I don't know if this is the right section or not, I mean, I guess an immortal could be considered and urban legend.
has there ever been any reports on someone claiming to be immortal or actually being immortal?

wandering jew?
simon?
only ones coming to mind atm

mmm...i don't follow, tell me about this wandering jew and simon..if you wouldn't mind. Thanks.

if I remember right, supposedly wandering jew is someone Jesus cursed (there's other versions though) and simon is suppposed to be a scorceror.

According to my mum (yes I know, not the best of sources...) Jesus is wondering anonymously amongst us. i've not read the bible, so i dont know if this is 'true' but that would mean he would be more than 2000 years old.

Ok, so I guess now this brings up another question... Is there any supposed ways to achieve immortality?

I have one that I can sell you. I will give you a good deal on it too.

THEOSOPHY, Vol. 27, No. 1, November, 1938
(Pages 3-9; Size: 19K)
(Number 28 of a 29-part series)

GREAT THEOSOPHISTS

THE COUNT DE ST. GERMAIN

ONE of the most mysterious characters in modern history is the famous Count de St. Germain, described by his friend Prince Karl von Hesse as "one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived, the friend of humanity, whose heart was concerned only with the happiness of others." Intimate and counselor of Kings and Princes, nemesis of deceptive ministers, Rosicrucian, Mason, accredited Messenger of the Masters of Wisdom -- the Count de St. Germain worked in Europe for more than a century, faithfully performing the difficult task which had been entrusted to him.

The amazing and inscrutable personality in which the Adept known as St. Germain clothed himself was the outstanding topic of conversation among the nobility of the eighteenth century. During the 112 years that he is said to have lived in Europe, he always presented the appearance of a man about forty-five years of age. He was of medium height, with a slender, graceful figure, a captivating smile, and eyes of peculiar beauty. "Oh, what eyes!" sighed the Countess d'Adhémar. "I have never seen their equal!" He was an extraordinary linguist, speaking French, German, English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Swedish without the slightest trace of an accent, and his knowledge of Sanscrit, Chinese and Arabic showed that he was well acquainted with the East. His proficiency in music was equally remarkable. As a violinist he is said to have rivalled Paganini, while his performances on the harpsichord called forth enthusiastic applause from Frederick the Great. His ability to improvise made a great impression on Rameau, who met him in Venice in 1710. St. Germain was also a composer. One of his musical compositions was given to Tchaikowski, Prince Ferdinand von Lobkowitz inherited a second, while two others, bearing the dates 1745 and 1760, are the property of the British Museum.

The Count de St. Germain was also a painter of rare ability, famed for his power to reproduce the original brilliance of precious stones on canvas. Although he refused to betray his secret, it was commonly supposed that he produced the effect by mixing powdered mother-of-pearl with his pigments. He was highly esteemed as an art critic and was frequently consulted in regard to the authenticity of paintings.

The prodigious memory of the Count de St. Germain was a constant source of amazement to his friends. He would merely glance at a paper, and days afterward repeat its contents without missing a word. He was ambidextrous, and could write a poem with one hand while he framed a diplomatic paper with the other. He frequently read sealed letters without touching them and was known to answer questions before they had been put into words.

Many of St. Germain's friends had practical proof of his alchemical knowledge. Casanova relates that one day while visiting St. Germain in his laboratory, the latter asked for a silver coin. In a few moments it was returned to Casanova as pure gold. St. Germain also possessed the secret of melting several small diamonds into one large stone, an art learned in India, he said. While visiting the French Ambassador to The Hague, he broke up a superb diamond of his own manufacture, the duplicate of which he had recently sold for 5500 louis d'or. On another occasion he removed a flaw from a diamond belonging to Louis XV, increasing the value of the stone by 4000 livres. On gala occasions he appeared with a diamond ring on every finger and with shoe-buckles estimated to be worth at least 200,000 francs.

The charming personality of the Count de St. Germain made him a welcome guest in the homes of the nobility of every land. But while he often sat at table with his friends, his own food was specially prepared for him in his own apartments. He ate no meat and drank no wine, his favorite beverage being a tea which he prepared from certain herbs, and which he frequently presented to his friends. His extraordinary popularity was due to his prowess as a raconteur, to his well known intimacy with the greatest men and women of the day, to his familiarity with occult subjects, and especially to the mystery of his birth and nationality, which he consistently refused to reveal. He spoke with feeling of things which had happened hundreds of years in the past, giving the impression that he himself had been present. One evening, while he was recounting an event which had happened many centuries before, he turned to his butler and asked if any important details had been omitted. "Monsieur le Comte forgets," his butler replied, "that I have been with him only five hundred years. I could not, therefore, have been present at that occurrence. It must have been my predecessor." If, as many claimed, St. Germain affirmed that he had lived in Chaldea and possessed the secrets of the Egyptian sages, he may have spoken the truth without making any miraculous claim. There are Initiates, and not necessarily of the highest, who are able to recall many of their past lives. This may have been St. Germain's way of calling attention of his friends to the doctrine of reincarnation. Or perhaps he knew the secret of "the Elixir of Life."

