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赫淮斯托斯(Hephaestus)是希腊神话中的火神,也是锻造之神、砌石之神、雕塑之神与工匠之神,奥林匹斯山上12大神之一。
赫淮斯托斯在不同经典中形象似乎越来越差。是否可以从阶级分析的观点解释?掌握文字的读书人,对他这种劳动人民的代表有所蔑视。
公元前九世纪口头传唱的荷马史诗《伊里亚特》,把赫淮斯托斯形象写得非常正面。宙斯训斥赫拉,他为父母打圆场,说话得体。大英雄阿喀琉斯的盔甲,由他打造,刀枪不入。阿喀琉斯被河神档住,他奉赫拉之命下凡放火烧退河神。总之,文武双全大英雄。出现的太分散,我就不具体引述了。
稍后的荷马史诗《奥德赛》中,赫淮斯托斯娶了最美丽的女人阿佛洛狄忒为妻。最美丽,因为特洛伊王子帕里斯把不和女神的金苹果给了阿佛洛狄忒。但赫淮斯托斯却结结实实地带了顶绿帽子。在第8卷用两页多写这个故事(大陆合法发行的是牛津版The Odyssey的Walter Shering的散文译本,无法说确切的行数)。阿佛洛狄忒与战神阿瑞斯就在火神的床上滚床单。赫淮斯托斯到底是能工巧匠,设计了机关将奸夫淫妇现场捉奸,然后吊在奥林匹斯山众神前展示。诸神未必同情他的遭遇,反而羡慕战神的艳福。如下面所引
Then Load Apollo the son of Zeus spoke thus to Hermes: ‘Hermes, giver of blessings, messenger, son of Zeus,would you be content to be chained as fast, if then you could lie abed with golden Aphrodite?’ And the Radiant One answered him: ‘O Load Apollo of dartingarrows – would that it might be so! Though desperate chains in thrice thatnumber were to enclose me round – though all you gods were to have full sight of me, and all the goddesses too – I would even then choose to lie with golden Aphrodite.’ So said Hermes, and laughter arose among the immortal gods. (pp.92-93)
这个显示了火神聪明,未必是智慧。事实上,阿佛洛狄忒继续给他批发绿帽子。例如,《伊里亚特》所述,特洛伊女婿,后来的罗马的始祖埃涅阿斯,就是阿佛洛狄忒与凡间男子所生。
公元前八世纪,赫西俄德的《神谱》对其出身有所保留,说赫淮斯托斯是和赫拉未与宙斯结合的儿子。或许是由于版本原因,说了两遍
But Hera without union with Zeus --for she was very angry and quarrelled with her mate -- bare famous Hephaestus, who is skilled in crafts more than all the sons of Heaven.(829)
But Hera was very angry and quarrelled with her mate. And because of this strife she bare without union with Zeus who holds the aegis a glorious son, Hephaestus, who excelled all the sons of Heaven in crafts.(830)
更惨的是,他的妻子也不是爱与美之神阿佛洛狄忒,而是宙斯与海洋女神所生的“优美三女神”中的最少者
And Hephaestus, the famous Lame One, made Aglaea, youngest of the Graces, his buxom wife.(946)
当然,优美女神也很好。在《神谱》中,赫淮斯托斯的主要功绩是打造灾难女人潘多拉。
在罗马人笔下,阿佛洛狄忒已经成了英明神武的维纳斯,不仅是爱与美之神,也是女战神。几乎有雅典娜的所有长处,只是不再如雅典娜是处女神,而更成熟,更性感。在公元一世纪初期和中期的奥维德《变形记》和维吉尔《埃涅阿斯记》中,赫淮斯托斯(罗马名字伏尔坎)仍是维纳斯的丈夫。前者简述了维纳斯与战神滚床单落入火神机关的故事,后者写火神为埃涅阿斯(妻子与别人生的儿子)打造了盔甲。
在公元一或二世纪的神话汇编The Libraryof Greek Mythology中,赫淮斯托斯就更不堪了。仍然是赫拉未与宙斯同房所生儿子,被宙斯从奥林匹斯山上扔下来摔断了双腿。
Hera gave birth to Hephaistos without prior intercourse. …Zeus threw him from heaven for coming to the aid of his mother when she was put in chains; …Hephaistos fell to earth on Lemnos and was lamed in both his legs, (1.3:5)
后面还试图强暴雅典娜,如在《读希腊神话之伊瑞克提翁》所述。
神话学中还有更专门的内容,如火神最初为何处所信奉,如何进入希腊等。我翻阅过近百年前出版的多卷本经典,W.S. Fox 的The Mythology of All Races关于希腊和罗马神话的第一卷,但记不住了。
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