奥恩的失落传说 The Lost Tales of Ornn

Matthew Dunn著

“我从来没有见过这位被人遗忘的神明。这些故事是我的祖母告诉我的，但她也没见过这位遗落的神。甚至是她的祖母、祖母的祖母……往上数哪怕一千次，都没有人见过。人们只有在噼啪的火堆和烤鱼做的晚餐旁才会讲起他的传说。要是我们追溯到更久远的祖先，这些传说就会变得真实起来。”

“I have never seen the forgotten god. My grandmother told me these tales, but she never saw the forgotten god either—nor did her grandmother before her, or hers before her, a thousand times over. His legends endure only around crackling fires and meals of roasted fish. The further back we trace our ancestors, the truer the tales become.”孩子们疲惫的脸稍稍抬高了一些。他们的颊边火光闪烁，但眼中却盘桓着痛苦。The children’s weary faces lift a little higher. Firelight dances on their cheeks, but pain lives in their eyes.“神们就在我们身边，在天空中，在泥土里，在群星的面纱背后。我们只要循着他们的喜好，将他们的存在纳入我们的心灵和言行之中。比方说，在海上，你的眼珠子都会被冻成石头。没错，就这么冷！可如果水手们搓着脸上的肥肉，心里想着海豹修女——噢她的真名也已经没人记得了，那这些水手就不会被冰冷的海风冻僵了。”“Gods dwell around us, in the sky, in between clumps of soil, and behind the veil of stars. We need only to seek their favor, to channel their being into our hearts and deeds. For instance, on the sea, it is so cold that your eyeballs might freeze solid in their sockets. No, it’s true! But when sailors rub blubber on their faces and think about the Seal Sister, whose true name is forgotten, they are protected from the icy ocean winds.“还有一些神，比如沃利贝尔，不愿意让自己的传说轻易地消散，所以仍然在世界上徘徊着。他要求着人们送上牺牲，并强迫他们服从自己，熊人族都是这样的……”“Others, such as Volibear, refuse to allow their own legends to fade, and still stalk this world. He demands sacrifice and forces obedience, much like the Ursine…”他们都听过那些半熊恶人的故事。孩子们被吓得缩在一起，又靠近了火堆一点。They have all heard tales of the half-bear abominations. Fear makes the children lean closer to the fire.“啊，小家伙们。我们可以之后再聊聊那头披着熊皮的风暴使者，关于他的事情还是少说为妙。”“Oh yes, little ones—we may speak later of the bearskinned storm-bearer, but the less said about him the better.”就像祖母说过的，只要他们靠近了火光，他们就会对你言听计从了。Like grandmother used to say, once they lean closer to the fire, they’re yours.“而现在，我要说的故事是最初诞生的神灵……”

“Instead, these stories concern the firstborn of the gods…”

奥恩是他的兄弟姐妹们中最早诞生的。他急吼吼地跳进这个世界，渴望着活动活动筋骨。但这可没那么容易。树木根本不是他的对手，随便一碰就会折断。冰山被他一摸就会融化，匆匆流进海里。

Ornn was the firstborn of his brothers and sisters. He leapt into the world, itching for a fight. This was not so easy, however. Trees were weak adversaries, snapping far too easily. Icebergs melted at his touch, running away into the sea.

他沮丧地一拳砸在山上，山峰却没有崩塌。奥恩很高兴，所以他开始拿整块大地当作和自己搏击的好伙伴。

Frustrated, he punched a mountain. The mountain did not yield. Ornn was pleased by this, so he challenged the land itself to a good-natured brawl.

奥恩和大地搏斗着，又砸又抓，最终便有了我们今天所说的弗雷尔卓德。他从平地上用头槌撞出山峦，又凿下深深的山谷。当他终于觉得累了，他向大地表示敬意，感谢这么一场充满荣耀的较量。作为答谢，大地上出现了一个火坑，显出了自己的核心。奥恩非常骄傲，因为他觉得这火坑恰恰就是自己的写照：一头烈火般暴躁的公羊。大地认可了奥恩的本事，所以向他揭露了自己的秘密，赐予了他初火的力量。因为火是主宰一切变化的关键。

As Ornn wrestled with the land, he dented and bruised it, shaping all of the Freljord that we know today. He headbutted mountains from the planes, and pounded down deep valleys. When he was tired, Ornn thanked the land for the glorious match. The land responded by opening a fiery pit, showing him its very heart, and he was honored to see it was a reflection of him: a fiery ram. The land had deemed Ornn worthy, and bestowed its secrets to him, gifting him the strength of primordial flame, for fire is the true agent of change.

他看着大地上一派搏斗后的景象点了点头。这就成了。之后，奥恩就开始着手打造起了各式各样的工具和武器。

He looked at the landscape that was the result of his fight and nodded. It would do. After this, Ornn set himself to building tools and weapons.

