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Immortality

AI representation of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.  Source: Luke/Adobe Stock

Qin Shi Huang: First Emperor of China (Video)

Qin Shi Huang , the inaugural Emperor of China, orchestrated a dramatic ascent to power in a mere nine years, a feat emblematic of his strategic prowess. Born amidst political intrigue and familial...
Ancient Egypt’s Book of the Dead. Source: Paolo Gallo / Adobe Stock.

Book of the Dead: Ancient Egypt’s Quest for Eternal Life (Video)

The Egyptian Book of the Dead , or "The Book of Coming Forth by Day," is an ancient religious text that played a significant role in Egyptian funerary practices around 1550 BC. It contains spells,...
Depiction of Death in an 18th-century Russian icon.

Ivan Turbinca – The Man Who Belonged in Neither Heaven Nor Hell

Myth, legend and literature are full of tales about people ending up in either Heaven or Hell. However, every now and then a story arises about someone who belongs in neither. Such is the tale of...
Terracotta warriors, China. Source: Lukas Hlavac / Adobe Stock.

The Terracotta Warriors: The Immortal Army of Ancient China (Video)

China’s first emperor, Emperor Qin , was a man so obsessed with immortality that he commissioned the creation of an army that would accompany him into the afterlife. This army was no ordinary army,...
Thor’s fight with the Giants, by Mårten Eskil Winge. (Public domain)

10 Supernatural Powers from the Deities of World Mythology

There is nothing as colorful as all the various mythologies of our world. From Europe to Asia, Africa and the Americas, both ancient and modern cultures and civilizations envisioned and sculpted...
Water lily Nymphaea, known as ‘blue lotus’. Source: Public Domain

The Blue Lotus: A Narcotic Lily That Mesmerized Ancient Egypt

A water lily from the genus Nymphaea , this plant became known as the ‘Blue Lotus’, or the ‘Egyptian Lotus’. This aquatic plant is not just a thing of beauty, it has a secret too, and the ancient...
The First Emperor of China was Killed by an Elixir of Immortality. Source:  ЮРИЙ ПОЗДНИКОВ / Adobe Stock

The First Emperor of China Took an ‘Elixir of Immortality’ Made of Mercury and it Killed Him

The First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, was terrified of death and much of his reign was focused on the search for immortality and the Elixir of Life. Ironically, Qin Shi Huang died from the toxic...
An Egyptian Mummy

Did Egyptian Mummification Descend from a More Ancient and, Perhaps, Reversible Preservation Technique?

A central concept in the novel The Sphinx Scrolls is whether a mummification technology has ever existed that could preserve someone for long periods and retain the potential to bring them back to...
Yin Female Taosim In Search Of Immortality

Yin Female Taoism In Search Of Immortality

Chinese Thought conceived the idea of ​​a universe governed by the interaction and cyclical alternation of two opposing, but complementary principles called Yin and Yang . Before becoming...
Rivodutri’s Alchemical Door To Enlightenment In 17th Century AD Italy

Rivodutri’s Alchemical Door To Enlightenment In 17th Century Italy

Add magic to natural philosophy and early chemistry knowledge and you have the ancient art of alchemy . Alchemists tried to change various substances into gold and looked hard for the elixir of...
The Deadly Elixir of Life – Was a Shot at Immortality Worth the Risk?

The Deadly Elixir of Life – Was a Shot at Immortality Worth the Risk?

The elixir of immortality (known also as the elixir of life) is a mythical substance believed to grant those who consume it eternal life. Various civilizations throughout human history have their own...
Representative image for Queen Mother of the West. Source: wichansumalee / Adobe Stock

Queen Mother of the West and Her Peaches of Immortality

Xiwangmu (西王母), whose name means ‘Queen Mother of the West’ is a goddess in the Taoist pantheon, and worshipped in Chinese folk religion. Xiwangmu is considered to be one of the most prominent female...
Scientists Crack Secrets of Ginkgo Trees’ Near-Immortality

Scientists Crack Secrets of Ginkgo Trees’ Near-Immortality

A new botanical scientific study on ginkgo trees highlights the species’ hyper-charged defenses and apparent escalation towards “immortality.” Native to China , G inkgo biloba , also known as the...
Immortal man

Could Humans Become Immortal by 2045?

Immortality has been a dream of human beings since the dawn of time. Mankind´s fascination with cheating death is reflected in scientific records, mythology and folklore dating back at least to...
 ‘Idun and the Apples’ (1890) by J. Doyle Penrose.

Idunn: The Rejuvenating Goddess that Keeps Norse Deities Young

Idunn (Iðunn) is one of the most important goddesses in Norse mythology. The name of this goddess has been variously translated to mean ‘The Rejuvenating One’, ‘Ever Young’, and ‘Rejuvenator’, which...
 A Ming silk tapestry depicting Dongfang Suo stealing a Peach of Immortality.

Reserved for the Gods: Only Two Humans Have Tasted the Chinese Peaches of Immortality

You may have heard of the golden apples of Greek myth, but do you know of the Chinese Peaches of Immortality? These sacred fruits have become symbols that continue to hold significance at yearly...
A bottle of an elixir.

Seeking Life but Finding Death: Deadly Chinese Elixirs of Immortality

The elixir of immortality (known also as the ‘elixir of life’) is a legendary substance found in many ancient cultures. This elixir is expected to grant eternal life to the person who consumes it...
Wooden Tablets Verify China's First Emperor’s Obsession with Immortality

Wooden Tablets Verify China's First Emperor’s Obsession with Immortality

New archaeological finds shed light on Qin Shi Huang’s (first Emperor of China) quest for eternal life. According to 2000-year-old texts written on thousands of wooden slats, the Chinese Emperor did...
8 Immortals in a temple in Vietnam

The 8 Immortals of China: How ordinary mortals worked hard to achieve superpowers and become legendary

The general appearances of Chinese gods lead us to think of them as sober imperial bureaucrats. They mostly look like middle-aged men dressed in official-looking robes, spending their time reading...
The climactic moment in Homer's Iliad when a dying Achilles' head bursts into flame

Magic Armor Can’t Save the Tragic Heroes: Duty & Doom for Karna, Ferdiad & Achilles

It is no longer a secret that there are historical connections between the myths from everywhere in the world, indicating that every culture had strong influences on each other and their legends. A...
Taking Beauty to New Heights in China: What Stunning Sights Emerge on Huangshan and its Bridge of Immortals?

Taking Beauty to New Heights in China: What Stunning Sights Emerge on Huangshan and its Bridge of Immortals?

Huangshan (written in the Han script as 黄山, and literally translated as ‘Yellow Mountain’) is a mountain range located in the southern part of Anhui Province, in the eastern region of China. This...
Divine, Forbidden and Dangerous? Magic Apples in Ancient Mythology

Divine, Forbidden and Dangerous? Magic Apples in Ancient Mythology

Apples have a prominent place in world mythology, and are often associated with paradise, magic, knowledge and sensual experience. Legendary magician Merlin was said to carry a silver bough from an...
The Immortals – A Continuation of Myths and Legends

The Immortals – A Continuation of Myths and Legends

Uruk from Mesopotamia was probably the first legendary immortal. He was believed to have been a “regular” individual who simply could not die. However, mythology suggests that immortals and observers...
An image of the god Soma and its representations.

The Secret Substance Soma: Bringing Human Beings Closer to the Gods

Soma is both the name of a god and a substance that is found in Hindu mythology. As a deity, Soma is one of the most important gods in the Rigveda . Soma is also considered to be a primeval being,...

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