西方文化不喜歡13的13點原因

2016-03-14 08:57:37  每日學英語
西方文化不喜歡13的13點原因
  This is going to be a very trying year for people with Triskaidekaphobia, also known as the fear of the number 13.

  對于那些患有數(shù)字13恐懼癥的人們來說,今年可真是難熬的一年。

  While the superstitious folks afflicted with this problem can easily stay home on Friday the 13th, it’s going to be a lot harder to stay inside for another 362 days.

  以往迷信的人可以在家躲過每個13號的周五,但剩下362天難道也在家宅過去嗎?

  Why is 13 considered unlucky, anyway?

  那么為什么13會被認為是不吉利的數(shù)字呢?

  原因1:

  There were 13 people at the Last Supper.

  最后的晚餐有13個人

  It's said that Judas Iscariot and the one who betrayed Jesus - was the 13th man to take his place at the table.

  據說背叛耶穌的信徒猶大就坐在飯桌的第十三個位子上。

  原因2:

  Similarly, there’s a Norse legend that has 12 gods sitting down to a banquet when the 13th (uninvited) god, Loki, shows up.

  同樣,在北歐神話中有12個神的宴會,結果第十三個到來的就是不請自來的洛基(最會惹麻煩的神)。

  Loki killed one of the other gods, which led to events that eventually resulted in Ragnarok - the death of a bunch of gods, a slew of natural disasters, and the eradication of everything on earth save for two human survivors. There's a lot more to the story than that, but you get the general idea.

  洛基殺了其中一個神引發(fā)了一系列事件,最終導致世界毀滅:眾神的死亡、自然災害和地球上一切的消亡(僅幸存2名人類)。這個故事遠沒有這么簡單,但你能差不多明白個大概。

  原因3:

  Many Christians also believe that the Cain and Abel debacle took place on that date

  很多基督徒認為該隱和他弟弟亞伯是在13號決裂的。

  Let's go back to Christianity for a moment. Many Christians believe that Jesus was crucified on Friday.

  我們回頭再來看一下基督教,基督徒認為耶穌是周五被釘在十字架上處死的。

  Researchers, however, believe that it wasn't a case of Friday the 13th lore - it was possibly something like Friday, April 3, 33 A.D. But that doesn't mean the 13th is off the hook.

  然而研究者認為并不是像傳言中在一個13號的周五——有可能是公元33年4月3號星期五。但這也不能排除13這個數(shù)字的不祥之兆。

  原因4:

  Traditionally, there used to be 13 steps leading up the gallows.

  傳統(tǒng)中通往絞刑臺有13個階梯。

  There's also a legend that a hangman's noose traditionally contained 13 turns, but it's actually more like eight.

  原因5:

  Apollo 13 is the only unsuccessful moon mission (intended to get men on the moon, anyway) thus far.

  阿波羅13號是目前為止唯一失敗的登月計劃(試圖送太空員登月)。

  An oxygen tank exploded and the survival of the astronauts on board was pretty touch-and-go for several days, but they did all come home safely in the end (but you already knew that).

  阿波羅13號氧氣罐爆炸,艙內的宇航員要想生存好幾天真是難上加難,他們想盡一切辦法最終安全回到地面(也許你已經知道這件事)。

  原因6:

  There was a mass arrest and execution of the Knights Templar on Friday, October 13, 1307.

  1307年十月13號,星期五,有一次大規(guī)模的圣殿騎士追捕執(zhí)行活動。

  原因7:

  Apollo 13 is the only unsuccessful moon mission (intended to get men on the moon, anyway) thus far.

  阿波羅13號是目前為止唯一失敗的登月計劃(試圖送太空員登月)。

  An oxygen tank exploded and the survival of the astronauts on board was pretty touch-and-go for several days, but they did all come home safely in the end (but you already knew that).

  阿波羅13號氧氣罐爆炸,艙內的宇航員要想生存好幾天真是難上加難,他們想盡一切辦法最終安全回到地面(也許你已經知道這件事)。

  原因8:

  it was once believed that a coven was made up of exactly 13 members.

  曾一度認為巫師會里有13個成員。

  Although a coven is now just considered to be any group of witches (or vampires, if you’re into a certain young adult series about sparkly supernaturals)

  如果你是對超自然系列迷戀的年輕人,現(xiàn)在的巫師會不過是一群巫師(或吸血鬼)的集會而已。

  原因9:

  There’s an old superstition that says if you have 13 letters in your name, you’re bound to have the devil’s luck.

  老的傳言中說如果你的名字里有13個字母,那么你注定有魔鬼的運氣。

  Silly, yes, but slightly more convincing when you consider that Charles Manson, Jack the Ripper, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all contain 13 letters (I know, I know, what about their middle names?).

  聽起來是挺傻,但想想這些有13個字母的人名Charles Manson, Jack the Ripper, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy 和 Albert De Salvo是不是有點說服力了?(我當然知道,他們的全名是什么來著?)

  原因10:

  Kids officially become teenagers at the age of 13, and we all know that’s a scary phase.

  官方認為小孩于13歲成為青少年,我們都知道這是個恐怖時期。

  原因11:

  In numerology, the number 12 is considered to be the representation of perfection and completion.

  數(shù)字學中,12被認為代表著完美和完整。

  It stands to reason, then, that trying to improve upon perfection by adding a digit is a very bad idea indeed - your greed will be rewarded with bad luck.

  這是有道理的,想在完美上錦上添花本就是個餿主意——你的貪心只會帶來厄運。

  原因12:

  In numerology, the number 12 is considered to be the representation of perfection and completion.

  數(shù)字學中,12被認為代表著完美和完整。

  It stands to reason, then, that trying to improve upon perfection by adding a digit is a very bad idea indeed - your greed will be rewarded with bad luck.

  這是有道理的,想在完美上錦上添花本就是個餿主意——你的貪心只會帶來厄運。

  原因13:

  Friday, October 13, 1972, was a bad day in the history of aviation.

  1972年10月13號星期五,對于航空來說是個災難日。

  That's the day that Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 infamously crashed in the Andes, killing 29 people. On the exact same day, 174 people were killed when a Soviet Aeroflot crashed in a lake about a kilometer from the runway.

  那一天烏拉圭空軍571墜毀于安第斯山脈造成29人死亡。同日,前蘇聯(lián)俄羅斯航空墜毀于跑到一公里以外的湖里,造成174人死亡。

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