天上落下了一片轻飘飘的雪，如果我的祖先们看到了这一刻，应该会露出微笑吧。温柔的雪花飘落在孩子们的毛皮帽子上，他们一个个都吐出了舌头。

My ancestors must be smiling, for at this moment, a light snow begins to fall. Gentle flakes settle on the children’s furred hoods, and they stick out their tongues.“你们知道弗雷尔卓德曾经是不下雪的吗？”我问他们。孩子们困惑地看着我。“没错。我们所在的这块大陆从来都是世界上最冷的地方，但在古时候，大地上只有干涩冰冷的风，没有一丝乌云……”

“Did you know that there used to be no snow in the Freljord?” I ask them. The children look confused. “It’s true. Our lands have always been the coldest in the entire world, but in the early days there was only bitter, dry air, and no such things as stormclouds…”

在万里无云的寒冷古代，奥恩用最好的木料建起了自己的房子。这座宏伟的大屋横跨了三道峡谷。你能想象出来吗？他把这座尊贵的宅邸起了个名字叫“角厅”，然后饶有兴致地品鉴了一番。

It was during the early, cloudless and cold days that Ornn built a house. He made it of the finest lumber. The magnificent home spanned three valleys. Can you imagine that? After completing his majestic Horn Hall, Ornn appraised his work.

“好。”他说。这是在语言还没有出现的时代，所以毫无疑问这是一句赞美。

“Good,” he said. These were the days before language, so this was a compliment indeed.

可是，他的妹妹艾尼维亚却生气了。奥恩为了建起角厅，砍掉了她最喜欢栖息的树枝。所以她打算要好好教训一下他。

Now, his sister Anivia was annoyed. Ornn had felled her favorite perching trees to build his home. So she decided to teach him a lesson.

趁着奥恩熟睡的时候，她从卧室的窗户飞了进来。她用自己的一根羽毛挠了挠奥恩的鼻子。奥恩打了个大喷嚏，鼻子里喷出一团烈火，点着了他的床单！火烧到了地板上，瞬间烈焰熊熊！艾尼维亚慌了，拍拍翅膀飞出了大屋。可她的翅膀卷起了弗雷尔卓德干燥的风，把火烧得更旺了。很快，整座角厅都变成了一个大火炉。

While Ornn was sleeping, she flew in through his bedroom window. Then, she tickled his nose with one of her feathers, causing him to sneeze a gout of flame that set fire to the bedsheets! The bedsheets set the floor ablaze! Anivia panicked, and flapped her wings to fly away, but this only stoked the fire hotter with the dry Freljord air. Soon, all of Horn Hall was alight.

大火烧了好多天，飞舞的灰烬把天空都变阴了。当然咯，这期间奥恩一直在熟睡。在成山的灰烬顶上，他醒来了。奥恩的心情非常糟糕，因为这一觉睡得很不安稳。但他却不知道这都是艾尼维亚干的好事。直到今天，她也没有和奥恩坦白过。

The fire raged for days, darkening the skies with ash. Of course, Ornn slept through the whole thing. He awoke atop a pile of ashes in a very bad mood, for he had not had a restful sleep. But he did not know what Anivia had done. And to this day, she has never told him the truth.

“我称赞了我自己的手艺，可看看到头来成了什么。”奥恩在废墟里翻检着说。“我再也不会自吹自擂了。让作品的质量说话就是。”

“I complimented my own handiwork, and look where it got me,” said Ornn, surveying the damage. “Never again will I pat myself on the back. I shall let the quality of the work speak for itself.”

奥恩给自己的新家定下了一个非常明确的目标：他要建一座不会着火的房子。他给自己打了一把铲子、一根橇杠和一支叉子。有了这些工具，他就能从地下挖出矿石，撬动巨大的石柱，还有享用他最爱的美味樱桃。

Ornn had one goal in particular for his next home: he did not want it to be flammable. He fashioned himself a spade, a lever, and a fork. With these tools, he could dig for ore, move mighty pillars, and eat the delicious spiced cherries he so enjoyed.

他把矿石堆在一起，敲敲打打，堆出了一座黑黝黝的山峰。山峰深处是一座雄伟的熔炉，炉膛里炽烈地燃烧着从地心深处导出的初火。他很满意自己的新家，炉乡，但是里面实在是太热了，就连奥恩自己也没法舒服地呆着。

He hammered and shaped chunks of ore until a black mountain stood. Inside was a great forge that channeled the primordial molten flame from deep within the earth. He was pleased with his Hearth-Home—but it was too hot inside to dwell comfortably, even for Ornn.

所以他从海边掘了一道水渠，径直引进山里。海豹修女让冰冷的海水通过沟渠，淌进了炉乡。大团的蒸汽升上天空。过了整整三天，大山的温度才降到奥恩觉得舒服的程度。这段时间里，海平面都下降了好几寸。

So he dug a trench from the sea, straight to the mountain. The Seal Sister allowed cold waters to rush through the trench and cool the Hearth-Home. Great plumes of steam rose up. It took three days for the mountain to cool enough for Ornn. In that time, the ocean that fed the river dipped several inches.

这样一来，原本永远晴朗的蓝天因为吸收了太多水汽，出现了大团大团的乌云。这些蓬松的云汇到一起，变得越来越凉，越来越厚，越来越重，最终降下了大雪。

By then, so much steam had risen from the waters that the perpetual blue sky was mottled with darkening gray clouds. As these new puffy forms gathered and cooled, they grew heavier and heavier until they burst with snow.

大雪下了一百年。这就是为什么，时至今日的弗雷尔卓德到处都是冰雪了。

It snowed for a hundred years. This is why the Freljord still has so much snow today.

