Vandar Adg of the Blood Tribe, more widely known as Vandal Savage, is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is said to be a Cro-Magnon warrior who gained immortality and advanced healing abilities after encountering a strange meteorite during prehistoric times. For over 50,000 years, he plagues the Earth as a villain and occasional conqueror, sometimes using different names but most often calling himself Vandal Savage. He is a brilliant and sadistic tactician with immense knowledge in various sciences and forms of combat, able to fight effectively despite not having any superhuman powers beyond his ability to survive and heal from lethal wounds. Throughout history, his most frequent enemies are immortal or reincarnating heroes such as Immortal Man, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, and Resurrection Man. He is also a recurring foe of the Justice Society and the Justice League and occasionally works as a member of super-villain organizations such as the Injustice Society and the Legion of Doom.
"The Immortal" is a short story by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, first published in February 1947, and later in the collection El Aleph in 1949. The story tells about a character who mistakenly achieves immortality and then, weary of a long life, struggles to lose it and writes an account of his experiences. The story consists of a quote, an introduction, five chapters, and a postscript. "The Immortal" has been described as "the culmination of Borges' art" by critic Ronald J. Christ.
Pandora (1998) is a horror novel by American writer Anne Rice. It is one of two novels in the New Tales of the Vampires series, along with Vittorio the Vampire.
The elixir of life, also known as elixir of immortality, is a potion that supposedly grants the drinker eternal life and/or eternal youth. This elixir was also said to cure all diseases. Alchemists in various ages and cultures sought the means of formulating the elixir.
Gilad Anni-Padda, also known as the Eternal Warrior, is a character/Superhero published by Valiant Comics and originally created by Jim Shooter and Don Perlin. Introduced originally in 1992, he was then rebooted in 1996 after Acclaim Entertainment bought Valiant Comics. He was rebooted yet again by Valiant Entertainment, Inc. in 2012. An ageless master fighter with enhanced abilities, Gilad helps protect Earth and humanity from various threats over his long life, often using methods considered ruthless by others.
Mermaid Saga is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It consists of nine stories told in 16 chapters irregularly published in Shogakukan's Shōnen Sunday Zōkan and Weekly Shōnen Sunday from 1984 to 1994.
All Men Are Mortal is a 1946 novel by Simone de Beauvoir. It tells the story of Raimon Fosca, a man cursed to live forever. The first American edition of this work was published by The World Publishing Company. Cleveland and New York, 1955. It was adapted into a 1995 film of the same name.
Queen of the Slayers is an original novel based on the American television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The Kurgan is a fictional character from the first Highlander film. He is portrayed by Clancy Brown. He is an Immortal, the main antagonist to Connor MacLeod in Highlander, and the latter's ultimate opponent in the Gathering.
Ivar Anni-Padda, also known as the Timewalker or the "Forever Walker," is a fictional superhero in the Valiant Comics universe. Created by artist and writer Barry Windsor-Smith, he first appeared in the 1993 flipbook issue Archer and Armstrong #8/Eternal Warrior #8. He was then further developed in his own series Timewalker, which lasted 15 issues and also had a special #0 issue detailing his childhood.
Xian refers to a person or similar entity having a long life or being immortal. The concept of xian has different implications dependent upon the specific context: philosophical, religious, mythological, or other symbolic or cultural occurrence. The Chinese word xian is translatable into English as:
In Chinese mythology, Peaches of Immortality are consumed by the immortals due to their mystic virtue of conferring longevity on all who eat them. Peaches symbolizing immortality are a common symbol in Chinese art, appearing in depictions or descriptions in a number of fables, paintings, and other forms of art, often in association with thematically similar iconography, such as certain deities or immortals or other symbols of longevity, such as deer or cranes.
Luan Da was a Chinese occultist, politician, and religious leader during the early Han Dynasty from the state of Yue. He professed to know the secret to immortality and be able to communicate with spiritual beings. Possessing the gift of gab and adept at confidence tricks, Luan Da gained the favour of Emperor Wu of Han. In the space of a few months, he rose from a commoner to great influence, holding titles and land, and marrying one of the emperor's daughters. However, he could not fulfill his promise to Emperor Wu, failing to produce a means to immortality. He gradually lost the emperor's favour and went on a purported visit to immortals; however, he was eventually captured and executed. At the apex of his career, many of his fellow mystics held him up as their role model and sought to emulate him. His death was a sign of the trade's fall from favour; laws were passed to restrict the practice of mediumship, even penalising those who married its practitioners.
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is a 1985 Christmas stop motion animated television special. It was produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, based on the 1902 children's book The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum, the writer of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The special first aired December 17, 1985 on CBS in the United States, and December 24, 1986 on TV Asahi in Japan with the title Santa's Secret and Great Adventure. This was Rankin/Bass's final "Animagic" stop motion production filmed in Japan and later productions would be traditionally animated.
St. Irvyne; or, The Rosicrucian: A Romance is a Gothic horror novel written by Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1810 and published by John Joseph Stockdale in December of that year, dated 1811, in London anonymously as "by a Gentleman of the University of Oxford" while the author was an undergraduate. The main character is Wolfstein, a solitary wanderer, who encounters Ginotti, an alchemist of the Rosicrucian or Rose Cross Order who seeks to impart the secret of immortality. The book was reprinted in 1822 by Stockdale and in 1840 in The Romancist and the Novelist's Library: The Best Works of the Best Authors, Vol. III, edited by William Hazlitt. The novella was a follow-up to Shelley's first prose work, Zastrozzi, published earlier in 1810. St. Irvyne was republished in 1986 by Oxford University Press as part of the World's Classics series along with Zastrozzi and in 2002 by Broadview Press.
Immortal Rain is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Kaori Ozaki. It was first published in the Japanese monthly anthology Wings as Meteor Methuselah. Eight volumes were published in English by Tokyopop. The 10th volume was released in Japan in 2011. it is published in French by Doki-Doki.
The Queen Mother of the West, known by various local names, is a mother goddess in Chinese religion and mythology, also worshipped in neighbouring Asian countries, and attested from ancient times. From her name alone some of her most important characteristics are revealed: she is royal, female, and is associated with the west.
The Pill of Immortality was an elixir or pill sought by Chinese alchemists to confer physical or spiritual immortality. The search for the pill was started several centuries BC, and continued until 500 AD and was often based on gold. Its search was supported by the emperors and the nobility of China, with a strong tradition in Taoism. The alchemical tradition in China was divided into two differing schools in the search for the pill of immortality. Taoist sects which advocated the attainment of immortality by consuming substances were very popular during the Eastern Han dynasty in the 2nd century AD and they were collectively known as the School of the External Pill. "Internal alchemy" was thought to create the "immortal body" within the corporeal body, and a variety of actions involving dietary, respiratory, and sexual practices and/or mental practices such as meditation were believed to cause immortality.