Although no one knew when the Count de St. Germain was born, his life from 1710 to 1822 is a matter of history. Both Rameau and the Countess de Georgy met him in Venice in 1710. Fifty years later the aged Countess met him in Madame Pompadour's house and asked him if his father had been in Venice in that year. "No, Madame," the Count replied, "but I myself was living in Venice at the end of the last and the beginning of this century. I had the honor to pay you court then, and you were kind enough to admire a little Barcarolle of my composing." The Countess could not believe her ears. "But if that is true," she gasped, "you must be at least a hundred years old!" The Count smiled. "That, Madame, is not impossible!"

In 1723 the Count showed his mother's portrait, which he always wore on his arm, to the mother of the future Countess de Genlis. It was a miniature of an exceptionally beautiful woman, dressed in a costume unfamiliar to the Countess. "To what period does this costume belong?" the Countess inquired. The Count merely smiled and changed the subject.

From 1737 to 1742 the Count de St. Germain was living in the Court of the Shah of Persia, occupied with alchemical research. On his return from Persia he settled in Versailles and became an intimate friend of Louis XV and Madame Pompadour. In the following year he was caught in the Jacobite Revolution in England. From there he went to Vienna, and afterward visited Frederick the Great in his castle of Sans-Souci in Potsdam, where Voltaire was also an honored guest. Although Voltaire was opposed to St. Germain's fellow-Theosophist Saint-Martin, his admiration for St. Germain was unbounded. In a letter to Frederick, Voltaire expressed his opinion that "the Count de St. Germain is a man who was never born, who will never die, and who knows everything."

In 1755 the Count de St. Germain accompanied General Clive to India. On his return to France Louis XV gave him a suite of apartments in the Royal Chateau of Chambord, in Touraine. Here he often entertained the King and members of the Court in the alchemical laboratory which the King had provided for him.

In 1760 Louis sent the Count de St. Germain on a delicate diplomatic mission to The Hague and London. At that time he discovered that the Duc de Choiseul, who up to that time had been implicitly trusted by the King, was playing a double game. Although St. Germain confided this fact to the King, the former was determined that the Peace Treaty between England and France should be signed, no matter who received the credit. So one evening in May, 1761, St. Germain called upon the Duc de Choiseul and remained closeted with him the whole night. This conference resulted in the celebrated alliance known as the Family Compact. This in its turn was the forerunner of the Treaty of Paris, which brought the colonial war between England and France to a close.

In the following year St. Germain was called to St. Petersburg, where he played an important part in the revolution which placed Catherine the Great upon the throne of Russia. He left the country in the uniform of a Russian general, with full credentials to which the imperial seal of Russia was affixed. Shortly afterward he appeared in Tunis and Leghorn while the Russian fleet was there, again in Russian uniform, and known under the name of Graf Saltikoff.

After the death of Louis XV in 1774, St. Germain spent several years travelling in Germany and Austria. Among the Kings, Princes, Ambassadors and scholars who met him during those years, how many suspected that the soul of a great Adept looked out through the eyes of the Count de St. Germain? How many realized that they were conversing with an emissary of that Great Fraternity of Perfected Men who stand behind the scenes of all the great world-dramas, one who was directing not only the minor currents of European history, but some of the major currents as well? How many were aware of St. Germain's real mission, part of which was the introduction of Theosophical principles into the various occult fraternities of the day?

The Rosicrucian organizations were certainly helped by him. While Christian Rosencreuz, the founder of the Order, transmitted his teachings orally, St. Germain recorded the doctrines in figures, and one of his enciphered manuscripts became the property of his staunch friend, Prince Karl von Hesse. H.P.B. mentions this manuscript in The Secret Doctrine (II, 202) and quotes at length from another (II, 582). While St. Germain was living in Vienna he spent much of his time in the Rosicrucian laboratory on the Landstrasse, and at one time lived in the room which Leibniz occupied in 1713. St. Germain also worked with the Fratres Lucis, and with the "Knights and Brothers of Asia" who studied Rosicrucian and Hermetic science and made the "philosopher's stone"(1) one of the objects of their research.

