10 Mythological Ways to Become Immortal關(guān)于永生的十個(gè)神話

邁克爾·范杜伊森 譯/劉莉

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.

長生不老一直是人類的夢想。無論是出于恐懼、對知識的渴望，還是僅僅由于對生活的熱愛，人們避免死亡的愿望普遍存在。不過，也有許多人傾向于將永生視為一種詛咒，記者赫布·凱恩就認(rèn)為：“永生唯一的問題就在于它往往永無止境?！遍L生不老一直令我們?nèi)祟愔裕舱蛉绱?，大多?shù)神話中都有關(guān)于永生的話題。

10. 吃美人魚肉：日本神話

日本神話中，有一種名為“人魚”的美人魚類生物。它們被描述為猴子和鯉魚的混合體，生活在海里。如果被抓到，它們通常會(huì)帶來厄運(yùn)或暴風(fēng)雨。（據(jù)說，如果它們被沖到岸上，那就預(yù)示戰(zhàn)爭將臨。）

有一則神話講述了一個(gè)人稱“八百比丘尼”的女孩的故事。由于吃下了父親無意中帶回的人魚肉，女孩遭到詛咒成不死之身。年復(fù)一年，她為歷任丈夫和自己孩子的去世悲痛不已，最終皈依佛門，成為一名尼姑。或許是因?yàn)樗氖?，她獲允在800歲的時(shí)候死去。

9. 嘲弄耶穌：基督教神話

基督教神話中，據(jù)說有個(gè)猶太男子在耶穌去往十字架受難的途中嘲弄耶穌，用鞋子打他并叫他快走。耶穌回答說，盡管他要離開了，但這個(gè)猶太男子必將留在此地直到他歸來。

意識到所發(fā)生的事情后，該男子改名約瑟夫并皈依了基督教，不久后還接受了洗禮。然而，這個(gè)詛咒還是帶來了一些有害的副作用。他任何時(shí)候都不能坐下或休息，除了圣誕那天能獲得短暫的喘息之機(jī)。每隔100年，他就會(huì)患上不治之癥并發(fā)病一陣，然后重返30歲。

8. 激怒天神：希臘神話

在許多涉及凡人的希臘神話中，一個(gè)常見主題是傲慢自大或極度驕傲帶來的懲罰和危險(xiǎn)。很多凡人試圖欺騙或挑戰(zhàn)諸神，結(jié)果全都受到了懲罰，其中許多人的懲罰是永世的。西西弗斯早年曾試圖欺騙宙斯，困住了希臘神話中的死神塔納托斯。這導(dǎo)致世界無人會(huì)死，惹惱了戰(zhàn)神阿瑞斯。西西弗斯因此被罰每天都得把一塊巨石推上山，而巨石每晚又會(huì)滾下山。

另一個(gè)故事關(guān)于伊克西翁國王。他去找宙斯尋求寬恕時(shí)已因謀殺岳父而陷入困境。在奧林匹斯山，他竟試圖強(qiáng)奸赫拉，再鑄大錯(cuò)。宙斯發(fā)現(xiàn)后把一朵云做成赫拉的樣子騙住了伊克西翁。他被罰永遠(yuǎn)捆綁在一個(gè)火輪上。

7. 服用朱砂：道教神話

朱砂是常見的汞礦石，也是道教長生不老藥的核心成分，被稱為“還丹”（即“還轉(zhuǎn)靈藥”）。道家認(rèn)為，攝入朱砂或黃金等物質(zhì)可給人體注入它們的一些品質(zhì)，讓人擺脫妨礙其長生不老的身體缺陷。

不幸的是，攝入的物質(zhì)中大多數(shù)是有毒的，包括多位唐朝皇帝在內(nèi)的許多人因之喪命。最終，“體外煉金術(shù)”的理念轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)椤绑w內(nèi)煉金術(shù)”，即通過瑜伽等練習(xí)來駕馭人的自然能量，以求長生不老。