一个女孩皱起眉头问我：“如果奥恩做了这么多大事，为什么只有你知道他的故事呢？”女孩还小，但已经见识过不少风霜，以至于发辫间已经掺上了几缕银丝。

One of the children frowns at me. “If Ornn did so much for the world, then why is it only you who knows the stories about him?” she asks. The girl is young, but has already seen so much hardship that her hair has several shocks of silver running through it.“有一个故事正好可以回答你的问题，”我说：“想听吗？”“There is one tale that answers this very question,” I reply. “Would you like to hear it?”孩子们脸上露出了渴望。

The children’s eager faces say it all.

曾经，有三姐妹来恳求奥恩拯救她们的世界。可是奥恩呢，根本不打算当什么救世主，不管是哪个世界。这完全是因为一些个人的原因，他也懒得细说。但这并不能阻止三姐妹日夜跋涉，来到奥恩面前恳求。

Once, there were Three Sisters who needed Ornn’s help in saving their world. Ornn, however, did not care to help anyone save any world, anywhere. It was for personal reasons, and he did not elaborate on the matter. But this did not stop the Three Sisters journeying many days and nights to ask.

“有一些怪物，有着强大而邪恶的魔法，侵袭着我们的部落。”大姐说。她的眼中满是怒火与战意。“它们想毁掉一切，然后将世界据为己有！”

“There are creatures of great and wicked magic that stalk our tribes,” the First Sister said. She had fierceness and war in her eyes. “They want to destroy all things and claim the world for themselves!”

“听起来挺麻烦的。”奥恩看着熔炉，头也不抬地说。

“This sounds like a problem,” Ornn said. He did not look up from his forging.

“那您会加入我们吗，用您的力量杀光那些怪物？”

“Then will you fight with us, and use your strength to slay the monsters?”

奥恩咕哝了一声，意思就是“不”，而且不留任何讨论的余地。每个人都明白这意思。如果你听到了这种咕哝就会明白，只要这位大姐够聪明，她就不会再问了。

Ornn grunted. This grunt meant “no” in such a way as to halt any more discussion. This was understood by all. If you heard this grunt, you would have thought the First Sister wise for not pressing the matter further.

“这些家伙对我们了如指掌。”二姐开口了。她的声音里洋溢着智慧和希望。“我想请您用那把掘出大河的铲子，挖出一条世上最深的壕沟。我们把怪物引到里面，之后的事情我们自己解决便是。”

“These beings watch our every move,” the Second Sister said. There was hope and wisdom in her voice. “I would ask you to take the spade that once dug your mighty river, and use it to dig the deepest trench in all the world. Then we can lure the monsters into the pit ourselves, and solve our own problem.”

奥恩又咕哝了一下。这一次的意思是 “我会挖个洞的”，并且所有人都该立刻闭嘴。每个人也都应该明白这意思。如果你听到了这种咕哝就会明白，只要这位二姐够聪明，她也不会再问奥恩了。

Ornn grunted. The sound of this grunt meant “I will dig that hole,” and that everyone should stop talking immediately. This was understood by all. If you heard this grunt, you would have thought the Second Sister wise for not pressing the matter further.

所以奥恩给她们挖了一条大沟，深得几乎可以装进一块大陆。反正他本来就想掘一个，她们提议的地点也正好合适。当奥恩完成了工作，他便一言不发地离开了三姐妹。他和她们说过的话已经够多的了。

So Ornn dug them a trench, for a very deep hole can add much to a landscape. Also, he had planned on digging one anyway, and the proposed location was a fine spot. When Ornn was finished with the trench, he left the three sisters with nary a word, for he had already said far too much to them.

“这个就行了。”二姐说：“希望它足够深就好。”

“That is one deep hole,” the Second Sister said. “I pray it is deep enough.”

风从新挖的深渊下方吹上来，发出来自另一个世界般的嚎哭，似乎在说这个洞确实够深了。如果你听到了这深渊的嚎哭就会明白，任何人只要脑子没坏，就绝不会想要爬进去量一量到底有多深。

Wind blew up from the freshly dug abyss with an otherworldly howl, as if to say that it was deep enough. If you had heard the abyss’ howl, you would have thought it wise that no one climbed down to measure its depth.

过了几年，三姐妹又回来了。看起来她们被战争弄得精疲力尽。

Several years later, the sisters returned. They looked as if the battles with their foes had taken a toll.

这一次，是三妹说话了。她呼出的寒气让奥恩回忆起了很久很久以前，那干燥而寒冷的日子。“奥恩，万物的造物主。”她说。

This time, the Third Sister spoke. Her icy breath reminded Ornn of the cold and dry days, long ago. “Ornn, Builder of All Things,” she began.

“并非所有东西都是我造的。”奥恩低声说。同样地，他仍旧没有把目光离开自己的熔炉。“只有一部分而已。”

“I did not build all things,” Ornn grumbled. Again, he did not look up from his forging. “Just some of them.”

三妹继续说道：“我们来是为了请您帮一个小忙。您掘出的深渊实在是太深了，我们没法在上面架桥。请教我如何建一座不会崩塌的桥梁，然后我会自己动手。”

The Third Sister continued. “We come now to ask you one simple favor. The pit you dug is so deep and so wide that we cannot build even a single bridge across it. Teach me how to build a bridge that can never break, and I will do the work myself.”