Although an effort has been made to eliminate St. Germain's name from modern Masonic literature, careful research into Masonic archives will prove that he occupied a prominent position in eighteenth century Masonry. He acted as a delegate to the Wilhelmsbad Convention in 1782 and to the great Paris Convention of 1785. Cadet de Gassicourt described him as a travelling member of the Knights Templar, and Deschamps says that Cagliostro was initiated into that Order by St. Germain.

The Count de St. Germain is said to have died on February 27, 1784, and the Church Register of Eckernförde in Danish Holstein contains the record of his death and burial. But as it happens, some of St. Germain's most important work was done after that date. This fact is brought out in the Souvenirs de Marie-Antoinette, written by one of her ladies-in-waiting, the Countess d'Adhémar. This diary was started in 1760 and ended in 1821, one year before the death of the Countess, and a large part of it is concerned with St. Germain's efforts to avert the horrors of the French Revolution.

Early one Sunday morning in 1788 the Countess was surprised to receive a visit from the Count de St. Germain, whom she had not seen in several years. He warned her that a giant conspiracy was under foot, in which the Encyclopaedists would use the Duc de Chartres in an effort to overthrow the monarchy, and asked her to take him to the Queen. When Madame d'Adhémar reported the conversation to Marie-Antoinette, the Queen confessed that she also had received another communication from this mysterious stranger who had protected her with warnings from the day of her arrival in France. On the following day St. Germain was admitted into the private apartments of the Queen. "Madame," he said to her, "for twenty years I was on intimate terms with the late King, who deigned to listen to me with kindness. He made use of my poor abilities on several occasions, and I do not think he regretted giving me his confidence." After warning her of the serious condition of France, he asked her to communicate his message to the King and to request the King not to consult with Maurepas. But the King ignored the warning, and went directly to Maurepas, who immediately called upon Madame d'Adhémar. In the midst of the conversation St. Germain appeared. He confronted Maurepas with his treachery and said to him: "In opposing yourself to my seeing the monarch, you are losing the monarchy, for I have but a limited time to give to France. This time over, I shall not be seen here again, until after three successive generations have gone down to the grave,"

The second warning from St. Germain came on July 14, 1789, when the Queen was saying farewell to the Duchesse de Polignac. She opened the letter and read: "My words have fallen on your ears in vain, and you have reached the period of which I informed you. All the Polignacs and their friends are doomed to death. The Comte d'Artois will perish."

His farewell letter, addressed to Madame d'Adhémar, arrived on October 5, 1789. "All is lost, Countess!" he wrote. "This sun is the last which will set on the monarchy. Tomorrow it will exist no more. My advice has been scorned. Now it is too late. . . ." In that letter he asked the Countess to meet him early the next morning. In that conversation the Count de St. Germain informed her that the time when he could have helped France was past. "I can do nothing now. My hands are tied by one stronger than myself. The hour of repose is past, and the decrees of Providence must be fulfilled." He foretold the death of the Queen, the complete ruin of the Bourbons, the rise of Napoleon. "And you yourself?" the Countess asked. "I must go to Sweden," he answered. "A great crime is brewing there, and I am going to try to prevent it. His Majesty Gustavus III interests me. He is worth more than his renown." The Countess inquired if she would see him again. "Five times more," he answered. "Do not wish for the sixth."

True to his word, the Count de St. Germain appeared to the Countess d'Adhémar on five different occasions: at the beheading of the Queen; on the 18th Brumaire; the day following the death of the Duc d'Enghien in 1804; in January, 1813; on the eve of the assassination of the Duc de Berri in 1820. Presumably, the sixth time was on the day of her death, in 1822.

What happened to the Count de St. Germain after that date?

In the last decade of the eighteenth century St. Germain confided his future plans to his Austrian friend, Franz Graeffer, saying,

Tomorrow night I am off. I am much needed in Constantinople, then in England, there to prepare two new inventions which you will have in the next century -- trains and steamboats. Toward the end of this century I shall disappear out of Europe, and betake myself to the region of the Himalayas. I will rest; I must rest. Exactly in 85 years will people again set eyes on me. Farewell. (Kleine Wiener Memorien.)

