The Hammer of Thor

Sif was the wife of mighty Thor, the thunder-god, and she was very proud of her beautiful golden hair, which she combed and braided with great care. One morning when she awoke she was filled with grief and dismay to find that her lovely hair had been cut off in the night, while she slept. Her husband happened to be away that day, but when he came home late at night, Sif was careful to keep out of his sight, she felt so ashamed of her shorn head.

西芙是雷神托尔的妻子，她非常珍爱自己那头美丽的金发，总是仔细梳理、精心编织。一天早晨她醒来时，惊恐万分，悲痛不已，因为她发现自己那头秀发在睡梦中竟被人剪掉了。她的丈夫那天恰巧外出，可是等他深夜回家时，西芙小心翼翼地躲着不让他看见，因为她实在为自己那颗光秃秃的头感到羞愧。

Thor, however, soon called for Sif, and when he saw what had been done to her, he was very angry. Now Thor had a quick temper; every one feared his fierce anger. "Who could have done this wicked deed?" thought he. "There is only one among all the Aesir who would think of doing such a thing!"

不过托尔很快就把西芙叫了过来，一见到她的模样，顿时勃然大怒。托尔本就脾气火爆，众神都惧怕他的雷霆之怒。“究竟是谁干出这种缺德事？”他心想。“阿萨神族里，也只有一个家伙会想出这种花招！”

Thor lost no time in finding Loki, and that mischief-god had to admit that he was the guilty one, but he begged Thor to give him just a few days, and he promised to get something for Sif that would make her look more beautiful than ever. So Thor decided to give him a chance to try, and commanded him to give back to Sif her golden hair.

托尔立刻去找洛基，那位捣蛋之神也只得承认是自己干的，可他恳求托尔宽限他几天时间，并许诺要为西芙找来一样东西，让她看起来比从前更加美丽。于是托尔决定给他一个机会，命令他务必要把西芙的金发还回来。

Now Loki knew a place where some wonderful workmen lived, so he went off, as fast as he could go, to Niflheim, the home of the dwarfs, under the earth, and asked one of them to make quickly some golden hair for Sif. Besides this, he asked for two gifts to carry to the gods Odin and Frey, so that they might be on his side if Thor should bring his complaint before the Aesir.

洛基知道有个地方住着一群手艺高超的工匠，于是他火速赶往地下的尼福尔海姆，那是矮人们的家园，请其中一位矮人赶紧为西芙打造一头金发。除此之外，他还请矮人多做两件礼物，好送给天神奥丁和弗雷，这样一来，倘若托尔真把这事闹到阿萨神族面前，这两位神明也能站在他这一边。

Loki did not have to wait long before the dwarf brought him a quantity of beautiful hair, spun from the finest golden thread. It had the wonderful power of growing just like real hair, as soon as it touched any one's head. Besides this, there was a spear for Odin, which never missed its aim, no matter how far it was thrown, and for Frey, a ship that could sail through the air as well as the sea. Although it was large enough to hold all the gods and their horses, yet it could be folded so that it was small enough to put in one's pocket.

洛基没等多久，那矮人便给他送来了一大把用最精细的金线纺成的美丽头发。这头发有种神奇的力量，只要一碰到谁的头，就会像真发一样生长起来。除此之外，还有一支送给奥丁的长矛，无论投掷多远都从不失手；还有一艘送给弗雷的船，既能在空中飞行，也能在海上航行。这艘船大得足以装下所有的神明和他们的坐骑，却又能折叠得小巧到可以放进口袋里。

Loki was greatly pleased with these wonderful presents, and declared that this dwarf must be the most skillful workman of them all. Now it happened that another dwarf, named Brock, heard him say this, and he told Loki that he was sure he and his brother could make more wonderful things than these.

洛基对这几样神奇的礼物十分满意，还夸口说这位矮人一定是所有工匠中手艺最精湛的一个。恰巧另一个名叫布罗克的矮人听见了这话，便对洛基说，他敢肯定自己和兄弟能打造出比这更神奇的东西来。

Loki did not believe that could be done, but he told Brock to try his skill; the Aesir should judge between them and the one who should fail in the trial must lose his head.

洛基不相信这话，但还是让布罗克试试自己的手艺；由阿萨众神来评判高下，谁若是比试失败，就要献上自己的脑袋。

Then Brock called his brother, Sindri, and they set to work at once. They first built a great fire, and Sindri threw into it a lump of gold; then he told Brock to blow the bellows while he went out, and be sure not to stop blowing until he should come back.