奥恩扬起一边眉毛。他端详着三妹的眼睛。奥恩不信任她，因为她的身上有一股魔法的气息。而魔法会让任何坚固的事物都变得脆弱。“善于建桥的工匠并不少。找他们去。”

Ornn raised an eyebrow. He studied the Third Sister’s eyes. He did not trust her, for she had a scent of magic about her, and magic always makes sturdy things weaker. “There are many able bridge builders. Go and bother them.”

“其他工匠并不能用我们的石材建桥。”三妹回答：“他们说这石头是从天上掉下来的，他们竭尽所能也没法利用。”她说着递过来一块星铁。

“The other builders cannot make a bridge with the type of stone we have,” the Third Sister replied. “They claim it fell from the sky, and they cannot forge it for all their efforts.” She then presented a chunk of star metal.

如果你见过星铁就会明白，任何人只要够聪明就会意识到只有奥恩才能熔炼这种矿石，因为这星铁就和他一样坚硬顽固。奥恩同意了，但他要独自干活，并且要求用星铁来作为他的报酬。

If you had seen the star metal, you would think it wise that only Ornn could possibly ever shape this material, for it was almost as stubborn and unyielding as him. Ornn agreed, but he would do the work alone, and required the star metal itself as payment.

三妹把矿石给了他，然后奥恩用它锻造了一把建桥的工具。

The Third Sister gave it to him, and he used it to forge a tool to help build the bridge.

奥恩只用这把工具就造好了桥。二姐对三妹的谎话感到不安，因为她们根本就不需要一座桥。她问奥恩这是一把什么工具。

With that tool, and only that tool, Ornn built the bridge. The Second Sister felt bad about the Third Sister’s lie—for they did not need a bridge at all. She asked Ornn what sort of tool it was.

“我用这工具来锤东西。”奥恩说：“所以我叫它‘锤子’。我说完了。”

“I used it to hammer,” Ornn said. “So I will call it ‘Hammer.’ I have said enough.”

当奥恩走远后，三妹走在桥上，一路吟诵起古怪的咒语。这咒语将大桥变成了一根门闩，封锁住深渊下的怪物。但是，奥恩想得没错，魔法对他的作品是有害的。如果不是这三姐妹在大桥上动手脚的话，这建筑就能永远伫立下去。然而，咒语会逐渐侵蚀大桥的石料。不过这个过程需要很多很多很多年，所以没什么人会注意得到。三姐妹也发誓，永远不会再提起奥恩的名字。

When he was out of sight, the Third Sister walked the length of the bridge, reciting strange incantations across the entire span. This turned the bridge into a crossbar that sealed the beasts below within the abyss. However, Ornn had been right, and the addition of magic ruined the quality of his work. Had the Three Sisters left it well enough alone, it would have lasted forever. Instead, the enchantment would slowly eat away at the masonry. It would take ages, though, so nobody paid it much mind, and the Three Sisters vowed never to speak of Ornn again.

与此同时，奥恩也意识到自己不喜欢别人来求他帮忙，所以他把自己的铲子朝西边用尽力气扔了出去，没人知道掉在了哪里。这把铲子的下落也从此遗失在了黑暗中。

Ornn, meanwhile, realized he did not like people asking him favors, and threw his spade as far to the west as he could. Where it landed, no one knows, and its fate is lost to darkness.

然后他转向东边，把他最喜欢的叉子远远地扔了出去，最终落进了大海。后来有人传说，一位人鱼王在海底找到了一把蕴含神力的三叉戟，从此一直统治着自己的王国。

Then he turned east and threw his favorite eating fork as far as he could. It landed in the Great Sea. Some say, later, a mer-king found a powerful trident at the sea-bottom, and still uses it to rule his kingdom.

奥恩正打算把锤子朝高高的夜空抛去，但他最终还是下不去手，于是便留了下来。如果你有机会问奥恩，这锤子是不是他最爱的工具，他肯定会大声嗤笑，说你天真得像个小鬼头。但实际上，他把锤子看得比他所有的其他造物都要宝贝。

Ornn was ready to throw his hammer into the night sky, but he could not bear to do it and decided to keep it. Were you to see Ornn and ask him if it is his favorite tool, he would scold you for thinking like a child. But in secret, he favors Hammer above all other things he has made.

“黎明会带来最饱满的浆果，和最肥美的鲜鱼。”我跟孩子们说：“我们要好好休息一下了。”

“Dawn brings the plumpest berries and the meatiest fish,” I say to the children. “We need to be rested.”孩子们齐齐叫嚷起来，并恳求我再讲一个故事。一个就好。They groan in unison and plead with me for one more story. Just one more story.“奥恩的故事就剩一个啦，我们还是留到明晚再讲吧……”我说。“There is only one more story about Ornn left,” I tell them. “We should save it for another night…”只有当他们求着干脏活累活，而且不会抱怨的时候，我才肯松口。

Only when they pledge to do every chore and not complain about being too tired, do I relent.

谁都知道千万别在酒桌上挑战一头巨魔，对不对？就连你们这些小家伙都知道不要跟巨魔打赌，因为他们都很奸诈，总是能赢。而且，在弗雷尔卓德人尽皆知，一头巨魔要是越丑，他的运气就越好，而且也越奸诈。

Everyone knows that you never challenge a troll to a drinking contest, don’t they? Even you little ones know not to make a bet with a troll, for trolls are sneaky and will always win. Also, everyone in the Freljord knows that the uglier a troll is, the luckier and more cunning it can be.