These words were spoken in 1790. Eighty-five years from that date brings us to 1875.


source

supposedly the philosopher's stone or that white powdered gold or something is supposed to be able to do it.
then there's a wide range of "spiritualist" and "magic" methods (and religious, but usually you have to die 1st).
The eugenicists and bio/nano tech guys are working on something to that effect.

know I'm leaving some out.... fountain of youth I'd put in that "magic" category

Oh yeah, tree of life if you can find it is another...

ive not heard of simon but heres wat i know about the wandering jew . the legend concerns a Jew who taunted Jesus on the way to the Crucifixion and was then cursed to walk the earth until the Second Coming. The exact nature of the wanderer's indiscretion varies in different versions of the tale, as do aspects of his character; sometimes he is said to be a shoemaker or other tradesman, sometimes he is the doorman at Pontius Pilate's estate, and sometimes the myth is transferred to a Roman rather than a Jew.




ive never heard of this one and i highly doubt its in the bible

I have heard many times that Cain was cursed to live forever after killing Abel.

Some people even claim to have seen him, and some people wonder if he is big foot. . .

And exactly which people wonder this?

Belive it or not a few people I know. . . (I need new friends) !

Shocking eh...

The count de st germain story is either fake, blown out of proportion or remarkable.

That was fascinating reading, thank you!

Hulk Hogan claims himself to be "The Immortal" and says that "Hulkamania will never die." I 100% believe Terry Bolea to be The Immortal Hulk Hogan, but also getting immortality for being in his fanclub seems alittle far fetched... I guess one day I will find out.

I heard a story of a guy that supposed to have lived a number centuries during the middle ages to the frencg revolution . He was supposed to have figured out the philosopher's stone. If that helps any.

Count Saint Germain is, in my opinion, a myth based on a man who claimed he had remarkable powers, and over the years a sort of legend grew around him that made it seem as though he really did have powers, though some say he was a devil as he once left a room shaking after being called a demon at a dinner party.

The wandering jew is clearly false. Jesus was ready to forgive the people who nailed him to a cross but became infuriated enough by a single strike to condemn a man to eternal punishment? Sounds slightly out of character if you ask me.

Another so-called immortal was a friend of my grandmothers, Miss Jean Bonea, who apparentally she met in France when they were both 16, and later when she was 40 they met again ad Jean hadn't aged a day. My Grandma always said that Jean was immortal, but in a way that you could tell she didn't really mean it. It was a semi-joke, semi-compliment semi-mystery. Jean died this year though, rest her soul.

This is slightly hilarious.

Haha The Immortal Hulk Hogan! I totally think he is immortal...same with Bigfoot...I guess there's only one way to settle this, STEEL CAGE MATCH!!!

WHATCHA GONNA DO SASQUATCH WHEN HULKAMANIA AND ALL HIS LITTLE HULKAMANIACS RUN WILD ON YOU, BROTHER!!!!!!!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Ya, because we all know that when Randy Orton, The Great Khali, and Shawn Michaels job to the Hulkster, that he has achived immortality.

an Idea she got ( maybe ) on the movie, [ The Man from Earth(2007) ]

Ah, I love the story of Count St. Germain. . . I have a theory that scientologists are hiding him. There'd be no other excuse for becoming one.

I suppose you could throw John Titor into the immortal category... he was a supposed time traveler but depending on what Time Travel rules you go by, he could still be mortal. You would think breaking the space-time continuim would kinda grant you immortality... but then that whole alternate-dimensions thing still leaves one version of yourself to die in that versions timeline.

-Pol

im immortal

right
so when are the men in the white coats coming to take u away to the happy hotel

One might consider Oscar Wilde's story, The Picture of Dorian Gray, made into a 1945 movie.

My personal favorite book on the subject is The Immortals, by James Gunn. Marvelous collection of stories woven into a book with the central theme of an immortal man, and later his descendants, on the run from the ultra-wealthy seeking to extend their lifespans through forced blood transfusions.

http://www.amazon.com/Immortals-James-Gunn...5620&sr=1-2

"Cursed" seems much too strong a word here. He's NOT considered to be damned.

I was once sprayed with Immortality Serum by none other than Dr. Isaac Asimov.

Alas, one of my spoilsport friends saw the Good Doctor fill the atomizer bottle with tap water in the lavatory right before he did it.

But according to the biblical accounts, wasn't Cain's entire tribe wiped out in the Noachic Deluge? In fact, wasn't that the reason for the Flood?

So if Cain had still been alive at that time wouldn't he have been drowned right along with all his kin?

Not if he's immortal.

