[物地介紹] 大釜、魔藥、寇克沃斯

魔藥 Potions

It is often asked whether a Muggle could create a magic potion, given a Potions book and the right ingredients. The answer, unfortunately, is no. There is always some element of wandwork necessary to make a potion (merely adding dead flies and asphodel to a pot hanging over a fire will give you nothing but nasty-tasting, not to mention poisonous, soup).

很多人都會問麻瓜在有本魔藥書和正確的材料之下是否能調製魔藥，很不幸的──不能。製造魔藥總有些必要的魔杖操作（單純在懸掛於火焰上方的鍋裡加入死掉的蒼蠅和水仙只會煮成味道極差──更不用說有毒性──的湯。）

Some potions duplicate the effects of spells and charms, but a few (for instance, the Polyjuice Potion, and Felix Felicis) have effects impossible to achieve any other way. Generally speaking, witches and wizards favour whichever method they find easiest, or most satisfying, to produce their chosen end.

有些魔藥能達到與咒語相等的效果，但有些（例如變身水和福來福喜）則別無他法。一般來說，女巫和巫師偏好他們所知能達成目的最簡單或最令人滿意的方法。

Potions are not for the impatient, but their effects are usually difficult to undo by any but another skilled potioneer. This branch of magic carries a certain mystique and therefore status. There is also the dark cachet of handling substances that are highly dangerous. The popular idea of a Potions expert within the wizarding community is of a brooding, slow-burning personality: Snape, in fact, conforms perfectly to the stereotype.

魔藥不適合沒耐性的人，而它們的功效通常很難被其他魔藥師（即使功力深厚）反轉。這種魔法帶有一種神祕感，也進而帶來階級地位之分。有個能夠操縱高度危險物質的黑暗膠囊也存在著。魔法社群普遍認為魔藥專家的性格鬱悶且慢熱。事實上，石內卜完全符合這個刻板印象。

J.K.羅琳的想法
J.K. Rowling’s thoughts

Chemistry was my least favourite subject at school, and I gave it up as soon as I could. Naturally, when I was trying to decide which subject Harry’s arch-enemy, Severus Snape, should teach, it had to be the wizarding equivalent. This makes it all the stranger that I found Snape’s introduction to his subject quite compelling (‘I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death...’), apparently part of me found Potions quite as interesting as Snape did; and indeed I always enjoyed creating potions in the books, and researching ingredients for them. Many of the components of the various draughts and libations that Harry creates for Snape exist (or were once believed to exist) and have (or were believed to have) the properties I gave them. Dittany, for instance, really does have healing properties (it is an anti-inflammatory, although I would not advise Splinching yourself to test it); a bezoar really is a mass taken from the stomach of an animal, and it really was once believed that drinking water in which a bezoar was placed could cure you of poisoning.

化學是我在學校最不喜歡的科目，一旦可以放棄我就這麼做了。自然地，當我試著決定哈利的主要敵人賽佛勒斯．石內卜應該教什麼學科時，那必定得是一個魔法界相對的科目。這反而讓一切感覺更奇特，因為我發現石內卜對魔藥學的介紹相當引人入勝（「我可以教導你們如何萃取名聲，熬煮榮耀，甚至阻止死亡──」），顯然，某部分的我跟石內卜一樣認為魔藥很有趣。確實，我一直很享受在書中創造魔藥和研究它們的材料。哈利替石內卜調製的各種藥劑和藥水中的許多成分確實存在（或據信曾存在）且擁有（或據信擁有）我賦予它們的特性。白鮮，舉例來說，的確有治癒的特質（它是種消炎藥，不過我不會建議你只為了測試而把自己肢體異位）；毛糞石也真的是從動物的胃裡頭取出的石頭，而人們也曾相信喝掉放了毛糞石的水能治癒中毒。


原文港口鑰：https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/potions


我就問－－不喜歡化學的舉手！！！XDDDD 🙋‍♀️

寇克渥斯鎮 Cokeworth*

Cokeworth is a fictional town in the English Midlands where Harry spends a night at the Railview Hotel with his aunt, uncle and cousin Dudley. Cokeworth’s name is supposed to suggest an industrial town, and to evoke associations of hard work and grime.

寇克渥斯鎮是個位在英格蘭中部的虛構小鎮，哈利跟他的阿姨、姨丈和表哥達力在當地的鐵路風景旅館度過一晚。「寇克渥斯」這個名字意味著一座工業城**，與辛勤工作和塵垢有所關係。

Although it is never made explicit in the books, Cokeworth is the place where Petunia and Lily Evans and Severus Snape all grew up. When Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon are trying to evade the letters from Hogwarts, they travel to Cokeworth. Perhaps Uncle Vernon has a vague idea that Cokeworth is so distinctly unmagical, the letters will not follow them there. He ought to have known better; after all Petunia’s sister, Lily, turned into a talented witch in Cokeworth.

雖然在書中從未明說，寇克渥斯是佩妮、莉莉和賽佛勒斯長大的地方。當佩妮阿姨和威農姨丈試圖躲避來自霍格華茲的信件時，他們來到寇克渥斯。或許威農姨丈有個模糊的想法，認為這裡與魔法毫無關聯可言，那些信件不會跟著他們到那裡。當然，他應該更早想通的，畢竟佩妮的妹妹莉莉就是在寇克渥斯成為一位才華洋溢的女巫。

It is therefore Cokeworth that Bellatrix and Narcissa visit at the start of Half-Blood Prince, where they visit Snape at his parents’ old house. Cokeworth has a river running through it, evidence of at least one large factory in the long chimney overlooking Snape’s house, and many small streets full of workers’ houses.

因此，在《混血王子的背叛》開頭，貝拉和水仙正是到石內卜父母位在寇克渥斯的老家找他的。有條河貫穿寇克渥斯，一根高聳的煙囪證明了曾經至少有一間大工廠，俯視著石內卜一家，而許多小街上是皆是工人的住家。

*本篇的地名翻譯皆使用未改版的《混血王子的背叛》翻譯。
**Coke意為「焦炭」，worth意為「值得；價值」。


原文港口鑰：https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/cokeworth


以上，如果有任何疑問或翻譯不清楚、錯誤的地方請麻煩告訴我，謝謝大家！