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Theelixir of life (Medieval Latin:elixirvitae), also known aselixir of immortality, is apotion that supposedly grants the drinkereternal life and/oreternal youth. Thiselixir was also said tocure all diseases.Alchemists in various ages and cultures sought the means of formulating the elixir.
An early mention of an elixir of life is found in theEpic of Gilgamesh (from the 2nd millennium BC) in whichGilgamesh comes to fear his own declining years following the death of his beloved companionEnkidu.[1] He seeks outUtnapishtim, a figure in Mesopotamian mythology known for surviving a great flood sent by the gods and being granted immortality. Gilgamesh is directed by Utnapishtim to find a plant at the bottom of the sea, but he loses it to a serpent before he can use it himself. This legend is an archaic explanation for snakes shedding their skin, seen as mystical rejuvenation.
Many rulers of ancient China sought the fabled elixir to achieve eternal life. During theQin dynasty,Qin Shi Huang sentTaoist alchemistXu Fu to the eastern seas with 500 young men and 500 young women to find the elixir in the legendaryPenglai Mountain, but returned without finding it. He embarked on a second voyage with 3000 young girls and boys, but none of them ever returned (legend has it that he foundJapan instead).[2]
The ancient Chinese believed that ingesting long-lasting mineral substances such asjade,cinnabar, orhematite would confer some of that longevity on the person who consumed them.[3]Gold was considered particularly potent, as it was a non-tarnishing precious metal; the idea of potable or drinkable gold is found in China by the end of the third century BC. The most famous Chinese alchemical book,Danjing yaojue ("Essential Formulas of Alchemical Classics") attributed toSun Simiao (c. 581 – c. 682 AD),[4][5] a famous medical specialist respectfully called "King of Medicine" by later generations, discusses in detail the creation of elixirs for immortality (including several toxic ingredients such asmercury,sulphur, andarsenates), as well as those for curing certain diseases and the fabrication of precious stones.
Many of these substances, far from contributing to longevity, were actively toxic and resulted inChinese alchemical elixir poisoning. TheJiajing Emperor in theMing dynasty died from ingesting a lethal dosage of mercury in the supposed "Elixir of Life" conjured by alchemists.[citation needed]
Amrita, the elixir of life, has been described inHindu scriptures. In thePuranas, that due to the defeat of thedevas at the hands of theasuras, both power-seeking races, the preserver deityVishnu asked the devas tochurn the ocean of milk, so that they may retrieve amrita to empower themselves.[6]
Mercury, which was so vital to alchemy everywhere, is first mentioned in the 4th- to 3rd-century BCArthashastra, about the same time it is encountered in China and in the West. Evidence of the idea of transmuting base metals to gold appears in 2nd- to 5th-century AD Buddhist texts, about the same time as in the West.
It is also possible that the alchemy of medicine and immortality came to China from India, or vice versa; in any case, for both cultures, gold-making appears to have been a minor concern, and medicine the major concern. But the elixir of immortality was of little importance in India (which had other avenues to immortality). The Indian elixirs were mineral remedies for specific diseases or, at the most, to promote long life.
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In Europeanalchemical tradition, the elixir of life is closely related to the creation of thephilosopher's stone. According to legend, certain alchemists have gained a reputation as creators of the elixir. These includeNicolas Flamel andSt. Germain. A work byMichael Scot speaks of gold as an elixir of life.[7]
In the 8th century ADMan'yōshū, 'waters of rejuvenation' (変若水,ochimizu) are said to be in the possession of the moon godTsukuyomi. Similarities have been noted with a folktale from theRyukyu Islands, in which the moon god decides to give man the water of life (Miyako:sïlimizï), and serpents the water of death (sïnimizï). However, the person entrusted with carrying the pails down to Earth gets tired and takes a break, and a serpent bathes in the water of life, rendering it unusable. This is said to be why serpents can rejuvenate themselves each year by shedding their skin while men are doomed to die.[8][9]
The Elixir has had hundreds of names (one scholar of Chinese history reportedly found over 1,000 names for it), among themKimia, Amrit Ras orAmrita, Aab-i-Hayat, Maha Ras, Aab-Haiwan, Dancing Water, Chasma-i-Kausar, Mansarover or the Pool of Nectar,Philosopher's stone, and Soma Ras. The wordelixir was not used until the 7th century A.D. and derives from the Arabic name for miracle substances, "al iksir". Some view it as a metaphor for the spirit of God (e.g., Jesus's reference to "theWater of Life" or "theFountain of Life"). "But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14) TheScots and theIrish adopted the name for their "liquid gold": theGaelic name forwhiskey isuisce beatha, or water of life.
“Kimia” is from Ancient Greek language and used in old Persian literature, in which it means something that transforms and brings life.Aab-i-Hayat is Persian and means "water of life".[10] "Chashma-i-Kausar" (not "hasma") is the "Fountain of Bounty", which Muslims believe to be located in Paradise. As for the Indian names, "Amrit Ras" means "immortality juice", "Maha Ras" means "great juice", and "Soma Ras" means "juice of Soma". Later, Soma came to mean the Moon. "Ras" later came to mean "sacred mood experienced listening to poetry or music"; there are altogether nine of them.Mansarovar, the "mind lake" is theholy lake at the foot ofMount Kailash in Tibet, close to the source of the Ganges.
The elixir of life has been an inspiration, plot feature, or subject of artistic works includinganimation,comics,films, musical compositions,novels, andvideo games. Some examples areL. Frank Baum's fantasy novelJohn Dough and the Cherub, the science fiction seriesDoctor Who,Natalie Babbitt's 1975 novelTuck Everlasting and itsfilm adaptation,Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone,House of Anubis,The Puppet Master, the mangaFullmetal Alchemist andHell's Paradise: Jigokuraku, the light novelBaccano!, the movieProfessor Layton and the Eternal Diva of theProfessor Layton franchise, the horror filmAs Above, So Below and the series of video gamesTouhou Project and Sims 2.
