經典的希臘神話體現了西方世界自古以來對知識的想像，以及對情感的永恆渴望。本書收錄了西方代表性的希臘神話，從諸神之王宙斯，到愛與美的女神阿佛洛狄忒，以充滿奇幻色彩的優美插圖，用清晰而復古的敘事方式，帶領小讀者逐一認識希臘天神的個人魅力，以及神、人、獸三界之間的愛恨情仇。本書由獲獎作家唐娜·喬·納波利和獲獎插畫家克裡斯蒂娜?巴利特攜手合作，整部書是一件令人驚嘆的藝術品。本書文字優美，畫面溫馨，描述了一個個充滿生命活力的永恆神話故事，帶給小讀者無窮盡的想像空間。美好、溫馨的故事適合任何年齡段的讀者，同時也是睡前故事的好選擇。書中還提供有與神話情節有關的歷史、文化和自然現象，幫助小讀者拓展相關知識面，書中還附有古希臘及地中海地圖，顯示了故事的地緣關係，讓小讀者對神話有更深的理解。
圖/文：Donna Jo Napoli/Christina Balit
Cronus, the Titan son of Gaia, Mother Earth, and Uranus, Father Heaven, lived deep in the Earth, where his father had locked him and his brothers and sisters.
克羅諾斯是大地之母蓋亞和天空之父烏拉諾斯的兒子，是泰坦之一。他和兄弟姐妹被父親囚禁在大地深處。
While the others quaked in fear at their father and hid in the shadows of their mother, Cronus just watched and listened.
其他人都被父親嚇得發抖，只敢躲在母親的陰影內，但克羅諾斯只是靜靜地觀察、聆聽。
Gaia suffered.
蓋亞十分痛苦。
The cruelty of this father toward his children was unbearable.
這個父親對孩子做出的殘酷行為讓人無法忍受。
She tore her children an adamantine sickle - lustrous and unbreakable - to confront their father with.
她拉扯自己的頭髮、咬牙切齒。最後，她給了孩子們一把堅硬的鐮刀，閃閃發亮，不會損壞，讓他們去和父親對抗。
Horrified, the children retreated.
孩子們都很害怕，打退堂鼓。
All but Cronus.
只有克羅諾斯除外。
Where his courage came from, he didn't know, but he never hesitated.
他也不知道自己哪來的勇氣，但他從未遲疑。
He waited until nightfall, when his father was asleep.
他等到夜色降臨，等到父親入睡。
Then silently, stealthily, he struck.
接著，他無聲無息、偷偷摸摸地出擊。
Wicked Uranus - his fear became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
惡毒的烏拉諾斯啊——他的恐懼成了自我應驗的預言。
Cruelty is the snake that bites its own tail.
殘酷就像一條蛇，總會咬到自己的尾巴。
The blow was powerful. Not lethal - no, the old man lived on.
那一擊十分有力，然而並不致命——老頭子活了下來，
But withering - he became a shadow of himself, his strength a memory.
但他逐漸凋零，本色盡失，曾經擁有的力量一去不返。
An immortal god humiliated for all time.
一個不死的神永遠蒙受羞辱。
The blood of Uranus splattered across Gaia.
烏拉諾斯的血濺在蓋亞身上。
Gaia spun and spun.
蓋亞不斷旋轉。
Yes, she had wanted freedom for her children, yes and yes.
是的，她想讓孩子自由沒錯。
But, oh, the cost was so dear.
但是，噢！代價是多麼高昂！
She could do nothing but spin through the whole year.
她束手無策，只能一年到頭轉個不停。
And as she spun the blood drops seeped deep within her.
而當她旋轉的時候，烏拉諾斯的血滴滲進了她體內深處。
From them sprang three more groups of children.
於是，另外三群孩子從中誕生。
The furious Erinyes immediately took to the air and flew above Gaia, screaming for vengeance.
憤怒的伊裡涅斯（復仇女神）立刻騰空飛起，在蓋亞上空吶喊著要復仇。
They were their father's daughters.
她們是站在父親那邊的。
They wept blood as their serpent hair snapped at the winds.
她們泣下血淚，蛇發在風中亂咬亂竄。
The giants lumbered forth heavily armed, with breast-plates and spears at the ready.
巨人們則全副武裝，拖著笨重的身子前進，胸甲與長矛皆已齊備。
They looked around, dazed by their sudden existence, knowing nothing about who was at fault - mother or father, who could know?
她們環顧四周，對自己突如其來的存在感到莫名其妙，完全不知道這是誰造成的——是母親還是父親，誰知道呢？
But one thing was for sure: They had to find a way to wage battle.
但有一件事可以肯定：他們得想辦法發動戰爭。
The numerous nymphs didn't hesitate; they were their mother's daughters.
為數眾多的「寧芙」（希臘神話中的精靈或仙女）則毫不猶豫，她們站在母親那邊。
They ran over the boundless earth, hiding in streams and woodland glades and cool grottoes.
她們奔過無垠的大地，躲進溪流、林間空地與涼爽的洞穴中。
They laughed and played, confident already that they would bring delight to a world that so clearly pined for them.
她們嬉笑、玩耍，胸有成竹地相信，她們會給這個明顯企盼她們到來的世界帶來喜樂。
Parts of Uranus splattered across the seas, as well, and thus sprang up the very last child that he would ever father, riding on the sea foam: Aphrodite, who even as a child caused those who viewed her to fall to their knees in wonderment at her beauty.
