10 Mythological Ways to Become Immortal关于永生的十个神话

迈克尔·范杜伊森 译/刘莉

Immortality has always been a dream for humans; the desire to avoid death is universal， whether because of fear， a thirst for knowledge， or simply a love of living. However， many others tend to see it as a curse， with journalist Herb Caen saying： “The only thing wrong with immortality is that it tends to go on forever.” Immortality has long fascinated us humans， and because of that， it’s become intertwined with most mythologies.

10. Eat a mermaid： Japanese mythology

In Japanese mythology， there was a mermaid-like creature known as a ningyo. Described as a cross between a monkey and a carp， they lived in the sea and would normally bring bad luck or stormy weather if caught. （If they washed up on shore， they were said to be an omen of war.）

One particular myth involves a girl known as the “Eight Hundred Nun.” Her father accidentally brought her ningyo meat， and she ate it and was cursed with immortality. After years of sadness due to her many husbands and children dying， she devoted her life to Buddha and became a nun. Perhaps because of her holiness， she was allowed to die at the age of 800.

9. Taunt Jesus： Christian mythology

In Christian mythology， there was said to be a Jewish man who taunted Jesus during his walk to be crucified by hitting him with his shoe and telling him to hurry up. Jesus then responded by telling him that even though he was leaving， the Jewish man would have to stay around until he returned.

Realizing what had transpired， the man took the name Joseph， converted to Christianity， and was baptized shortly afterward. However， the curse did come with some harmful side effects. He wasn’t allowed to sit or rest at any time， except for a brief respite on Christmas. And every 100 years， he would get incurably sick and go into a fit for an indeterminate amount of time， after which he would return to the age of 30.

8. Anger a god： Greek mythology

A common theme in many Greek myths involving mortals was the punishment and danger of hubris， or extreme pride. Many mortals tried to trick or challenge the gods， and all were punished， many of them for all eternity. Earlier in his life， Sisyphus tried to trick Zeus and trapped Thanatos， the personification of death in Greek mythology. This led to a world where no one could die， which really bothered Ares， the god of war. So he was punished by having to roll a boulder up a hill every day， only to have it roll back down every night.

Another story involves King Ixion who， already in trouble for murdering his father-in-law， went to Zeus for forgiveness. While on Mt. Olympus， he made the mistake of trying to rape Hera. Zeus found out and tricked Ixion with a cloud in the shape of the goddess. He was punished by being strapped to a flaming wheel forever.

7. Cinnabar： Taoist mythology

Cinnabar is the common ore of mercury and a central ingredient to the Taoist elixir of immortality， which was called huandan （or “Reverted Elixir”）. They believed ingesting certain materials， such as cinnabar or gold， would instill some of their qualities and rid the body of the imperfections which kept it from obtaining immortality.

Unfortunately， most of the items which were ingested were poisonous， and many people died， including many of the Tang Dynasty emperors. Eventually， the idea of “External Alchemy” was changed to “Internal Alchemy，” which was a way of harnessing one’s natural energy through yoga and other practices in the hopes of gaining immortality.

6. An unknown plant： Sumerian mythology

In The Epic of Gilgamesh， the hero is searching for the source of immortality due to distress after his friend Enkidu dies， making him fear his own death. His quest leads him to Utnapishtim， a Noah-like figure who was granted immortality when he built a large boat at the gods’ instructions to survive a great flood. Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh that his immortality was a special gift， but there’s a plant of unknown origin and species， which could be eaten to achieve eternal life. His description is similar to a buckthorn or a boxthorn， depending on the source. However， after finding it， Gilgamesh loses the plant to a snake， so we’ll never know if it would’ve worked.

5. Peaches of immortality： Chinese mythology

The Peaches of Immortality play a very large role in the Chinese epic Journey to the West. Sun Wukong， the Monkey King， was chosen as the Protector of the Peaches and ended up consuming one of them， which bestowed upon him 1，000 years of life. He escaped at first， but was later captured. Of course， since he had also eaten the Pills of Immortality， Sun Wukong was unable to be executed.

He eventually went to war against Heaven and the gods had to turn to the Buddha， who managed to trick Sun Wukong and trap him for five centuries， after which he went on the quest outlined in Journey to the West. The Jade Emperor and Xi Wangmu were said to be the planters of the peach tree， which only gave ripened fruit every 3，000 years. They gladly gave it to the other gods in order to keep them living forever.

4. Amrita： Hindu mythology

Amrita is a Sanskrit word which almost literally translates to “immortality” in English. The Devas， or gods， were originally mortal or lost their immortality because of a curse and sought a way to obtain eternal life.