可惜，这些事情奥恩却一样也不知道。

Unfortunately, Ornn did not know any of these things.

“丑八怪瓜布拉克”是世界上年纪最大的巨魔族人。他有着长长的胸毛，长得能缠在他粗大的脚趾头上……啊呸！所以他总是会自己绊倒自己，摔破他的鼻子。因为摔过太多次，他的鼻子已经完全没了原本的形状，变成一团肉球的样子。他只有两颗好牙，一只眼睛眼神不好，另一只更差劲。溜圆的肚子上到处都是痦子和疣。我绝对不会告诉他身上的味道闻起来是什么样的。否则，你就再也吃不下鲊鱼炖菜了。

Grubgrack the Hideous was the oldest troll-kin in the world. His chest hair was so long, it got tangled up in his gnarled toes. Ugh! He would often trip over it and break his nose, which was bulbous and misshapen from being broken so many times. He only had two good teeth, one bad eye, and one worse eye. Warts and pimples covered his rotund belly. I will not tell you how he smelled. If I did, you would never eat fermented fish stew again.

“帮我造一扇门，保护我的财宝，让小偷儿永远也偷不到，那种门。”瓜布拉克敲开了炉乡的门，跟奥恩说：“我会给你十桶巨魔蜜酒，祖传秘方酿的。”

“Build me a door that will keep my treasure safe from thieves forever,” Grubgrack said to Ornn outside Hearth-Home, “and I will give you ten casks of my trollmead. It’s a family recipe.”

奥恩没搭理他，但瓜布拉克把脚塞进来堵住了门。奥恩不想让巨魔那黏糊糊的脚板弄脏了油漆，于是他就让瓜布拉克继续说。

Ornn dismissed his guest, but Grubgrack stuck out his foot to stop the door from closing. Ornn did not want the troll’s bunion-covered toes ruining the paint, so he let the creature go on.

“咱们打个赌呗，”这头丑八怪巨魔说：“看看谁能先喝完一桶巨魔蜜酒，另一个人就要为他做一件事儿。”

“Let us make a wager,” said the truly un-beautiful troll. “Whoever can finish a cask of trollmead first owes the other a debt.”

“如果这样就能让你走开的话，好吧。”奥恩从来没有在酒桌上输过。当年没人不知道。你们现在也知道了。

“If it will make you go away, okay.” Ornn had never been beaten in a drinking contest. Everyone knew this back then, and now you do, too.

“反正喝一杯总没错儿。”瓜布拉克说完笑了起来。他的笑容吓得炉乡的一根柱子都打了个哆嗦。等奥恩转身的当口，巨魔往酒桶里塞了一块臻冰的碎片，然后递给了他。

“At least it will be good to have a drink,” Grubrack replied, and his smile warped one of the Hearth-Home’s pillars. While Ornn’s back was turned, the troll slipped a shard of True Ice into a cask and handed it to his challenger.

他们互相致以弗雷尔卓德的痛饮礼，然后大口大口地喝起来。奥恩发觉这蜜酒有些淡，他不太喜欢。但是，这个时候瓜布拉克已经喝掉了一半，而他自己的酒却还几乎与桶沿平齐。奥恩仰头猛灌起来，差点儿就以为自己要被溺死了。

They toasted in the jovial manner of the Freljord and drank. Ornn found the trollmead watered down, and he did not like it. However, Grubgrack was halfway through his cask. With his own cask still almost at the brim, Ornn tipped his head back further and drank until he thought he would drown.

可是，瓜布拉克还是先他一步把空空的酒桶摔在了地上。巨魔打了个饱嗝，炉火瞬间被熏得变成了惨兮兮的绿色！奥恩一边咳，一边语无伦次地咕哝。

But Grubgrack slammed his empty cask down and belched, and the fire in the oven turned a sickly green! Ornn coughed and spluttered.

“怎么了呀？”瓜布拉克嬉皮笑脸地问：“你是不是呛着了哇？”

“What is wrong?” Grubgrack teased him. “Are you choking?”

奥恩这才发现了酒里的臻冰。正是冰块不停地溶解才冲淡了蜜酒。不管他怎样牛饮一气，臻冰都会续上。奥恩一手砸碎了酒桶。

Then Ornn noticed the True Ice in his drink. It was perpetually melting and watering down the trollmead. No matter how much he chugged, the True Ice had replaced it. He smashed the cask with one hand.

“你耍诈了。”奥恩的怒火引发了一场地震，好几个小岛被沉进了海里。

“You cheated,” Ornn said. His angry voice set off an earthquake that sunk a few islands.

“当然咯！不然像我这样的丑八怪巨魔怎么可能有本事赢得了伟大的奥恩呢？”老实说，这头最丑的巨魔在世上几乎无往不利，但是奥恩跟丑陋的巨魔们没怎么打过交道，自然也就不知道了。不过小家伙们，你们现在知道了吧。“你可别反悔唷！”瓜布拉克提醒他。

“Of course! What other advantage would an ugly troll like me have against the mighty Ornn?” In truth, the ugliest trolls have almost all the advantages in the world, but Ornn did not spend much time with ugly trolls, so he wouldn’t know that, but now all of you little ones do. “A deal is a deal,” Grubgrack reminded him.

“我说过的话就像锤子一样过硬。”奥恩低吼道：“就算是我被你耍了。”

“My word is as good as Hammer,” Ornn grumbled. “Even if I was cheated.”

