Immortality has always been a dream for mankind, we don’t want to face death because we are afraid or we simply love this life too much. Eating mermaid meat, eating golden apples, drinking sacred Amrita water… are the ways to become immortal in ancient myths.
However, there are still some people who think that immortality is a curse because everything lasts forever.
Immortality has long fascinated mankind and for that reason, we often see them interwoven in ancient myths. Let’s explore together 8 ways to become immortal according to ancient myths through the article below.
The mermaid or rather a creature called Ningyo is mentioned a lot in Japanese mythology . Ningyo lives in the sea and is described as a mix of monkeys and carp. If someone is caught by chance, Ningyo will bring them bad luck or big storms.
There is a story about a girl called ” 800 year old nun “. The story goes that, one day, her father accidentally brought his daughter a piece of meat, unfortunately it was Ningyo’s meat. She ate them and was cursed by immortality .
After years of mourning the passing of her husband and child, she dedicated herself to the Buddha and became a nun. Perhaps it was because of her holiness that she finally died at the age of 800.
A common theme in Greek mythology concerning humans was punishment for those who were arrogant and despised the gods. Some of them had to pay the price for their foolish actions, which meant eternal life and asceticism.
It is a story involving King Ixion – who got into trouble for killing his father-in-law. King Ixion went to Zeus to ask for forgiveness. But while on Mount Olympus, he made the mistake of trying to rape Hera. Zeus discovered, tricked Ixion by a cloud in the shape of a goddess. As a result, he paid the price by being tied to a train wheel and staying there forever.
Another legend says that this king tried to deceive Zeus and then he got stuck in Thanatos. Thanatos is the embodiment of the god of death in Greek mythology. This is the place that leads to a world where no one can die. However, that bothered the god of war Ares. So King Ixion was punished by having to roll a rock up a hill every day and roll it back down again at nightfall.
The golden apples of Norse mythology are very different from the golden apples of Greek mythology. For the Norse gods, golden apples were extremely important.
Because these apples are used to maintain immortality and help them “remain young forever”. Idun is the Goddess of Spring and also the guardian of this apple orchard. She was tricked by the handsome evil giant Loki and gave all the apples to the giant Thiassi, from which the Norse gods began to age and weaken.
With the last bit of strength, the gods forced Loki to pay Idun with golden apples. In the end, Loki turned himself into a falcon and returned the apple to Idun. From there, the gods regained their youth and strength.
In Greek mythology, Ambrosia was the drink of the Greek gods. It is described as having a taste like honey, transported to Mount Olympus by pigeons and has the effect of making them immortal.
Some people and demigods have been given the privilege of drinking Ambrosia, like Heracles, while others attempt to steal it and then get punished. Tatanlus was punished to be trapped in a puddle and food was always out of reach.
In Hindu mythology , there is mention of Amrita – sacred water that helps to become immortal. Amrita in Sanskrit means immortal. Legend has it that the gods or gods were originally human. However, they were not made immortal by being entangled in a curse. Since then, they are always looking for a way to have an immortal life.
By all means, these gods stirred the ocean to find Amrita. Amrita is described as a liquid with a sweet taste like nectar and one drop is enough to defeat death and achieve immortality.
Chain Dan, also known as cinnabar, god sa , is a red stone whose main component is mercury . It is said to be one of the items of Taoism.
Taoists believe that the chain can be made into a spirit pill, and has the effect of removing some imperfect qualities from the body so that a person becomes immortal. However, this magic potion contains toxic ingredients. Many people died drinking them, including famous emperors of the Tang dynasty.
Eventually, Taoists came up with the idea of harnessing the natural energy of man through meditation and other exercises in the hope of attaining immortality.
Fairy peaches appear in many Chinese and Western legends about immortality. In it, there is a famous story about the beautiful princess Ton Ngo Khong who was assigned by the heavens to take care of the fairy peach garden. The Queen Mother said that after 3000 years, the peach tree will only produce ripe fruit. Therefore, this is a great reward, dedicated to the gods for their immortality. Thanks to stealing these fairy peaches, Ton Ngo Khong lived for more than 1,000 years.
The epic about Gilgamesh – the heroic king of the Sumerian people (Mesopotamia) mentioned Gilgamesh’s quest to find the source of immortality after his friend Enkidu died.
In his quest for immortality, he met the immortal immortal Utnapishtim . This is an immortal Noah-like character. Noah built a great ark and helped the gods escape when there was a great flood. Utnapishtim reveals to Gilgamesh a mystical tree that can restore the heroic king to his youth and eternal life. However, after finding this miraculous plant downstream of the river, Gilgamesh lost it in the hands of a snake.