Longevity myths are traditions about long-lived people (generally supercentenarians), either as individuals or groups of people, and practices that have been believed to confer longevity, but which current scientific evidence does not support, nor the reasons for the claims. While literal interpretations of such myths may appear to indicate extraordinarily long lifespans, experts believe such figures may be the result of incorrect translations of number systems through various languages, coupled along with the cultural and symbolic significance of certain numbers.
The phrase "longevity tradition" may include "purifications, rituals, longevity practices, meditations, and alchemy" that have been believed to confer greater human longevity, especially in Chinese culture.
Modern science indicates various ways in which genetics, diet, and lifestyle affect human longevity. It also allows us to determine the age of human remains with a fair degree of precision.
The record for the maximum verified lifespan in the modern world is years for women (Jeanne Calment) and 116 years for men (Jiroemon Kimura). Some scientists estimate that in case of the most ideal conditions people can live up to 127 years. This does not exclude the theoretical possibility that in the case of a fortunate combination of mutations there could be a person who lives longer. Though the lifespan of humans is one of the longest in nature, there are animals that live longer. For example, some individuals of the Galapagos tortoise live more than 175 years, and some individuals of the bowhead whale more than 200 years. Some scientists cautiously suggest that the human body can have sufficient resources to live up to 150 years.
Longevity claims in religion
Abrahamic religions + Biblical longevity Name MasoreticAge SeptuagintAgeMethuselah 969 969 Jared 962 962 Noah 950 950 Adam 930 930 Seth 912 912 Kenan 910 910 Enos 905 905 Mahalalel 895 895 Lamech 777 753 Shem 600 600 Eber 464 404 Cainan — 460 Arpachshad 438 465 Salah 433 466 Enoch 365 365 Peleg 239 339 Reu 239 339 Serug 230 330 Job 210? 210? Terah 205 205 Isaac 180 180 Abraham 175 175 Nahor 148 304 Jacob 147 147 Esau 147? 147? Ishmael 137 137 Levi 137 137 Amram 137 137 Kohath 133 133 Laban 130+ 130+ Deborah 130+ 130+ Jehoiada 130 130 Sarah 127 127 Miriam 125+ 125+ Aaron 123 123 Rebecca 120+ 120+ Moses 120 120 Joseph 110 110 Joshua 110 110
Judaism Several parts of the Hebrew Bible, including the Torah, Joshua, Job, and Chronicles, mention individuals with very long lifespans, up to the 969 years of Methuselah. The Sefer haYashar narrates that all of the long-lived people belonged to a special class and that Methusaleh was the last member.(Jasher 5:21) The aforementioned patriarch lived long enough to preach alongside his great-grandson Noah in the antediluvian world.(Jasher 5:7)
Christianity Some Christian apologists explain the extreme ages in the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) as ancient mistranslations that converted the word "month" to "year", mistaking lunar cycles for solar ones: this would turn an age of 969 years into a more reasonable 969 lunar months, or about 78.3 solar years. Donald Etz says that the Genesis 5 numbers were multiplied by ten by a later editor.
Both these interpretations introduce an inconsistency: they would mean that the ages of the first nine patriarchs at fatherhood, ranging from 62 to 230 years in the manuscripts, would then be transformed into an implausible range such as 5 to years. Others say that the first list, of only 10 names for 1,656 years, may contain generational gaps, which would have been represented by the lengthy lifetimes attributed to the patriarchs. Nineteenth-century critic Vincent Goehlert suggests the lifetimes "represented epochs merely, to which were given the names of the personages especially prominent in such epochs, who, in consequence of their comparatively long lives, were able to acquire an exalted influence".
Those biblical scholars that teach literal interpretation give explanations for the advanced ages of the early patriarchs. In one view, man was originally to have everlasting life, but as sin was introduced into the world by Adam, its influence became greater with each generation and God progressively shortened man's life. In a second view, before Noah's flood, a "firmament" over the earth () contributed to people's advanced ages. The Bible's own (brief) explanation for these ages approaches the question from a different angle, explaining instead the relative shortness of normal lives in (CSB): "And the Lord said, 'My Spirit will not remain with mankind forever, because they are corrupt. Their days will be 120 years.
Conservative apologist William Lane Craig believes that the longevity myths should be understood as 'mytho-history', where the ages of culturally significant figures were exaggerated to make a political or theological point. He points to similar practices found in neighboring cultures such as the Babylonians and argues that both Hebrews and Babylonians were aware that human longevity was biologically unfeasible. Similar arguments were made by professor Robert Gnuse.
Here are some more modern examples of Christian longevity claims:
is said to have lived in Bivona, Italy, 1448–1578 (age ), according to the archive of Monastero di San Paolo in Bivona located in Palermo. Around 1912, the Maharishi of Kailash was said by missionary Sadhu Sundar Singh to be a Christian hermit of over 300 years of age in a Himalayan mountain cave, with whom he spent some time in deep fellowship. Singh said the Maharishi was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and baptized by the nephew of St. Francis Xavier.
Islam Ibrahim (إِبْرَاهِيم) was said to have lived to years. His wife Sarah is the only woman in the Old Testament whose age is given. She died at 127 (). In the Quran, Noah allegedly lived for 950 years with his people.
According to 19th-century scholars, Abdul Azziz al-Hafeed al-Habashi (عبد العزيز الحبشي) lived 673–674 Gregorian years, or Islamic years, between 581 and 1276 AH (equivalent to 1185–1859 AD).
In Twelver Shia Islam, Hujjat-Allah al-Mahdi is believed to currently be in Occultation and still alive (age ).
