of the giants.

索爾氣的要求要跟任何一個巨人比賽摔角。

The king summoned the giants' old nursemaid, Elli.

國王召喚了巨人的老奶媽，伊里。

Though the woman looked frail, Thor couldn't overpower her

這位老婦人看似孱弱，但索爾居然無法擊敗她，

and grew weaker the longer he struggled, until he was brought to one knee.

而且愈戰愈沒力，最後跪倒下來。

The three companions prepared to leave, disappointed and humbled.

失望又受辱的三個人準備離開。

But as the king escorted them out,

但是當國王護送他們出去時，

he revealed that nothing in the castle had been what it seemed.

他透露，城堡內的事物其實似是而非。

Loki lost the eating contest because his opponent, Logi, was wildfire itself,

洛基輸了吃東西比賽，因為他的對手羅吉其實是野火，

devouring everything in its path.

所到之處皆會被其吞噬。

Thjalfi couldn't outrun Hugi because Hugi was the embodiment of thought,

希亞費跑不過修基，因為修基是思想的化身，

always faster than action.

永遠都比行動快一步。

And even Thor couldn't defeat Elli, or old age,

而索爾之所以打不過伊里，即年邁的象徵，

which weakens everyone eventually.

則代表人都難逃年華老去。

As for the other challenges, they had also been illusions.

至於其他的挑戰也都是幻象。

The drinking horn was filled with the ocean,

角杯內其實是海洋，

and Thor had drained enough to cause the tides.

而索爾喝的量多到足以造成潮汐。

The cat was the serpent that encircles the world,

貓咪是一條繞著世界的大蛇，

and Thor's efforts shifted the earth.

索爾的力量已經撼動了地球。

And Skrymir had been Utgard-Loki in disguise,

斯克里米爾即是烏特迦洛奇的化身，

deflecting Thor's hammer-blows to form valleys in the surrounding mountains.

他避開索爾的錘擊，在附近的群山中形成山谷。

The giant congratulated them on their prowess,

巨人祝賀他們高超的本事，

which so frightened him he would never allow them in his land again.

他嚇壞了，不准他們再踏上他的土地。

Thor and his companions failed the challenges presented to them.

索爾和他的夥伴們挑戰失敗。

But in trying to achieve the impossible,

但努力實現不可能的任務時，

they'd pushed themselves harder than ever before

他們比以往都更努力，

and changed the world in ways no one had expected.

以出乎意料的方式改變了世界。