What It Is: In most tales, a dragon is a giant lizard1 with a snake-like body. Some dragons have wings and some don’t. But even without wings, all dragons can fly. Many also breathe fire.
Where the Legend Came From: Stories about dragons are found round the world and as far back as ancient Sumer2(5000 to 2500BC). The two most well known types of dragons come from Europe and China, but they are very different from each other. Dragons in European myths are dangerous, evil creatures that often guard treasures in caves. But in Chinese legends, dragons are good and beautiful. They have magical powers, such as controlling the weather, and they are believed to bring good luck.
Did You Know? Nike got into trouble last December when it ran a TV commercial3 in China featuring dragons. In the ad, American basketball star LeBron James faces down4 two of the beloved creatures and defeats them, which provoked dispute in China. China banned the ad, describing it as an insult to the country’s national dignity.
龙是什么：在大部分传说中，龙是一种体形似蛇的巨大蜥蜴。有些龙有翅膀，有些没有。但即使没有翅膀，所有的龙都会飞。许多龙还能喷火。
传说出处：世界各地都能找到有关龙的传说，最早可以追溯到古苏美尔时期（公元前5000至2500年）。最出名的两种龙来自欧洲和中国，但二者却迥然不同。欧洲神话中的龙是危险邪恶的动物，常常在洞穴中守护着金银财宝。而在中国的传说中，龙却是善良和美丽的。它们具有神奇的力量，比如呼风唤雨，而且人们相信龙能带来好运。
你知道吗？去年12月，当耐克公司在中国播放一条以龙为特写的电视广告时，惹上了麻烦。在该广告片中，美国篮球明星勒布朗·詹姆斯震慑住两条可爱的龙并打败了它们，这在中国引发争议。中国禁播此广告，认为其有损国家尊严。
What It Is: Depending on the story, an elf is either a small creature or a very beautiful, young-looking, normal-size person. Elves often live in a natural place, like a forest or spring. They are usually immortal and have great supernatural6 powers.
Where the Legend Came From: The first mentions of elves are in the epic poems of the Norse7 people from 1,000 years ago. (They lived in what is now Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.) According to legend, elves are sometimes helpful to people, but they also like playing pranks8. And they can become downright9 dangerous when provoked10.
Did You Know? In Iceland today, about 90 percent of people say that elves might be real. A few roads have even been diverted11 around rocks where the little creatures are thought to live.
它是什么：因传说而异，小精灵要么是一个很小的动物，要么是一个非常美丽、相貌年轻、正常大小的人。精灵通常居住在自然界，如森林或泉水中。它们一般长生不死，具有超自然能力。
传说出处：精灵最早出现在1000年前斯堪的纳维亚人的史诗中。（它们生活在如今的丹麦、冰岛、挪威和瑞典。）据传说，精灵们有时帮助人们，但也喜欢恶作剧。如果被激怒就可能变得非常危险。
你知道吗？在今天的冰岛，大约90%的人说精灵可能真实存在。甚至有几条道路在通过据说是小生灵居住的岩石时被改道而行。
What It Is: Tales describe unicorns as shy, horse-like animals with a single, spiral horn. They are all white, usually with a billy-goat13 beard, lion’s tail, and cloven14 hooves (like a cow). Unicorns live deep within forests and are rarely seen.
Where the Legend Came From: For most of history, people believed that the unicorn was a real animal. It shows up in ancient Mesopotamian15 artwork, science texts from ancient Greece, and myths in India and China. The creature really became popular in Europe in the Middle Ages, when folks thought that a unicorn’s horn had magical powers and could be used as an antidote16 against terrible poisons.
Did You Know? No one has ever caught a unicorn, of course, but that didn’t stop con artists17 in the Middle Ages from selling very expensive“unicorn horns” to kings, queens, and anyone else who was worried about being poisoned.
它是什么：传说中的麒麟被描述为腼腆的形状似马的动物，头上有一螺旋状独角。它们全身雪白，通常长着公山羊的胡须，狮子的尾巴，和偶蹄（类似母牛）。麒麟生活在密林深处，极少被人发现。
传说出处：在大部分历史时期，人们相信麒麟是一种真实存在的动物。它出现在古老的美索不达米亚的艺术品、古希腊的科学文献以及印度和中国的神话当中。这种动物在中世纪的欧洲大受欢迎，人们认为麒麟的独角具有神奇的功效，可以用作解毒剂来抵抗剧毒物质。
你知道吗？当然，自古从未有人捕捉到麒麟，但这并不妨碍中世纪的骗子高手们向国王、王后们和任何担心自己中毒的人兜售十分昂贵的“麒麟角”。
What It Is: According to legend, a dwarf is a short, stocky18, and very hairy human-looking creature usually no more than three feet tall. Dwarves live deep underground in caves and mines. They are famous for gathering treasures and being very talented at making things out of metal.
