The oldest known human being ever recorded was Jeanne Calment, born in 1875 and passing in 1997 at the age of 122. Most people agree that constitutes the longest anyone has lived. But not everyone does. Others claim there are people far, far older, people who may never die at all. Might immortality be real? And if so, who claims to have achieved it? Let’s take a closer look at some pretty fascinating stories of alleged immortals.
10. Alex You – Immortal Ring Maker
At 46, Alex You claims to have unlocked the secret toward immortality with small magnetic rings that he invented to adorn fingers and toes. According to him, these rings help the cells to regenerate unceasingly and never die.
He has modernized ancient Chinese medicine to make immortality commonplace for all people. Surprisingly, these rings are available in Amazon today. But whether wearing them will make one live forever remains to be seen.
9. Leonard Jones – Immortal Politician
Leonard Jones was an American politician born in 1797, promising a life of immortality through fasting and prayer. He was big enough even to found the “Live Forever Faith” with a holy roller of similar convictions. Of course, when his immortal buddy died, Jones was red-faced at his partner’s funeral. Changing tack, Jones entered politics, running for president. And his platform? You guessed it: eternal life. Unfortunately, Jones’ road to immortality came to an end when he died at 71.
8. The Wandering Jew: Cursed to Live Forever
There was another medieval legend that spoke of the Jewish man present during Jesus’ crucifixion and who mocked Him on His way with the cross. Jesus cursed him to have to wander the Earth until He comes again.
Many say the man, Ahasuerus, was seen all over Europe centuries after the crucifixion, sometimes an old man, sometimes as a youth. Some people think this is just one of those tales, a metaphor for the diaspora of the Jews, while others insist he’s still wandering today.
7. Immortal Lama – Dashi Dorzho Itigilov
In 1927, the Russian Buddhist monk Dashi Dorzho Itigilov gathered his followers to announce his death. He then entered deep mediation and died but had predicted to return after 75 years. In 2002, when his body was dug up, his followers were utterly shocked: his body was perfectly preserved, skin still elastic. A lot of people believe that he is still in such a deep meditative state between life and death, waiting for the right time to return fully.
6. Nicolas Flamel
Who Was an Alchemist and Mainly Known for Creating the Philosopher’s Stone You may know his name from Harry Potter, but Nicolas Flamel was a figure in real history. A French scribe who was born in 1340, he is said to have died in 1418. There were whispers, though, that Flamel found the Philosopher’s Stone and that this granted him immortality.
Throughout the 1700s, there were stories about Flamel sightings, recounting how he faked his own death because he wanted to keep the Stone from falling into the wrong hands. Others say he’s still alive, hiding away from the world.
5. Merlin – The Great Wizard
It’s said that Merlin, the famous wizard of Arthurian legend, is half-human, half-demon. His demonic heritage granted him immense powers, including immortality. Believers argue that Merlin has cropped up through British history, hundreds of years after King Arthur’s time.
Whether Merlin was a real person or merely a figure of legend remains a mystery. As for his immortality? Some believe it’s far more than just a myth.
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4. The Three Nephites – Mormon Apostles of Eternal Life
According to Mormon doctrine, after His resurrection, Jesus appeared in the Americas, where He appointed twelve apostles. Three of these apostles had begged to stay behind forever, to watch over humanity.
Three of them received Jesus’ permission, and Mormons believe these three Nephites, up to the present time, still walk among us doing small acts of good before vanishing into thin air. Could these unassuming apostles still be stumbling around on Earth?
3. Achilles – The Invincible Hero
The story of Achilles originated in ancient Greek mythology. As a baby, his mother had submerged him in the River Styx, a river believed to make whatever was plunged into it invulnerable to all types of damage, except for his heel due to its being the part of the body by which she had grasped the baby.
Although near-indestructible, Achilles’s famous immortality concluded with a surprising end when an arrow reached his heel-the only vulnerable part of his body. His death was such a tragedy, underlining even the fact that the immortal do have weaknesses.
2. Count of St. Germain – The Man Who Never Ages
The Count of St. Germain was born in 1691 and was a European nobleman who was regarded for his brilliant intellect and his perfect knowledge of alchemy. Many claimed he found the key to eternal life, and was seen to travel extensively in Europe without aging a day. He claimed to have mastered an elixir of life and was more than 300 years old. While records are that he died in 1784, his sightings have continued well into the 1970s.
1. Qin Shi Huang
The Emperor Who Died in Search of Immortality Qin Shi Huang, who was the first emperor of China, had an obsessive dream to live forever. The Qin Dynasty reigned for over four hundred years, and he was a godlike ruler. Qin Shi Huang sent expeditions in search of the fable elixir of life in his eagerness to stay alive. His search ended with a tragedy.
Doctors, in his later years, prescribed him mercury pills as a means through which he could achieve immortality. Ironically, these pills brought his death.
From magical elixirs to immortality rings, these stories blur even further the thin line separating myth, history, and mystery. Whether any of these people actually ever lived forever is anybody’s guess, but their legends certainly have. Is there an inkling of truth in any of these immortality stories, or does the secret of immortality lie where we least consider-or is it yet another story that will outlive us?.
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