6. 吃一種未知植物：蘇美爾人神話

在《吉爾伽美什史詩》中，主人公在朋友恩基杜死后非常痛苦，也擔(dān)心自己的死亡，因而去尋找永生之源。在探尋的過程中，他找到了烏特納皮什蒂姆，一個(gè)諾亞般的人物，在眾神指示下建造大船從一場大洪水中幸存下來，被賜予了永生。烏特納皮什蒂姆告訴吉爾伽美什，他的永生是一份特殊的禮物，但有一種起源和物種不明的植物，誰吃下誰便可獲得永恒的生命。他描述的東西類似某地的沙棘或另一地的枸杞。然而，吉爾伽美什找到這種植物后卻被一條蛇偷吃了，所以我們永遠(yuǎn)無從知曉它究竟是否起效了。

5. 吃不老仙桃：中國神話

仙桃在中國神話巨著《西游記》中扮演著非常重要的角色。猴王孫悟空被派去看守蟠桃園，結(jié)果吃下了一顆桃，由此獲得了1000年壽命。他先是出逃，后卻被抓獲。不過，因?yàn)閷O悟空還曾吃下長生不老藥九轉(zhuǎn)金丹，所以自然無法被處死。

孫悟空最終與天庭開戰(zhàn)，眾神不得不向佛祖求援。佛祖成功誘騙孫悟空，將他困住了500年，之后他才去完成《西游記》中描述的西行任務(wù)。據(jù)說，桃樹由玉皇大帝和西王母所種，一些蟠桃每3000年才成熟結(jié)果一次。他們樂于將之賜予其他神仙，使眾神永生。

4. 飲永生甘露：印度教神話

amrita是梵文，直譯基本相當(dāng)于英語的immortality（不朽）。印度教天神本是凡人或因詛咒而失去永生，所以要尋求獲得永生的方法。

他們與敵人阿修羅（即“反神”）聯(lián)手，攪動(dòng)乳海并創(chuàng)造出一種名為 amrita的甘露。最后，天神讓毗濕奴裝作一位能向任何人心中灌輸無法控制的欲望的女神，騙得阿修羅沒飲一滴甘露。據(jù)說，瑜伽大師之所以能喝到甘露，是因?yàn)樘焐裨诜纻浒⑿蘖_時(shí)匆忙間灑出了一些。

3. 吃金蘋果：北歐神話

北歐金蘋果與希臘金蘋果不同，因?yàn)樗鼈儗Ρ睔W諸神極為重要。北歐諸神全都需要金蘋果來維持永生和永葆青春，而春天女神伊敦（一譯伊登）則是他們果園的守護(hù)者。

伊敦受火神洛基所騙與金蘋果一起落入山巨人夏基之手后，北歐諸神便開始衰老，力量也逐漸減弱。他們用盡最后一絲力氣，迫使洛基去救回伊敦和金蘋果。洛基化身獵鷹，救回了伊敦和金蘋果，眾神隨之恢復(fù)了青春。

2. 飲仙酒：希臘神話

仙酒是希臘諸神的飲品。仙酒據(jù)說味似蜂蜜，由鴿子遞送給奧林匹亞諸神，是諸神的永生之源。

各種凡人和半神都被賦予了飲用仙酒的特權(quán)，比如赫拉克勒斯;同時(shí)也有人因偷酒而受罰，比如坦塔羅斯（Tantalus）——他被困于一池水中，近在咫尺的食物總是觸不可及，英語單詞tantalize（逗弄）就源自他的名字和故事。還有一些人差點(diǎn)兒嘗到，只是最后一刻失去了機(jī)會(huì)，比如英雄堤丟斯，戰(zhàn)爭女神雅典娜原本要賦予他不死之身，卻撞見他在吃人腦，于是作罷。

1. 擁有圣杯：基督教神話

基督教神話中最有名的一個(gè)物件便是圣杯。它是耶穌在最后的晚餐中所用的杯子（或碗），也是一件廣受追捧的遺物。還有人認(rèn)為，基督被釘在十字架上時(shí)，亞利馬太的約瑟夫就把它當(dāng)作了容器來接基督的血。

亞瑟王和他的騎士們曾到處尋找圣杯。只有擁有最純潔靈魂的人才能握住它，而加拉哈德爵士獲得永生據(jù)說就是因?yàn)樗俏ㄒ荒苡|到它的人。

（譯者單位：復(fù)旦大學(xué)）