The elixir of life (Medieval Latin: elixir vitae), also called the elixir of immortality, is a potion believed to give the drinker never-ending life and never-aging. It was also thought to cure all illnesses. Alchemists from different times and places tried to find ways to create the elixir.

History

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, which is from around 2000 BC, there is an early mention of an elixir of life. Gilgamesh becomes afraid of growing old after his friend Enkidu dies. He searches for Utnapishtim, a figure in Mesopotamian mythology who survived a great flood and was given immortality. Utnapishtim tells him to find a special plant at the bottom of the sea, but a serpent steals it before he can use it. This story is an early explanation for why snakes shed their skin, which is seen as a sign of renewal.

In ancient China, many rulers wanted the fabled elixir to live forever. During the Qin dynasty, Qin Shi Huang sent a Taoist alchemist named Xu Fu to search for the elixir on Penglai Mountain with 500 young men and women. He returned without success and tried again with 3,000 young people, but none came back. Some stories say he discovered Japan instead.

Ancient Chinese people believed eating long-lasting minerals like jade, cinnabar, or hematite could help them live longer. Gold was especially valued because it does not tarnish. By the end of the third century BC, Chinese people made drinks from gold. A famous book called Danjing yaojue ("Essential Formulas of Alchemical Classics") by Sun Simiao, a respected doctor, describes methods for creating elixirs for immortality. These recipes included harmful ingredients like mercury, sulfur, and arsenates, as well as medicines and ways to make precious stones.

Many of these substances were dangerous and caused poisoning. The Jiajing Emperor of the Ming dynasty died after drinking a deadly amount of mercury from an alchemist's "Elixir of Life."

In Hindu texts, the elixir of life, called Amrita, is described. According to the Puranas, when the devas (gods) lost a battle to the asuras (demons), the god Vishnu told the devas to churn the ocean of milk to retrieve Amrita, which would give them power.

Mercury, an important substance in alchemy, is first mentioned in the Arthashastra, an Indian text from the 4th to 3rd century BC. Around the same time, it was also used in China and the West. Ideas about turning base metals into gold appear in Buddhist texts from the 2nd to 5th century AD, similar to those in the West.

It is possible that the study of medicine and immortality in China and India influenced each other. For both cultures, making gold was less important than medicine. In India, the elixir of immortality was not as significant because other paths to immortality existed. Indian elixirs were usually medicines for specific illnesses or to help people live longer.

In European alchemy, the elixir of life is closely connected to the philosopher's stone. Some alchemists, like Nicolas Flamel and St. Germain, were said to have created the elixir. A book by Michael Scot mentions that gold is an elixir of life.

During the Nara period (8th century), the Man'yōshū describes "waters of rejuvenation" held by the lunar deity Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto. These waters are also mentioned in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, a story from the Heian period, which says they come from the moon. Similar stories exist in the Ryukyu Islands, where the moon god gives humans the "water of life" and serpents the "water of death." A character carrying the water stops to rest, and a serpent drinks the water of life, making it unusable. This is why serpents can shed their skin and renew themselves each year, while humans cannot.

Names

The Elixir has many names. One person who studies Chinese history found over 1,000 names for it. Some of these names include Kimia, Amrit Ras or Amrita, 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 word "elixir" was not used until the 7th century A.D. It comes from the Arabic name for miracle substances, "al iksir." Some people see the Elixir as a symbol for the spirit of God, such as when Jesus spoke about "the Water of Life" or "the Fountain of Life." In the Bible, it says, "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) The Scots and the Irish used the name to describe their "liquid gold." The Gaelic name for whiskey is uisce beatha, which means "water of life."

The word "Kimia" comes from the Ancient Greek language and was used in old Persian literature. It means something that changes and gives life. "Aab-i-Hayat" is a Persian term meaning "water of life." "Chashma-i-Kausar" (not "hasma") is the "Fountain of Bounty," which Muslims believe is in Paradise. In India, "Amrit Ras" means "immortality juice," "Maha Ras" means "great juice," and "Soma Ras" means "juice of Soma." Later, the word "Soma" came to mean the Moon. The word "Ras" later came to mean "a sacred mood felt when listening to poetry or music." There are nine such moods in total. "Mansarovar," which means "mind lake," is a holy lake near Mount Kailash in Tibet, close to the source of the Ganges.

In popular culture

The idea of the elixir of life has been a theme in many stories and creative works, such as animation, comics, films, music, books, and video games. Examples include L. Frank Baum's fantasy novel John Dough and the Cherub, the science fiction series Doctor Who, Natalie Babbitt's 1975 novel Tuck Everlasting and its movie version, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, House of Anubis, The Puppet Master, the manga Fullmetal Alchemist and Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku, the light novel Baccano!, the movie Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva from the Professor Layton series, the horror film As Above, So Below, and the video games Touhou Project and Sims 2.