于是布罗克叫来了他的兄弟辛德里，两人立刻动起手来。他们先是生起一堆熊熊大火，辛德里往火里扔进一块金子，随后吩咐布罗克拉风箱，自己则出门去了，并叮嘱他在自己回来之前千万不能停手。

Brock thought this an easy task, but his brother had not long been gone when a huge fly came in and buzzed about his face, and bothered him so that he could hardly keep on blowing; still he was able to finish his work, so that when Sindri came back, they took out of the fire an enormous wild boar, which gave out light, and could travel through the air with wonderful speed.

布罗克本以为这是件轻松的差事，可他兄弟才走没多久，一只巨大的苍蝇便飞了进来，在他脸上嗡嗡打转，扰得他几乎没法继续拉风箱；可他还是咬牙坚持了下来，等辛德里回来时，他们从火中取出了一头庞大的野猪，浑身发光，还能以惊人的速度腾空飞驰。

On the second day Sindri threw another lump of gold into the fire, and left his brother to blow the bellows. Again the buzzing, stinging fly came, and was even more troublesome than before; but Brock tried very hard to be patient, and was able to bear it without stopping his work until Sindri returned. Then they took from the fire a magic ring of gold, from which eight new rings fell off every week.

第二天，辛德里又往火里扔进一块金子，留下兄弟一人拉风箱。那只嗡嗡作响、又爱蜇人的苍蝇又飞了来，这回比先前还要讨厌；可布罗克拼命忍耐，一直坚持到辛德里归来，中途没有停手。这一次，他们从火中取出了一枚神奇的金戒指，每七天就会自动脱落出八枚新戒指。

The third day a lump of iron was put into the fire, and Brock was again left alone. In came the cruel fly,—have you guessed that it was really that mischief-maker Loki? He bit the poor little dwarf so hard on the forehead that the blood ran down into his eyes, and blinded him so that he could no longer see to do his work.

第三天，火里放进了一块铁，布罗克又一次独自留下。那只可恶的苍蝇又飞了进来——你们大概已经猜到了，它其实就是那位捣蛋鬼洛基。它狠狠地在这可怜的小矮人额头上咬了一口，血顺着流进了他的眼睛，把他弄得双目模糊，再也看不清手头的活计。

Poor Brock had to stop just before Sindri came home, but not before the hammer which they were making in the fire was nearly finished, only the handle came out rather too short. This magic hammer was named Miölnir. It had the power of never missing its mark, and would always return to the hand which threw it.

可怜的布罗克不得不在辛德里到家前一刻停了手，不过就在这时，他们正在火中锻造的那把锤子已经快要完工了，只是锤柄打得稍微短了些。这把神奇的锤子名叫米约尔尼尔，具有百发百中的神力，无论投出多远，都会自动飞回投掷者的手中。

When Loki appeared at last before the Aesir, with the two dwarf brothers and their gifts, it was declared that they had made the finest things, for the hammer, which was given to Thor, would surely be most useful in keeping the giants out of Asgard.

等到洛基终于带着两位矮人兄弟和他们的礼物来到阿萨众神面前时，大家一致公认，这两兄弟打造的东西才是最精美的，因为那把送给托尔的锤子，日后必定大有用处，能挡住巨人们进犯阿斯加德。

When Loki found that the judgment was against him, he started to run away; but Thor soon made him turn back by threatening to throw his hammer after him.

洛基见判决对自己不利，转身就要逃跑；可托尔立刻威胁要把锤子朝他掷去，逼得他不得不转身回来。

Then Loki had to collect his wits, and think of some way to escape losing his head, instead of making the dwarfs pay the forfeit, as he had expected. At last he told Brock and Sindri that they could have his head, according to the agreement, but as nothing had been said about his neck, they could not, of course, touch that.

洛基这才不得不定下心神，想办法逃过掉脑袋的下场，而不是像他原先盘算的那样，让矮人们白忙一场、自食其果。最后，他对布罗克和辛德里说，按照当初的约定，他们可以拿走他的脑袋，可是约定里并没有提到他的脖子，所以他们当然不能碰他的脖子分毫。

Thus the wily Loki, by his wit, saved his life.

就这样，狡猾的洛基凭着自己的机智，保住了性命。