所以，奥恩花了十天时间造了一扇无人能及的大门。他在门上装了一个公羊的头，就和他自己一样，也跟弗雷尔卓德地心深处的那头羊一样。这扇门不会被魔法侵蚀，更别提那些溜门撬锁的家伙。瓜布拉克满意得说不出话来，这倒是很少会在巨魔身上见到的。

So Ornn labored for ten days and built the single best door anyone had ever built. He adorned it with a ram’s head, like his own, and the one at the heart of the Freljord. It was impervious to magic and lock-pickers alike. Grubgrack was so impressed with the quality of the door that he was speechless, which is very rare for a troll.

奥恩关紧了巨魔洞穴的大门。洞穴在巨魔山顶上，史上最丑的巨魔瓜布拉克就在这里藏匿着他的财宝。

Ornn fastened the door in front of the troll’s cave, which was on top of the troll’s mountain, and where all the ugliest troll-kin in history had hid their treasure.

奥恩咕哝一生，晃晃悠悠地下了山，留下瓜布拉克一个人啧啧欣赏着他的新大门。

With a grunt, Ornn trundled off, leaving Grubgrack admiring his new door.

等到瓜布拉克回过神来时，他发觉上一次清点财宝已经是一天之前了。他变得焦躁起来，可却完全不知道怎样打开大门！一点办法也没有！

When he had regained his wits, Grubgrack realized it had been a day since he last counted his gold, and he was growing anxious. But he could find no way to open the door! None at all.

瓜布拉克试着用蛮力撞开，可公羊大门纹丝不动。然后他又想用恶臭的口气把门上的漆熏掉。大门依然毫无反应。最后，他想要把门板的合叶从岩壁上扒拉下来，可是呀，这大门深深地钉进了山里，巨魔抓着门晃了半天，只弄得自己肩膀生疼。他被彻底锁在外面了。

Grubgrack tried brute force. The ram-faced door did not budge. Then, he tried to strip the paint with his foul breath. Again, the door did not budge. Lastly, he tried to pry the hinges from the cave wall but, alas, the door was fixed to the mountain so firmly that the troll only hurt his shoulders trying to shake it loose. He was locked out.

瓜布拉克风风火火地冲进了奥恩的炉乡。“你在玩什么鬼把戏？”他大叫。口气恶臭无比，险些把炉火扑灭。

Grubgrack stormed into Ornn’s forge. “What trickery is this?” he shouted. His breath was so bad, the forge fire nearly flickered out.

“什么把戏也没有。”奥恩说着，把炉火重新挑旺。“你要我建一扇门保护你的宝藏，永远不让任何小偷靠近，我做到了。只要那座山还在，这扇门就一直在。没人能弄开。正如你要求的一样。”

“There is no trickery,” Ornn replied, stoking the flames back to life. “You told me to build a door that would keep your treasure safe from thieves forever, and I did. This door will stand longer than the mountain it is on. No one can break it. I made it just as you asked.”

“可我进不去了！”瓜布拉克叫嚷道：“我又不是贼！”

“But I cannot get inside!” Grubgrack cried. “And I stole nothing from you!”

“时间比金子更宝贵。”奥恩说：“所以你就是个贼，而且我的手艺就和我说过的话一样过硬。”

“Time is more valuable than gold,” Ornn said. “So you are a thief, and my work is as good as my word.”

之后好几年里，瓜布拉克一直试着想要拿到自己的财宝，但大门从来没有开过，他甚至连钥匙孔都找不到。每当他在大门前抓耳挠腮的时候，门上的公羊脑袋就会直直地瞪着他，永远在提醒他曾经欺骗过奥恩。

Grubgrack tried for years to get back inside for his treasure, but the door never opened for him, and he could not even find the keyhole. With each attempt, the ram-headed door stared back at him, an eternal reminder of the time he cheated Ornn.

时至今日，每当雪崩来临前，如果你仔细听的话，仍然能听到高高的山上回荡着贪婪的老瓜布拉克悲痛的嚎叫。

And if you listen carefully, up in the mountains, you can hear greedy old Grubgrack’s wails of anguish before any avalanche, even to this day.

孩子们很快睡着了，在火边偎依着挤成一团。我把这些孤儿一个个抱进帐篷里。虽然我们的部落不算富裕，但我们可不是凛冬之爪。

The children are fast asleep, snuggled into each other around the fire. I carry them one by one to the orphans’ tent. Our tribe hasn’t much to share, but we are not the Winter’s Claw.还有一个孩子侧身躺着，没有睡着。The last child is still awake by the fire. He lies on his side.“这些故事都是假的。”他细声细气地说。“Those stories aren’t real,” he says with the tiniest voice.这是个没有腿的男孩。我们在村子被袭击后，发现了半死不活的他。我们不能抛下他——是我不能，所以我包扎了他的伤口，把他扛在了肩膀上。It’s the legless boy. We found him half-dead after our own village had been raided. We couldn’t leave him—I couldn’t leave him—so I wrapped his wounds in bandages, and carried him on my shoulders.“我觉得这些故事都是编的。也有可能是改过的，好哄我们睡觉。”“I think they are made up. Or… changed to help us go to sleep.”“只要我们相信，故事就是真的。”我在他身边坐下来。“A story is as real as we believe it is,” I tell him, as I settle down next to him.“这个神是好人，可他却不管我们。”“There is a god who is good, but he doesn’t care about us.”我缓缓点头： “我明白你为什么会这么想，但那不是真的。我还有一个故事可以跟你讲。这是我在成为女人之前我祖母和我讲的最后一个故事。她希望我做好准备，因为这个故事可和其他的大不一样。但我觉得你的见识已经足够应付了。你要听吗？”I nod slowly. “I can see why you would think that, but it is not true. There is one more story I can tell you. It was the last story my grandmother told me before I blossomed into womanhood. She wanted me to be ready, for it is not like the others. But I think you have seen enough to be ready. What do you think?”男孩点点头。我把他抱进怀里，开始了讲述。

The boy nods. I draw him close to my chest and begin.

