Bryan Johnson: the man who is trying to cheat death

You will find a reference to the Peaches of Immortality in the Chinese epic 'Journey to the West.' The tree is said to ripen fruit every 3,000 years, but only gods were able to eat from it. However, Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, was tasked with protecting the peaches, but ate one and lived for another 1,000 years.

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Peaches of Immortality -

Sun Wukong ended up going to war against Heaven, but the gods and Buddha managed to trap him for five centuries, and he then went on a quest.

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Golden apples -

Golden apples are a pretty big deal in Norse mythology. All gods need to consume these apples to maintain their youth and immortality.

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Golden apples -

Idun, the goddess of spring, is the keeper of the golden apples. Find her orchard and you shall find eternal youth.

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Anger a Greek god -

Sisyphus (a mortal) basically tried to trick Zeus by cheating death. He captured Thanatos (the personification of death) so no one could die. As punishment, he had to roll a boulder up a hill every day. Forever.

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Anger a Greek god -

And then there's the story of King Ixion, who was punished by Zeus for trying to r a p e Hera on Mt. Olympus. He was strapped to a flaming wheel for eternity.

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Fountain of youth -

The quest for the fountain of youth has been going on for centuries. After all, who wouldn't like be forever young?

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Fountain of youth -

The location of the fountain of youth has been attributed to numerous places, including Japan, India, the Bahamas, Florida, and the Gulf of Honduras. Good luck finding it!

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Holy Grail -

The Holy Grail is said to contain special powers. One of the powers of this Christian relic is, of course, immortality. The myth of the Holy Grail is an old one. Some say it was the cup Jesus drank from during the Last Supper.

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Holy Grail -

Others say that it was used by Joseph of Arimathea to catch Christ's blood from the cross. Whatever it is, if you get hold of it, you might just become immortal.

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Eat a mermaid -

These mythical creatures (part human, part fish) have been part of many cultures' folklore for centuries. In Japanese mythology, there's one known as ningyo.

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Eat a mermaid - Legend has it that a fisherman once fed his daughter some of it and she became immortal. After years of suffering from losing loved ones, she dedicated her life to Buddha, and eventually died aged 800.

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Ambrosia -

Ambrosia is the drink that makes the Greek gods immortal. It reportedly tastes like honey and was delivered by doves.

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Ambrosia -

Just don't try to steal some of it for your own benefit. Tantalus did so, and was punished by becoming trapped in a pool of water, with food just out of reach. Fun fact: the English word "tantalize" comes from his name and story.

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Amrita -

Amrita is a Sanskrit word. It means "immortality" in English. The Devas (Hindu gods, were once cursed with mortality, so they teamed up with the Asuras (Hindu anti-gods) to create amrita.

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Amrita -

Then the Devas ended up tricking the Asuras into not drinking it. Legend has it that some yoga masters drank some because the Devas spilled some of it.

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Philosopher's stone -

If you're familiar with Harry Potter, you will know that the philosopher's stone is some powerful stuff. No wonder Voldemort wanted get his hands on it!

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Become a vampire -

This one is a classic. One of the easiest ways to gain eternal life is to be bitten by a vampire!

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Become a vampire -

Being immortal does come at a cost though. You will have to drink human blood, avoid sunlight, and dodge any wooden stakes any vampire slayers might throw at you.

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Become a zombie -

You can also reach eternal 'life' if you get bitten by a zombie. It might not sound glamorous, but who said eternal life was about looking good?

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Become a zombie -

Again, like becoming a vampire, turning into a zombie has lots of undesirable side effects. It will make you walk in a funny way, become brain dead (literally), and feed off human flesh. And, of course, there's the fact that you are undead and probably stink.

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Elixir of youth -

The elixir of youth (or life) will grant you eternal life. It is present in many stories, but it still remains a scientific goal. Every day, scientists work to find new substances that will heal us and make us live longer. Maybe one day the elixir will be made.

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Cinnabar -

Cinnabar is a red mercury sulfide that is the main ingredient in the Taoist elixir of immortality. The elixir is called huandan, which means "Reverted Elixir."

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Cinnabar -

Of course, it goes without saying that ingesting mercury is bad for you. Alchemists did try exploring its properties, but many died, including emperors of China's Tang Dynasty.

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Magic spell -

Maybe all you need to do is to find the right spell and cast it on yourself. Magic, witchcraft, whichever esoteric way you want to go about it. If in doubt, ask a witch or wizard for hints.

Sources: (Listverse) (Ranker)

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Sumerian mythology -

In the 'Epic of Gilgamesh,' we have a hero searching for immortally after his friend dies and he is confronted with his own mortality. This led him to the immortal Utnapishtim.

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Sumerian mythology -

Getty Images

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Make Jesus angry -

Taunting Jesus might not sound like the best way to achieve immortality, but this is what happened to a man when Jesus was on via dolorosa, on his way to be crucified.