Where the Legend Came From: Dwarves come mainly from the Norse legends of northern Europe. Some historians believe that dwarves were based on real people: southern Europeans, who moved north looking for mines around 1800 BC. They were generally shorter than their northern neighbors and had many beautiful bronze19 and silver objects. Since the northerners at that time didn’t know how to make things out of metal, they may have thought that the short people were magical creatures.
Did You Know? Walt Disney made up nearly 50 names for the seven characters in his 1937 movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, including Awful, Dirty, Gabby, Hotsy, Jumpy, Nifty, and Shifty before settling on Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy.
它是什么：根据传说，小矮人是一种矮小、壮实、长着浓密毛发的人形动物——通常不超过3英尺高。小矮人住在地下深处的洞穴和矿井里。它们以囤集财宝、擅长制造金属器物而闻名。
传说出处：小矮人主要源于北欧斯堪的纳维亚人的传说。一些历史学家相信小矮人有真实的人物原型：即公元前1800年左右迁移到北方寻找矿藏的南欧人。他们通常比北方邻居矮小，并拥有许多漂亮的青铜和银器。由于当时的北欧人不知道如何用金属制造器皿，也许他们就把这些个头矮小的人看作神奇的动物。
你知道吗？沃尔特·迪斯尼为他1937年推出的电影《白雪公主和七个小矮人》中的七个主角虚构了近50个名字，包括糟糕、龌龊、饶舌、火爆、神经质、俏皮和诡诈，最后才确定下害羞鬼、万事通、糊涂蛋、暴脾气、开心果、瞌睡虫和喷嚏精这七个名字。
What It Is: In myths, a griffin has the body of a lion and the head, wings, and talons21 of an eagle. It is a great protector and the enemy of the horse.
Where the Legend Came From: Griffins come mostly from the mythology of ancient Greece and central Asia. To the Greeks, griffins were the special servants of the god Apollo. They pulled his chariot22 (the sun) across the sky every day. But the Scythians23, who lived in what is now Kazakhstan24, put the legend of the griffin to better use. There was lots of gold in their land, so they spread the rumor that powerful griffins guarded their country. And almost like magic, gold robbers stayed away.
Did You Know? Despite being mortal25 enemies, if a griffin and horse were to mate26, their offspring27 would be a hippogriff28, like Buckbeak (aka Witherwings) in the Harry Potter series.
狮身鹰首兽
它是什么：在神话中，狮身鹰首兽长着狮子的身体，鹰的头、翅膀和爪子。它是神勇的保护者、马的敌人。
传说出处：狮身鹰首兽大多源于古希腊和中亚的神话。对希腊人来说，狮身鹰首兽是阿波罗神的特殊仆人。它们每天拉着他的战车（太阳）划过天空。但是生活在今天的哈萨克斯坦的塞西亚人却把狮身鹰首兽派上了更好的用场。他们的国土上有很多黄金，因而他们就四处传言，说有强大的狮身鹰首兽守卫他们的国家。于是黄金盗贼就像被施了魔法，不敢靠近。
你知道吗？尽管狮身鹰首兽和马是死敌，但是如果二者交配的话，其后代将是半鹰半马怪兽，如《哈里·波特》系列中的Buckbeak (也就是 Witherwings)一样。
3. commercial n. 电视或电台广告
4. face down 用目光压倒；挫败
5. elf n. 小精灵
6. supernatural adj. 超自然的，神奇的
7. Norse [ adj. 古代斯堪的纳维亚的
8. prank n. 恶作剧
9. downright adv. 完全，彻底
10. provoke v. 激怒，挑衅
11. divert v. 使转向，使转移
12. unicorn n. 麒麟，独角兽
13. billy-goat n. 公山羊
14. cloven n. 分趾的， 偶蹄的
15. Mesopotamian adj. 美索不达米亚（西南亚地区）的
16. antidote n. 解毒剂
17. con artist 诈骗高手