They teamed up with their enemies， the Asuras， or anti-gods， to churn the Milk Ocean and create a nectar called amrita. The Devas ended up tricking the Asuras into not drinking any of it by having Vishnu disguise himself as a female goddess who could instill an uncontrollable lust in anyone’s heart. Yoga masters are said to be able to drink the amrita because the Devas spilled some of it in their rush to keep it from the Asuras.

3. The golden apples： Norse mythology

The Norse Golden Apples are different from their Greek counterparts because they’re extremely important to the Norse deities. All of the Norse gods needed the apples to maintain their immortality and eternal youth， and Idun， the goddess of spring， was the keeper of their orchard.

When she was tricked by Loki and handed over to the giant Thiassi， along with the apples， the Norse gods began to grow old and their power waned. With their last bit of strength， they forced Loki to retrieve Idun and the apples. He transformed himself into a falcon， retrieved Idun and the apples， and the gods regained their youth.

2. Ambrosia： Greek mythology

Ambrosia is the drink of the Greek gods. Said to taste like honey， ambrosia was delivered to the Olympians by doves and was the source of their immortality.

Various mortals and demigods were given the privilege of drinking of it， like Heracles， while some stole it and were punished， like Tantalus—who was trapped in a pool of water， with food always just out of reach. His name and story is the origin of the English word “tantalize.” Others almost tasted it but were turned away at the last moment， such as the hero Tydeus， who was going to be made immortal by Athena， until the goddess caught him eating human brains.

1. The Holy Grail： Christian mythology

One of the most well-known pieces of Christian mythology is the Holy Grail. It’s the cup （or bowl） which Jesus drank from during the Last Supper， and it was a widely sought-after relic. It was also believed to be the container with which Joseph of Arimathea caught Christ’s blood as Christ was on the cross.

King Arthur and his knights journeyed far and wide， searching for the Holy Grail. Only the purest souls were able to grasp it， and Sir Galahad was said to have gained immortality by virtue of being the only man able to touch it.

长生不老一直是人类的梦想。无论是出于恐惧、对知识的渴望，还是仅仅由于对生活的热爱，人们避免死亡的愿望普遍存在。不过，也有许多人倾向于将永生视为一种诅咒，记者赫布·凯恩就认为：“永生唯一的问题就在于它往往永无止境。”长生不老一直令我们人类着迷，也正因如此，大多数神话中都有关于永生的话题。

10. 吃美人鱼肉：日本神话

日本神话中，有一种名为“人鱼”的美人鱼类生物。它们被描述为猴子和鲤鱼的混合体，生活在海里。如果被抓到，它们通常会带来厄运或暴风雨。（据说，如果它们被冲到岸上，那就预示战争将临。）

有一则神话讲述了一个人称“八百比丘尼”的女孩的故事。由于吃下了父亲无意中带回的人鱼肉，女孩遭到诅咒成不死之身。年复一年，她为历任丈夫和自己孩子的去世悲痛不已，最终皈依佛门，成为一名尼姑。或许是因为她的圣洁，她获允在800岁的时候死去。

9. 嘲弄耶稣：基督教神话

基督教神话中，据说有个犹太男子在耶稣去往十字架受难的途中嘲弄耶稣，用鞋子打他并叫他快走。耶稣回答说，尽管他要离开了，但这个犹太男子必将留在此地直到他归来。

意识到所发生的事情后，该男子改名约瑟夫并皈依了基督教，不久后还接受了洗礼。然而，这个诅咒还是带来了一些有害的副作用。他任何时候都不能坐下或休息，除了圣诞那天能获得短暂的喘息之机。每隔100年，他就会患上不治之症并发病一阵，然后重返30岁。

8. 激怒天神：希腊神话

在许多涉及凡人的希腊神话中，一个常见主题是傲慢自大或极度骄傲带来的惩罚和危险。很多凡人试图欺骗或挑战诸神，结果全都受到了惩罚，其中许多人的惩罚是永世的。西西弗斯早年曾试图欺骗宙斯，困住了希腊神话中的死神塔纳托斯。这导致世界无人会死，惹恼了战神阿瑞斯。西西弗斯因此被罚每天都得把一块巨石推上山，而巨石每晚又会滚下山。

另一个故事关于伊克西翁国王。他去找宙斯寻求宽恕时已因谋杀岳父而陷入困境。在奥林匹斯山，他竟试图强奸赫拉，再铸大错。宙斯发现后把一朵云做成赫拉的样子骗住了伊克西翁。他被罚永远捆绑在一个火轮上。

