Longevity myths

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 for which current scientific evidence does not support the ages claimed or the reasons for the claims. While literal interpretations of such myths may appear to indicate extraordinarily long lifespans, many scholars believe such figures may be the result of incorrect translation of numbering systems through various languages coupled with the cultural and/or 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.

Outside of mythology, 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 are able to 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.

Extreme longevity claims in religion

Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)

Several parts of the Hebrew Bible, Joshua, Job, and Chronicles, mention individuals with very long lifespans, up to the 969 years of Methuselah.

Some apologists explain these extreme ages 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. These interpretations introduce an inconsistency: it 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.

Christianity

* Scolastica Oliveri 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.

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.
*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 around 1607 CE, 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.

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.

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.

In Twelver Shia Islam, Hujjat-Allah al-Mahdi is believed to currently be in occultation and still alive (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.

Theosophy/New Age

* '' Babaji'' is said to be an " Unascended Master" purportedly many centuries old 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. He is said to have born in 30. 11. 203 AD and still alive - it makes him 1,818 years old.
* ''Mahabali'', a legendary Indian king, is said to have been born in 2988 BCE and to still be alive, which would make him over 5,000 years old.
* '' Ashwatthama'', the superhero of the ''Mahabharatha'', is said to be over 6,000 years old and still alive.

Ancient extreme longevity claims

These include claims prior to approximately 150 AD, before the fall of the Roman empire.

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".

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

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