很久很久以前，早在弗雷尔卓德还未分裂的时候，奥恩的山脚下住着一群匠人。他们声称自己的信仰就是奥恩。可如果你问他本人的话，这些匠人都搞错了，因为奥恩会说他没有信徒。不过，他们确实建起了一座小镇，里面住着的人，都希望自己能造出世界上最棒的器物。

Once, long before the splintering of the Freljord, Ornn had a legion of smiths who lived at the base of his mountain. They claimed to worship Ornn, but if you were to ask him, they were misguided, for he would say he had no followers. Still, it is true that they built themselves a little town and that it was filled with folk who wished to make the finest things in all the world.

这群人有好几千个。他们会制作工具，制作犁头，还有手推车、盔甲和马鞍。他们建起了熔炉和家园，称自己是“炉家人”，因为他们从来没有感受过弗雷尔卓德噬人的寒冷，也能光脚踩在炉乡的山坡上，忍受着脚底沸腾的热量。他们成为了世界上最好的一群工匠，所造的物件只有在奥恩面前才会甘拜下风。

There were thousands of them. They made tools. They made plows. They made carts and armor and saddles. They built furnaces and homes. They called themselves the Hearthblood, for they never felt the biting cold of the Freljord, and could tolerate the immense heat bubbling beneath their bare feet on the slopes of Hearth-Home. They became the finest craftspeople in the world, and their workmanship was surpassed in quality only by Ornn’s.

奥恩偶尔也会品鉴一下他们的作品。如果他要是喜欢某个炉家人的手艺，他只会简单地说上一句“还行”。这就是奥恩能够给出的最高评价，因为他很久之前就知道，好东西根本不需要赞美。你还记得那个故事吧？

Occasionally, he would appraise their work. If he liked what one of the Hearthblood had wrought, he simply said “Passable.” This was a mighty compliment from Ornn, who had learned long ago to let good work speak for itself. Do you remember that tale?

奥恩从来没有承认过他对炉家人心存赞许，但在他火山一般热烈的内心深处搅动着对手艺人的尊重。他们不需要下跪，也不需要献上祭品。他们不会把他的话记成经文，传到天下那些不愿意聆听的人的耳朵里。与之相反，他们一言不发，只专注于手头的活计。这些人充满幻想、精力无限，而且勤奋非常。炉家人让奥恩露出了微笑——虽然没人敢肯定，因为他的大胡子挡住了笑容。

Ornn never admitted that he admired the Hearthblood but, deep inside his chest, his volcanic heart churned with respect for the hardworking people. They did not kneel or offer him sacrificed flesh. They did not turn his words into scriptures and spread them across the land to people who did not want to hear them. Instead, they focused on their work in silence. They were imaginative, resourceful, and hardworking. These Hearthblood folks made Ornn smile, although nobody knew because they couldn’t see the smile underneath his beard.

这天，沃利贝尔来探访他的兄长奥恩。

One day, Volibear came to visit his brother Ornn.

来者不善，因为奥恩和他的弟兄从来就不和睦，他们之前也从未拜访过彼此。巨熊准备打仗，所以需要一些武器来装备他的军队。奥恩见过他的军队，一个个都是奇形怪状的家伙，他们把自己弄成畸形的模样，为的就是取悦沃利贝尔。这些人头脑简单，性情暴烈，一言不合就会发怒。

This was no friendly stop, for Ornn and his brother were never friendly, nor had they ever visited one another before. The great bear was going to make war and needed weapons for his army. Ornn saw the army—fierce aberrations, men twisted into other shapes by their efforts to please Volibear. They were simple, and fierce, and quick to anger.

“给他们剑和斧子。”沃利贝尔不怀好意地要求道：“还有盔甲，我会好好报答你的。”

“Give them swords and axes,” Volibear demanded, with wicked intent. “Give them armor, and I will make it worth your while.”

“不。”奥恩根本不想掺和沃利贝尔的打打杀杀。

“No,” said Ornn, for he wanted no part in Volibear’s warmongering.

“行。”沃利贝尔说：“那就让你的信徒们干。我不在乎。做吧。我可是你的兄弟。”

“Fine,” said Volibear. “Have your followers do it instead. I do not care. Do this. I am your brother.”

这下奥恩恼了，他的巨角上闪出流动的火光。“山下镇子的人不是我的信徒。他们造东西是为了自己。他们话不多，干活很卖力。就这样。”

This irked Ornn so much that his great horns flared with molten heat. “The people in the town below do not follow me. They build for themselves. They are quiet and work hard. That is all.”