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Make Jesus angry -

The man threw a shoe at Jesus and told him to hurry up. Jesus told him he was leaving, but that the man would have to stay until his return.

Getty Images

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Make Jesus angry -

Getty Images

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Peaches of Immortality -

Getty Images

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Peaches of Immortality -

Sun Wukong ended up going to war against Heaven, but the gods and Buddha managed to trap him for five centuries, and he then went on a quest.

Getty Images

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Golden apples -

Golden apples are a pretty big deal in Norse mythology. All gods need to consume these apples to maintain their youth and immortality.

Shutterstock

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Golden apples -

Idun, the goddess of spring, is the keeper of the golden apples. Find her orchard and you shall find eternal youth.

Shutterstock

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Anger a Greek god -

Getty Images

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Anger a Greek god -

And then there's the story of King Ixion, who was punished by Zeus for trying to r a p e Hera on Mt. Olympus. He was strapped to a flaming wheel for eternity.

Getty Images

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Fountain of youth -

The quest for the fountain of youth has been going on for centuries. After all, who wouldn't like be forever young?

Getty Images

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Fountain of youth -

The location of the fountain of youth has been attributed to numerous places, including Japan, India, the Bahamas, Florida, and the Gulf of Honduras. Good luck finding it!

Shutterstock

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Holy Grail -

Getty Images

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Holy Grail -

Others say that it was used by Joseph of Arimathea to catch Christ's blood from the cross. Whatever it is, if you get hold of it, you might just become immortal.

Getty Images

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Eat a mermaid -

These mythical creatures (part human, part fish) have been part of many cultures' folklore for centuries. In Japanese mythology, there's one known as ningyo.

Shutterstock

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Ambrosia -

Ambrosia is the drink that makes the Greek gods immortal. It reportedly tastes like honey and was delivered by doves.

Getty Images

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Ambrosia -

Getty Images

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Amrita -

Amrita is a Sanskrit word. It means "immortality" in English. The Devas (Hindu gods, were once cursed with mortality, so they teamed up with the Asuras (Hindu anti-gods) to create amrita.

Shutterstock

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Amrita -

Then the Devas ended up tricking the Asuras into not drinking it. Legend has it that some yoga masters drank some because the Devas spilled some of it.

Getty Images

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Philosopher's stone -

If you're familiar with Harry Potter, you will know that the philosopher's stone is some powerful stuff. No wonder Voldemort wanted get his hands on it!

Getty Images

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Become a vampire -

This one is a classic. One of the easiest ways to gain eternal life is to be bitten by a vampire!

NL Beeld

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Become a vampire -

Being immortal does come at a cost though. You will have to drink human blood, avoid sunlight, and dodge any wooden stakes any vampire slayers might throw at you.

NL Beeld

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Become a zombie -

You can also reach eternal 'life' if you get bitten by a zombie. It might not sound glamorous, but who said eternal life was about looking good?

NL Beeld

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Become a zombie -

Getty Images

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Elixir of youth -

Shutterstock

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Cinnabar -

Cinnabar is a red mercury sulfide that is the main ingredient in the Taoist elixir of immortality. The elixir is called huandan, which means "Reverted Elixir."

Getty Images

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Cinnabar -

Of course, it goes without saying that ingesting mercury is bad for you. Alchemists did try exploring its properties, but many died, including emperors of China's Tang Dynasty.

Getty Images

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Magic spell -

Maybe all you need to do is to find the right spell and cast it on yourself. Magic, witchcraft, whichever esoteric way you want to go about it. If in doubt, ask a witch or wizard for hints.

Sources: (Listverse) (Ranker)

Getty Images

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Bryan Johnson: the man who is trying to cheat death

The quest to reverse aging and achieve immortality

02/12/24 | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Immortality

A former Silicon Valley executive, Bryan Johnson has gained worldwide attention for his ambitious anti-aging efforts, which he frequently shares on social media. His methods have included controversial treatments such as blood transfusions from his teenage son and gene therapy injections.

Obsessed with reversing the aging process, the tech mogul spends over US$2 million a year on medical diagnostics and treatments. He adheres to a strict 1,950-calorie diet and follows a regimented daily routine that includes waking up at 4:30 am, taking more than 100 supplements, and engaging in targeted exercises—all in the name of preserving his health and restoring his youthful appearance.

Johnson, who views aging as optional, has made it his mission to apply an anti-aging algorithm to his body. He even claims his aging process is slower than 99% of 20-year-olds.

The quest for eternal life has been part of the human experience since the dawn of time. We are mortal, and sometimes it's really, really hard to accept that. For this reason, we have come up with myths, legends, and all sorts of folk tales about eternal life and how to attain it.

Click through and discover mythological ways to become immortal.