烏拉諾斯的部分殘骸也濺到了海中，他的最後一個孩子就這麼從浪花中誕生：阿芙柔黛蒂。即使還是個孩子，她就有本事讓任何看見她的人跪倒在地，驚豔於她的美貌。
The Rule of the Titans
泰坦的時代
Gaia and Uranus had 12 Titan children.
蓋亞和烏拉諾斯總共生下12個泰坦孩子，
Cronus was leader, with Rhea as wife.
其中的克羅諾斯是首領，取了瑞亞為妻；
Oceanus encircled the world in water, while Tethys was mother to land rivers.
歐希納斯以水環繞世界，泰西絲則是陸地上的河流之母；
Hyperion was lord of light, with Theia shining beside him.
海佩裡翁是光的主宰者，賽雅則在他身邊閃耀。
The other Titans were important mostly because their descendants were remarkable.
至於其他的泰坦，他們的重要性主要是來自出類拔萃的後代。
Titans ruled in the Golden Age but were overthrown by younger gods - the Olympians.
泰坦統治著黃金時代，但後來被更年輕的神，也就是奧林匹斯諸神推翻。
One Titan, though - Themis - had lasting importance throughout Greek mythology.
然而，有個名叫特米絲的泰坦，倒是在所有的希臘神話中都維持了不變的地位，
She was goddess of right and wrong, embodiment of justice.
她是對與錯的女神，正義的化身。
Not every little thing was right with the universe, but all was far better than it had been for Cronus and his brothers and sisters; they were free.
宇宙並非事事完美，但對克羅諾斯和他的兄弟姐妹而言，一切都改善了很多，因為他們自由了。
Cronus crowed at his victory. Both his mother and father looked at him with fear.
克羅諾斯大肆炫耀自己的勝利，父母都畏懼他三分。
Each parent, separate and hushed, prophesied to him that he would be stripped of his power by his own son.
父親和母親分別偷偷地向他預言：他會被自己的兒子奪去權力。
The prophecy ate at him, for no one knew better than Cronus the destruction that a child could wreak.
這份預言讓克羅諾斯坐立難安，畢竟沒有人比他自己更清楚孩子的破壞力。
He grew sleepless, wild-eyed.
他睡不著覺，眼神變得瘋狂。
Cronus, who had felt no fear as a child, now felt nothing but fear.
小時候天不怕地不怕的克羅諾斯，如今只有滿心的恐懼。
He distrusted at random, and for no reason at all locked his brothers, the Cyclopes and the hundred-handed ones, in the deepest part of the Underworld, dark Tartarus. He could tolerate the company only of his fellow Titans.
他誰也不信任，還毫無緣由地把自己的兄弟——賽克洛普和百臂妖怪——囚禁在冥界的最深處，也就是黑暗的塔塔魯斯，身邊只容得下和他同為泰坦的兄弟姐妹。
Then his Titan sister Rhea caught his eye.
後來，他的泰坦姐妹瑞亞吸引了他的目光。
She was too lovely to resist.
她美得讓人無法抗拒。
So he took her as his wife.
因此他娶她為妻。
But each time she gave birth - producing glorious children, the daughters Hestia and Demeter and Hera, the sons Hades and Poseidon - he panicked and swallowed them.
但她只要一生小孩——女兒有赫思蒂雅、蒂米特和赫拉，兒子有黑帝斯和波塞頓，個個俊美絕倫——他就驚慌失措地把他們吞下肚。
Cannibal? No. No no. He told himself this was simply self-protection.
這算同類相食嗎？不不不，他告訴自己，這只是自我保護。
Cronus' fear of his children transformed his body into their prison - swallow, swallow, five times.
由於太過恐懼自己的孩子，克羅諾斯把自己的身體變成了他們的牢籠——吞吞吞，總共吞了五次。
But the sixth time he swallowed the swaddled stone and began his own demise.
但第六次他吞下的卻是一顆包在包巾裡的石頭，此後他就難逃劫數了。
Rhea like Gaia before her, felt herself drowning in grief.
瑞亞和先前的蓋亞一樣傷心欲絕。
And, like Gaia before her, she finally reached the dreadful conclusion, the only conclusion: She must stop the brutality.
她也和先前的蓋亞一樣，終於悟出了那可怕的、唯一的結論：她必須制止這份兇殘。
When she recognized the first stirring of a new baby within her, she asked her parents, Gaia and Uranus, for help.
當她發現自己腹中再次有了胎動，她就向父母蓋亞以及烏拉諾斯求助。
They shephered her off to the island of Crete, where she gave birth in secrecy to her son Zeus.
他們把她護送到克裡特島，她就在那兒偷偷生下了兒子宙斯。
Then she left her newborn son for her mother to raise, swaddled a stone, and hurried home to Cronus, who quickly seized the false baby and swallowed it.
接著她把剛誕生的兒子留給母親撫養，用包巾包住一顆石頭，隨即趕回克羅諾斯身邊。克羅諾斯火速把那個假寶寶奪過來，一口吞下。
Wretched Cronus, completely duped, completely ignorant that his son Zeus lived, completely doomed.
可悲的克羅諾斯！被騙了還不疑有他，完全不曉得他兒子宙斯還活著。他在劫難逃了。
打賞碼在此：
開媽——Julia，美籍華人，Kyle's Family的女主人，也是一個8歲小男孩的媽媽。Julia初中即移民美國，直至獲工商碩士學位後，回國居住。