但是沃利贝尔透过他的话察觉到了奥恩胸膛中的热情。虽然沃利贝尔缺点多多，但他察言观色的本领确实不低。

But Volibear saw beneath his brother’s words to the fiery heart in his chest. For all his flaws, Volibear was very good at reading others.

“他们就是你自己的投影。”

“They are a reflection of your own image.”

奥恩的犄角先是发红，然后变成白热。“沃利贝尔，如果我再看见你，我就会把你揍得死去活来。”他吼着说。如果你听到这种威胁就会明白，只要沃利贝尔够聪明的话，他就该乖乖离开，再也不会回来。

Ornn’s horns grew red hot, and then white hot. “If I see you again, Volibear, I will beat you within an inch of your life,” he growled. If you had heard this threat, you would think it wise for Volibear to leave and never return.

可是沃利贝尔喜欢打架，他也不够聪明。所以他从奥恩的熔炉里拖出了一块盔甲。

But Volibear loved fighting, and he was not wise, so he took a piece of armor from the walls of Ornn’s forge.

“如果你不帮我，我就自己拿了。”

“If you will not make me what I want, then I will take it.”

话音刚落，奥恩便低下头，一对犄角结结实实地撞上了沃利贝尔。这一下可谓惊天动地，连山巅都被撼动了。

With that, Ornn charged at Volibear and smashed him with his horns. It was so powerful a blow, the summit of the mountain shook.

这却恰恰正中沃利贝尔下怀。无数世纪以来，炉家人对奥恩无私的敬爱已经深深地刺激了他的妒意。雷霆巨熊被彻底激怒了。

This was exactly what Volibear wanted. For centuries, he had grown jealous of the love the Hearthblood freely gave to his brother. It enraged the war-bear.

他们整整打了八天。两人的搏斗无比激烈，以至于大山的基座都在颤抖。熔融的矿石从炉乡顶峰喷薄而出。闪电密集地打在山上，山崖的裂缝中爆发出火焰的喷泉。天空中红黑相间。大地震颤，世界心脏里的血液在高地上肆意流淌。整个弗雷尔卓德的人们都见证了沃利贝尔和奥恩的较量。

They fought for eight days. They fought so hard, the base of the mountain trembled. So fierce was their fighting that molten stone exploded from the peak of Hearth-Home. Lighting strikes barraged the mountainside, and geysers of flame gushed from the cliffs. The skies grew black and red. The blood of the world ran through the highlands as the ground shook. People all over the Freljord saw the results of the battle between Volibear and Ornn.

当烟尘散去时，大山的峰顶已经消失不见了。但更糟糕的是，所有的炉家人都死了。他们的小镇已经不复存在，只剩下一堆还在闷烧的废墟，和一段渐渐消散的过去。

When the smoke cleared, the mountain had lost its peak. But worse, the Hearthblood were all dead, and their town was nothing but smoldering ruins and a fading memory.

许多个世纪过去了，没了山头的炉乡一直沉默地伫立着。原本是山顶的大坑里时不时地腾起滚滚的浓烟。有人说这是奥恩还在照看着他的熔炉，不让地底的烈火在世上流窜。还有些人说，他正在锻造一把伟大的武器，总有一天会派上用场。

For many centuries, the half-mountain once called Hearth-Home has stood silent. Every now and then, a plume of smoke rises from the crater where the peak once stood. Some say it is Ornn, lighting his furnace to keep the fires under the surface of the world from going out. Others say he is building a great weapon that he will one day unleash.

更有一些人认为，奥恩被沃利贝尔杀死了，因为自从那之后起，弗雷尔卓德的大地上就再也没有人见过他。

And there are others still, who believe Ornn was killed by Volibear, for he has not been seen in the Freljord since.

“所以，奥恩的名字和传说已经散落在了漫漫时间里，也没有任何历史记载下来。而这些只在烤鱼的香味中流传的故事，就是仅剩的关于他的记忆了。”

“And so, Ornn’s name and tales have been lost to time and written out of the histories. These few stories, passed on around our meals of roasted fish, are all that remain.”“这个故事真悲伤，所以要比其他故事更像真的。”没腿的男孩抬起头看着我。他的眼里含着一滴泪：“你相信什么样的结局呢？奥恩后来怎么样了？”“That is a sad tale, which means it is the truest,” the legless boy says, looking up at me. There is a tear in his eye. “What do you believe happened to Ornn?”“我相信当伟大的巨匠再次回归时，就是为了重塑这个世界。”我告诉他。“I believe when the Great Builder returns,” I tell him, “it will be to remake the world.”男孩笑了： “我很想看看那一天。”The boy laughs. “I would like to see that day.”“也许你会看到的。不要为炉家人哭泣了。你该为那些在战争和时间里失传的故事哭泣，因为曾经它们比天空中的繁星还要多得多。你要不断重复这些故事，让我们的孩子的孩子仍然能够听到来自我们祖先的声音，让我们心中的炉火永远不灭地流传下去。”“Maybe you will. Do not weep for the Hearthblood. Weep instead for the stories lost to war and time, for once they were more numerous than the stars. Repeat these tales so our children’s children can still hear our ancestors’ voices, and stoke the fire of the forge in our hearts.”在我的心底，我感觉到了祖母的微笑。In my own heart, I can feel my grandmother’s smile.温暖包裹着我。赤足下传来的寒意早已不见了踪影。

It warms me. I feel no cold beneath my bare feet.