《HP官方资料翻译集（物品篇）》霁随心

82、颜色

　　【Pottermore中关于颜色（Colours）的内容】
　　（翻译微改自Pottermore吧《【翻译】波特磨《火焰杯》第七章罗琳有关「色彩」的新资料》）

　　罗琳的想法：
　　男女巫师通常通过穿着紫色或绿色的衣服（有时候两种颜色混搭）来相互识别。在英国（及欧洲大部分地区），紫色带有王权和宗教的意味。紫色的染料昂贵，所以过去只有有钱人才穿得起；而通常主教的戒指也是用紫水晶做的。绿色在英国向来和超自然的事物有关。有迷信认为人们应当谨慎穿戴绿色的服饰；据说这种颜色是仙女专属的，因为那才是适合她们的颜色。婚礼上绝对不能穿绿衣服，因为绿色还与不幸和死亡有关。绿色是许多“黑”魔法的颜色。“黑魔标记”、伏地魔藏匿魂器所用魔药发出冷冷的光线、许多“黑魔法”咒语及恶咒，加之斯莱特林学院，它们都是绿色的。因此，紫色和绿色两者搭配暗指了魔法的两面性：高贵的和卑鄙的、有益的和有害的。
　　霍格沃茨四个学院与四大元素略有关系，由此也决定了他们各自的色彩。格兰芬多（红色和金色）与火相关；斯莱特林（绿色和银色）与水相关；赫奇帕奇（黄色和黑色，代表小麦和土壤）与土有关；拉文克劳（蓝色和古铜色，代表天空和鹰羽）则与气有关。
　　桃红色以及橙红色属于极不具有魔法的颜色，所以像佩妮姨妈之流特别喜欢。然而，像尼法朵拉·唐克斯一类人穿戴招摇惹眼的鲜亮粉色，则传递了某种朋克味：没错，我有个麻瓜出身的父亲，而且我一点也不感到羞愧。
　　为海格和邓布利多起名时，色彩也起了不少作用，他们的名字分别是鲁伯（Rubeus, 红色）和阿不思（Albus, 白色）。这一设定是向炼金术致意，炼金术在第一本《哈利波特》小说里极其重要，其过程中“红”与“白”是关键性的神秘物质。在此背景下，两种颜色的象征义具有神秘的意义，代表了炼金术的不同阶段（有很多人将其和精神蜕变联系起来）。再说到我塑造的两个人物，我用炼金术里的颜色为他们命名，是为了表现他们相反但互补的性格：红色意为激情（或情感）；白色则意为克己节制；海格是个朴实自然、热情、爱与人亲近的人，他是森林之王；而邓布利多则是精神上的理论家，他才华横溢，怀揣理想主义，还有些超然物外。哈利在新世界里寻找父亲形象时，他俩都是必要的性格互补的人物。

作者有话说

　　Colours
By J.K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling’s thoughts
Witches and wizards often reveal themselves to each other in public by wearing purple or green, often in combination. In Britain (and much of Europe) purple has an association with both royalty and religion. Purple dyes, being costly, were once worn only by those who could afford them; bishops' rings are traditionally set with amethysts. Green has long had a supernatural connection in the UK. Superstition says that it ought to be worn with care; the fairies are supposedly possessive of it, as it is their proper colour. It ought never to be worn at weddings, due to a further association with misfortune and death. Green is the colour of much 'Dark' magic; of the 'Dark Mark', of the luminescent potion in which Voldemort conceals one of his Horcruxes, of many 'Dark' spells and curses, and of Slytherin house. The combination of purple and green, therefore, is suggestive of both sides of magic: the noble and the ignoble, the helpful and the destructive.
The four Hogwarts houses have a loose association with the four elements, and their colours were chosen accordingly. Gryffindor (red and gold) is connected to fire; Slytherin (green and silver) to water; Hufflepuff (yellow and black, representing wheat and soil) to earth; and Ravenclaw (blue and bronze; sky and eagle feathers) to air.
Colours like peach and salmon pink are distinctly un-magical, and therefore much favoured by the likes of Aunt Petunia. On the other hand, shocking pink, as sported by the likes of Nymphadora Tonks, conveys a certain punky 'yes, I've got a Muggle-born father and I'm not ashamed of it' attitude.
Colours also played their part in the naming of Hagrid and Dumbledore, whose first names are Rubeus (red) and Albus (white) respectively. The choice was a nod to alchemy, which is so important in the first Harry Potter book, where 'the red' and 'the white' are essential mystical components of the process. The symbolism of the colours in this context has mystic meaning, representing different stages of the alchemic process (which many people associate with a spiritual transformation). Where my two characters were concerned, I named them for the alchemical colours to convey their opposing but complementary natures: red meaning passion (or emotion); white for asceticism; Hagrid being the earthy, warm and physical man, lord of the forest; Dumbledore the spiritual theoretician, brilliant, idealised and somewhat detached. Each is a necessary counterpoint to the other as Harry seeks father figures in his new world.