Buddhism Vipassī, the twenty-second of twenty-eight Buddhas, lived for either 80,000 or 100,000 years. In Vipassī's time, the longevity of humans was 84,000 years. Taṇhaṅkara, the first Buddha, lived for 100,000 years.
Falun Gong Chapter 2 of Falun Gong by Li Hongzhi (2001) states,
Hinduism The Hindu god Rama is said to have ruled his kingdom Ayodhya for 11,000 years by the time he died according to the Ramayana. Rama's father Dasharatha lived for more than 60,000 years according to the Ramayana. Bhagiratha did tapas for 1000 deva or god years (360,000 years in Human years) to please Ganga, to gain the release of his 60,000 great-uncles from the curse of saint Kapila. So, Bhagiratha lived for more than 360,000 years. The Hindu god Krishna is said to have lived for 125 years and 8 months from 3228 BCE to 3102 BCE. According to Hindu scriptures, the age of Kali Yuga began after he ascended to his abode Vaikuntha. Ashwatthama, a hero of the Mahabharatha, is said to be over 6,000 years old and still alive. Devraha Baba (died June 19, 1990) claimed to have lived for more than 900 years. Trailanga Swami reportedly lived in Kashi since 1737; the journal Prabuddha Bharata puts his birth , corresponding to year 1529 of the Shaka era (age ), upon his death in 1887. The sadhaka Lokenath Brahmachari reportedly lived 1730–1890 (age ). Shivapuri Baba, also known as Swami Govindanath Bharati, was a Hindu saint who purportedly lived from 1826 to 1963, making him allegedly years old at the time of his death. He had 18 audiences with Queen Victoria. Sankardev, the Assamese Neo-Vaishnavite saint is claimed to have lived 1449–1568 (age )
Jainism Extreme lifespans are ascribed to the Tirthankaras, for instance: Neminatha was said to have lived for over 10,000 years before his ascension. Naminatha was said to have lived for over 20,000 years before his ascension. Munisuvrata was said to have lived for over 30,000 years before his ascension. Māllīnātha was said to have lived for over 56,000 years before his ascension. Aranatha was said to have lived for over 84,000 years before his ascension. Kunthunatha was said to have lived for over 200,000 years before his ascension. Shantinatha was said to have lived for over 800,000 years before his ascension. Dharmanatha was said to have lived for over 2,500,000 years before his ascension. Anantanatha was said to have lived for over 3,500,000 years before his ascension. Vimalanatha was said to have lived for over 6,000,000 years before his ascension. Vasupujya was said to have lived for over 7,200,000 years before his ascension. Shreyansanatha was said to have lived for over 8,400,000 years before his ascension.
Sikhism Baba Sri Chand, the founder of Udasi sect, was said to live 134 years. Baba Biram Das, an Udasi saint, is said to have lived for 321 years.
Taoism The term xian refers to deified persons who have achieved immortality. The Old Man of the South Pole is a common archetype and symbol for longevity.
Theosophy/New Age Mahavatar Babaji is said to be an "Unascended Master" purportedly many centuries old (said to have been born as early as 203 AD) and is claimed to live in the Himalayas. The Hindu guru Paramhansa Yogananda claimed to have met him and was supposedly one of his disciples.
Premodern longevity claims
China
Fu Xi (伏羲) was supposed to have lived for 197 years. Lucian wrote about the "Seres" (a Chinese people), claiming they lived for over 300 years. Zuo Ci who lived during the Three Kingdoms Period was said to have lived for 300 years. In Chinese legend, Peng Zu was believed to have lived for over 800 years. during the Yin Dynasty (殷朝, 16th to 11th centuries BC).
Emperors The Yellow Emperor was said to have lived for 113 years. Emperor Yao was said to have lived for 118 years. Emperor Shun was said to have lived for 110 years.
Egypt The Egyptian historian Manetho, drawing upon earlier sources, begins his Egyptian king list with the Graeco-Egyptian god Hephaestus (Ptah) who "was king for 9,000 years".
England Edgar Ætheling, English prince who was briefly King of England after the death of Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in late 1066. Edgar is said to have died shortly after 1126, when William of Malmesbury wrote that he "now grows old in the country in privacy and quiet". However, two pipe rolls exist from the years 1158 and 1167 which list Edgar. The historian Edward Augustus Freeman stated that this referred either to Edgar (aged at least 115), to a son of his, or to another person who bore the title Ætheling.
Greece A book Macrobii ("Long-Livers") is a work devoted to longevity. It was attributed to the ancient Greek author Lucian, although it is now accepted that he could not have written it. Most examples given in it are lifespans of 80 to 100 years, but some are much longer: Tiresias, the blind seer of Thebes, over 600 years. Nestor, over 300 years. Members of the "Seres" (a Chinese people), over 300 years.
According to one tradition, Epimenides of Crete (7th, 6th centuries BC) lived nearly 300 years.
Japan
Some early emperors of Japan are said to have ruled for more than a century, according to the tradition documented in the Kojiki, viz., Emperor Jimmu and Emperor Kōan.
Emperor Jimmu (traditionally, 13 February 711 BC – 11 March 585 BC) lived 126 years according to the Kojiki. These dates correspond to , on the proleptic Julian and Gregorian calendars. Emperor Kōan, according to Nihon Shoki, lived 137 years (from 427 BC to 291 BC).
Korea Dangun, the first ruler of Korea, is said to have been born in 2333 BCE and to have died in 425 BCE at the age of 1,908 years.