Immortality

Immortality (or eternal life) is the concept of existing for a potentially infinite, or indeterminate length, of time. Throughout history, humans have had the desire to live forever. What form an unending or indefinitely-long human life would take, has been the subject of much speculation, fantasy, and debate.

Immortality in fiction

Immortal beings and species abound in fiction, especially fantasy fiction, and the meaning of "immortal" tends to vary.

Related Topics:
Species - Fiction - Fantasy

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Some fictional and mythological beings are completely immortal (or very nearly so) in that they are immune to death by injury, disease and age. Examples include various types of gods and the evil Cthulhu. Sometimes such powerful immortals can only be killed by each other, as is the case with the Q from the Star Trek series. Even if something can't be killed, a common plot device involves putting an immortal being into a slumber or limbo, as is done with Sauron in J.R.R Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and the Dreaming God of Pathways Into Darkness. Storytellers often make it a point to give weaknesses to even the most indestructible of beings. For instance, the greek hero Achilles was supposed to be invincible, yet his enemies were able to use his infamous weakness to slay him.

Related Topics:
Mythological - God - Cthulhu - Q - Star Trek - Sauron - J.R.R Tolkien - The Lord of the Rings - Pathways Into Darkness - Achilles - His infamous weakness

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Many fictitious species are said to be immortal if they cannot die of old age, even though they can be killed through other means, such as injury (known in some role playing games as "limited immortality"). Modern fantasy elves are an example of such a species, though in some cases they have a long but finite lifespan. Other creatures, such as vampires and the immortals in the film Highlander, can only die from specific injuries. The list of such injuries for vampires varies somewhat on the particular work or inspiring mythos; for example a stake through the heart may be anywhere from incapacitating to instantly fatal.

Related Topics:
Elves - Vampire - Highlander

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A fictional creature might also be considered immortal if its life span is just unimaginably long. For instance, the dragons in some fantasy works can eventually die of old age, but often their lifespan is measured in the thousands of years (or perhaps longer), so they're considered immortal by shorter lived species (such as humans). Elves and other fae in some works also fall into this category. Beings like this often remind humans of their greatest weaknesses by uttering the derisive cliché "mere mortals".

Related Topics:
Dragon - Cliché

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Immortality can be used as a prize, something to be earned by great achievement. Legendary heroes, great magicians and wise elders sometimes rise to the ranks of immortality in fiction and mythology. It can be the reward at the end of a great quest, such as the quest for the Holy Grail or the ancient Epic of Gilgamesh. When immortality is something that can be bought, works of fiction will often make judgements regarding the high price that must be paid. Immortality is often the desire of evil characters as well. If immortality is something that can be earned, then it can also be taken away, much to the dismay of many an immortal villain.

Related Topics:
Hero - Magician - Quest - Holy Grail - Epic of Gilgamesh - Villain

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Since immortality is seen as a desire of humanity, themes involving immortality often explore the disadvantages as well as the advantages of such a trait. Sometimes immortality is used as a punishment, or a curse that might be intended to teach a lesson. It is not uncommon to find immortal characters yearning for death. A similar, though somewhat different theme, concerned Elves and Men in Middle Earth. While the immortality of Elves was not explicitly a curse, the mortality of humans was viewed as a gift, albeit one that the immortal beings, and often even the humans, didn't understand.

Related Topics:
Curse - Middle Earth

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Stories about immortality can also explore the possibilities and consequences of living for vast spans of time.

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In Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, some of the inhabitants of the island of Immortals (near Japan) don't die, but they age and became ill, demented and a nuisance to themselves and those surrounding them. Swift presents immortality as a curse rather than a blessing. The film Zardoz also depicts a dystopian view of immortality, where interest in life has been lost and suicide is impossible.

Related Topics:
Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels - Some of the inhabitants - Japan - Zardoz

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In the film Highlander, the immortal main character grows cynical after seeing friends and lovers grow old and die.

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In the Hyperion Cantos Universe, a parasite originating from the planet Hyperion called the cruciform brings immortality, being able to regenerate the body after death. Wealthy humans can also achieve significant increase of their life expectancy thanks to the expensive Poulsen treatments.

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Tezuka Osamu's lifework Phoenix (known in Japan as Hi no Tori) had a phoenix whose blood would provide immortality, in various age, many "heroes" and "heroines" would strive for immortality only to realize that there is something beyond eternal life. In a story titled "Raise hen", lit. "next world story", the last remaining human male who survived a holocaust and blessed or cursed with immortality through the phoenix blood, would create another beginning of life. In an immortal form, he would see slugs who gained intelligence to yet destroy themselves again in another holocaust. He would seed the earth again with life that would become present day human, meaning us and leave the earth for good to join his sweetheart who passed away billions of years ago in something like a heaven.

Related Topics:
Tezuka Osamu - Phoenix - Japan - Phoenix - Heaven

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In Douglas Adams' novel Life, the Universe and Everything the character Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged had the misfortune of being immortal due to "a strange accident involving an irrational particle accelerator, a liquid lunch and a pair of rubber bands". After becoming immortal, he did everything one can do in life, several times, becoming terribly bored of everything. He then made a plan that, despite being rather foolish, would at least keep him busy: he was going to insult, personally, all the living beings in the universe, in alphabetical order.

Related Topics:
Douglas Adams - Life, the Universe and Everything - Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged - Particle accelerator - Liquid lunch - Bored - Insult - Universe - Alphabetical order

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The Phantom is a comic character who appears to be immortal, fighting pirates and evil across centuries.

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However it is just a dynasty of heroes who pass the mask and suit of the Phantom along generations.

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Their secret is known just to their aides and wives (and the reader).

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