I also love the story of Count de Saint-Germain. I'll be up all night reacquainting myself with his story now.
The Cain Bigfoot theory is hilarious, just perfect. I've never heard that before.
If immortality was possible, I think I would choose it. I'd definitely consider the consequences, and it wouldn't be an impulsive decision. I wonder how many other people would choose immortality.

But if God created the Flood in order to wipe out all the Cainites, Cain's not likely to have been immortal.

Plus, I imagine that there may be a lot of people who wouldn't pick immortality, as such, but who might choose, say, 300,000 years.

umm i've heard this too Cain was cursed to walk the earth till the end of time.
I've never heard of him being bigfoot,but could be true i guess i mean hes been walking for a long time with out sheving he's bound to get harry.
The definition for immortal is
1.living forever, not mortal.2.famous for all time.
so the answere to the question have there ever been reports of people that are immoratl? is yes, depending on which defenition of the word your asking the question.
But of course its being asked about the first defenition so i dont really know,but i belive that there are people that are immortal

Why, so am I!....Whoops! Wait a minute. Sorry! For a minute there I thought you'd written immoral. <g>

I definately would. My friends say it would eventually be horrible living forever, because I'd do everything that I could possibly do, all my friends would grow up and die and then the world would be swalloed by the sun and I'd be floating around in one of the evacuation spaceships looking sad.

But the thing is, thats their opinion. I am terrified of death, and my opinion is anything that can be done to prevent the coming of the reaper I will do.

I once knew someone who was immortal. Unfortunately he died at an early age.

I've heard stories about Marmaduke Earl who was suppossedly a sorcerer and lived to be quite old, although obviously he wasn't immortal, but I've heard that people thought he was.

I would imagine that 400 or 500 years ago those rare individuals who managed to survive past the century mark were looked upon by their neighbors as "immortals," since they had outlived three generations of the common folk.

"My long-dead Grandsire knew 'im when 'e were a mere boy!"

And if an extraordinarily long-lived person had a extraordinarily long-lived child the rumor may have grown into a race of immortals.

Like on "Highlander"! That's awesome!

Also, there was Nicholas Flamel who is said to have created the philospher's stone and used it, and may still be alive. At least that's the legend. Here's the site:
http://www.alchemylab.com/flamel.htm

It's an interesting read!

As a Paranormalist I am by no means closed to the idea of rare individuals living to prodigious ages or possibly even attaining something at least approaching immortality.

Back in 1958 a Peruvian (as I now recall these 50 years later) gentleman died who was reported to be 157 years old. This made the front pages of newspapers around the world.

And just a few years back a Frenchwoman died who was 121 years old. She was the last person alive to have actually known painter Vincent Van Gogh!

The voodoo priestess Marie Laveau was seen in New Orleans on numerous occassions after her death, and supposedly her buried body shows no signs of decay. Maybe this makes her more of a zombie than an immortal.

-Pol

Zhang Sanfeng, an ancient chinese martial artist was said to be immortal. I don't know the full story off the top of my head or the aprox. years but I think he is said to have lived for 350 years or something. He is credited for being the inventor of the martial art taijiquan. He was said to posses incredible power and strength, he was said to have lifted a 1000 lbs boulder, and he could grab tigers by their hind legs as they lunged at him through the air and rip them in half. A bunch of emperors sent people into the mountains to search for him and try to get his assistance at various times but were never able to locate him, but supposedly he achieved immortality through his martial art.

When was her grave opened?



You're probably right. In centuries past people marked a clear difference between "ghosts" and the "re-animated dead." That's where we get the idea of the sheeted spook....a corpse physically re-animated and promenading in its burial shroud!

I'm in THAT club!


Don't fear the reaper...


Can't find this anywhere. If it made "frontpages of newspapers around the world", you should be able to provide some kind of link.

Jeanne Louise Calment (February 21, 1875 – August 4, 1997) was a French woman who reached the longest confirmed lifespan in history at 122 years 164 days (44,724 days in total). Her lifespan has been thoroughly documented by scientific study; more records have been produced to verify her age than for any other case.LINK

List of Oldest Verified People

Not, unfortunately, for something I last read 50 years ago, at age 16.

But let me see what I can Google.

Hmm... I highly doubt he was really 157 years old. He may have made some unsubstantiated claim to be that old, but I really doubt it.

Oh, so do I! Sorry for not making that clearer.

im not scared of death, it is a thing that comes naturally and cannot be cheated.

you talking about Sir Marmaduke Langdale, Earl of Manchester?