Eternal youth

Eternal youth and ways to achieve it, is subject of many myths, legends but also serious research.

In Norse mythology can be find golden apples, which needs all Norse Gods to maintan their immortality and eternal youth. Without golden apples, which protects Idun, the Aesir Gods would be old and weak.

Another golden apples can be find in Greek mythology, which brings us information about the Garden of the Hesperides, which was guarded by the nymphs of the far west, the Hesperides, and where grew these apples. Garden was believed to be located in the vicinity of the Atlas Mountains in North Africa. Greek golden apples could make a mortal man immortal and eternally young.

 Although apple is really healthful fruit (it contains vitamin A, B, C, E; calcium or potassium and promotes excretion of toxins from the body) in Greek mythology can be find also Ambrosia, what is the drink of the Greek gods. Ambrosia should taste like honey and was source of immortality.

Another fruit, which should help to reach eternal youth are Peaches of Immortality from Chinese mythology, which bestowed 1,000 years of life. Japanese mythology says that eternal youth will human get, when will eat a mermaid creature called ningyo, what is cross between a monkey and a carp.

Eternal youth can be find also in a play of the Czech writer and dramaturg Karel Čapek – The Makropulos Affair, whose main character is a woman, whose age is estimated to be about 30 years old. Woman is actually a daughter of a Rudolfinian doctor, who discovered youth´s elixir for 300 years. The woman is actualy 337 years old and although she is bored by life, she is afraid of death. She want to get a sheet with instructions for preparing an elixir, but she realizes that inhumane long life is worse than death. The sheet of paper is burned.

Eternal youth is not only in plays or myths and legends. Many people believed in Fountain of Youth. One of them was also Alexander the Great, allegedly crossing a mythical land covered in eternal nigh called the Land of Darkness to reach magical water. Indian mythology accounts of miraculous water; also Greek historian Herodotos wrote about it. 

Can be Fountain of Youth true? American writer Charlie Carlson spoke to a man, who claimed, that he is a member of a secret society, which discovered it and their aim is to protect it. Man has been 93 years old but according to Carlson he looks on forty. Members of the company are supposedly older than 110 years and looks younger.

Except of Fountain of Youth we can find also information about Living and dead water. Usually we can heard from legends but also in Fairy tales, about these two types water. Dead will kill you and Living can make you younger, healthier and stronger. On many places of Europe can be even these days found wells, springs and sacred places, where are people going for healing water. In Slovakia are  1300 – 1600 mineral springs. These springs contain many minerals and can be really helpful with treatment of health problems; but there can really exist Living and Death Water.

In Uzbekistan during various wells was accidentally found, that water will have uncharacteristic properties after electrolysis. This resulted in living and dead water. Positively charged water is aqua vita and acidic, negatively charged, dead water.

Inventor of the device for Living and Death water was L.I.Krotov, who had in 1981 diagnosis inflammation of the kidneys and an adenoma of the prostate. Krotov refused operation. Krotov began to drink aqua vitae and after week adenoma disappeard. Next radiculitis and also swollen legs.  

But it is not only water or fruits, but also genes. As stated Steve Connor „two teams of researches found separate genes that accelerate tissue regeneration in laboratory mice. Both genes, which are also present in the human genome, are more active in young mice compared to older mice. These genes (called Lin28a and IMP1) are gradually turned off as an animal ages.“

If you can turn on/off genome it could be eternal life? And would it be something what you will want? Or will we see that long life is worse than death?

 Citation

Steve Conor. Fountain of youth? Scientists discover why would wounds heal quicker for young people. INDEPENDENT.CO.UK. 2013 Available at  https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/fountain-of-youth-scientists-discover-why-wounds-heal-quicker-for-young-people-8927387.html

Source of picture
1 https://pixabay.com/sk/adam-eva-apple-zlato-nama%C4%BEovan%C3%BD-2603643/
2 https://pixabay.com/sk/aix-en-provence-fountainhead-3797646/