7. 服用朱砂：道教神话

朱砂是常见的汞矿石，也是道教长生不老药的核心成分，被称为“还丹”（即“还转灵药”）。道家认为，摄入朱砂或黄金等物质可给人体注入它们的一些品质，让人摆脱妨碍其长生不老的身体缺陷。

不幸的是，摄入的物质中大多数是有毒的，包括多位唐朝皇帝在内的许多人因之丧命。最终，“体外炼金术”的理念转变为“体内炼金术”，即通过瑜伽等练习来驾驭人的自然能量，以求长生不老。

6. 吃一种未知植物：苏美尔人神话

在《吉尔伽美什史诗》中，主人公在朋友恩基杜死后非常痛苦，也担心自己的死亡，因而去寻找永生之源。在探寻的过程中，他找到了乌特纳皮什蒂姆，一个诺亚般的人物，在众神指示下建造大船从一场大洪水中幸存下来，被赐予了永生。乌特纳皮什蒂姆告诉吉尔伽美什，他的永生是一份特殊的礼物，但有一种起源和物种不明的植物，谁吃下谁便可获得永恒的生命。他描述的东西类似某地的沙棘或另一地的枸杞。然而，吉尔伽美什找到这种植物后却被一条蛇偷吃了，所以我们永远无从知晓它究竟是否起效了。

5. 吃不老仙桃：中国神话

仙桃在中国神话巨著《西游记》中扮演着非常重要的角色。猴王孙悟空被派去看守蟠桃园，结果吃下了一颗桃，由此获得了1000年寿命。他先是出逃，后却被抓获。不过，因为孙悟空还曾吃下长生不老药九转金丹，所以自然无法被处死。

孙悟空最终与天庭开战，众神不得不向佛祖求援。佛祖成功诱骗孙悟空，将他困住了500年，之后他才去完成《西游记》中描述的西行任务。据说，桃树由玉皇大帝和西王母所种，一些蟠桃每3000年才成熟结果一次。他们乐于将之赐予其他神仙，使众神永生。

4. 饮永生甘露：印度教神话

amrita是梵文，直译基本相当于英语的immortality（不朽）。印度教天神本是凡人或因诅咒而失去永生，所以要寻求获得永生的方法。

他们与敌人阿修罗（即“反神”）联手，搅动乳海并创造出一种名为 amrita的甘露。最后，天神让毗湿奴装作一位能向任何人心中灌输无法控制的欲望的女神，骗得阿修罗没饮一滴甘露。据说，瑜伽大师之所以能喝到甘露，是因为天神在防备阿修罗时匆忙间洒出了一些。

3. 吃金苹果：北欧神话

北欧金苹果与希腊金苹果不同，因为它们对北欧诸神极为重要。北歐诸神全都需要金苹果来维持永生和永葆青春，而春天女神伊敦（一译伊登）则是他们果园的守护者。

伊敦受火神洛基所骗与金苹果一起落入山巨人夏基之手后，北欧诸神便开始衰老，力量也逐渐减弱。他们用尽最后一丝力气，迫使洛基去救回伊敦和金苹果。洛基化身猎鹰，救回了伊敦和金苹果，众神随之恢复了青春。

2. 饮仙酒：希腊神话

仙酒是希腊诸神的饮品。仙酒据说味似蜂蜜，由鸽子递送给奥林匹亚诸神，是诸神的永生之源。

各种凡人和半神都被赋予了饮用仙酒的特权，比如赫拉克勒斯;同时也有人因偷酒而受罚，比如坦塔罗斯（Tantalus）——他被困于一池水中，近在咫尺的食物总是触不可及，英语单词tantalize（逗弄）就源自他的名字和故事。还有一些人差点儿尝到，只是最后一刻失去了机会，比如英雄堤丢斯，战争女神雅典娜原本要赋予他不死之身，却撞见他在吃人脑，于是作罢。

1. 拥有圣杯：基督教神话

基督教神话中最有名的一个物件便是圣杯。它是耶稣在最后的晚餐中所用的杯子（或碗），也是一件广受追捧的遗物。还有人认为，基督被钉在十字架上时，亚利马太的约瑟夫就把它当作了容器来接基督的血。

亚瑟王和他的骑士们曾到处寻找圣杯。只有拥有最纯洁灵魂的人才能握住它，而加拉哈德爵士获得永生据说就是因为他是唯一能触到它的人。

（译者单位：复旦大学）