長壽神話

長壽神話是一些有關超級長壽者（如超級百歲老人）的聲稱，但沒有任何科學證據支持，也沒有正當理由支持的說法^[1]^[2]。雖然這些神話的字面解釋似乎表明壽命非常長，但往往只是宗教或神話，沒有確切的證據證明，也沒有任何合理的理由令人相信是真實的。許多學者相信有不少長壽的這樣的數字，可能是各種語言對數字系統的錯誤翻譯，以及是某些數字的文化和象徵意義^[3]。

「長壽傳統」（英語：Longevity tradition）一詞，可能被認為可以賦予人類更長的壽命的儀式、淨化、實踐、冥想和鍊金術等^[4]，在中國文化中是很常見^[1]^[2]。

在1960年代到1980年代的《吉尼斯世界紀錄》指出，沒有一個主題比人類壽命的極限，更容易受到虛榮、欺騙、虛假和蓄意欺詐所掩蓋^[5]。

現代科學表明，遺傳、飲食和生活方式可以影響人類壽命，現代科學也可以讓我們估算人類遺骸的年齡。

除了神話之外，目前世界已證實的最長壽命記錄是來自法國的讓娜·卡爾芒（122+1⁄2歲），男性則是來自日本的木村次郎右衛門（116+1⁄6歲）。一些科學家則估計，在最理想的條件下，人們的壽命可達127歲^[6]^[7]。但不能排除在理論上幸運的突變組合下，人的壽命可能更長。儘管人類的壽命是自然界中比較長壽的一群，但有些動物的壽命更長。例如，加拉帕戈斯象龜的一些個體壽命超過175歲^[8]，弓頭鯨的一些個體壽命超過200歲^[9]。一些科學家提出，人體可以有足夠的資源活到150歲^[10]^[11]。

宗教中的非常長壽主張

基督教的聖經（舊約）

符合聖經的長壽
姓名	馬索雷蒂奇年齡	七十士譯本年齡
瑪土撒拉	969	969
雅列	962	962
挪亞	950	950
亞當	930	930
塞特	912	912
該南	910	910
以挪士	905	905
瑪勒列	895	895
拉麥	777	753
閃	600	600
希伯	464	404
蔡南	—	460
亞法撒	438	465
薩拉赫	433	466
以諾	365	365
法勒	239	339
拉吳	239	339
西鹿	230	330
約伯	210？	210？
他拉	205	205
以撒	180	180
亞伯拉罕	175	175
拿霍爾	148	304
雅各	147	147
以掃	147？	147？
以實瑪利	137	137
利未	137	137
阿姆蘭	137	137
哥哈特	133	133
拉班	130+	130+
黛博拉	130+	130+
耶何耶大	130	130
撒拉	127	127
米利暗	125+	125+
亞倫	123	123
利百加	120+	120+
摩西	120	120
約瑟	110	110
約書亞	110	110

聖經中有幾個部分，包括《托拉》、《約書亞記》、《約伯記》和《歷代志》，都提到了非常長壽的人，如達瑪土撒拉的 969 歲。

佛教

毗婆屍，是二十八佛中的第二十二位，壽命為八萬歲^[12]或十萬歲。 ^[13]不過，在毗婆屍時代，佛教認為，當時人類的壽命是八萬四千年。
第一個佛陀（Taṇhankara）壽命十萬歲。

古代的非常長壽說法

中國

李清雲據說活了256歲。
陳俊據說活了443歲。
伏羲據說活了197歲。 ^[14]
盧西安寫到了「Seres」（中國人），聲稱他們已經已活300多年。
左慈，生活在三國時期的人，據說活了三百歲。
在中國傳說中，彭祖在殷朝（公元前 16 世紀至 11 世紀）據說已經活了 800 多年^[15] ^[16]

三皇五帝

據說黃帝活到113歲。
據說堯帝活到118歲。 ^[17]
據說舜帝活到110歲。 ^[18]

埃及

埃及歷史學家曼涅托（Manetho）指出，根據早期資料，埃及國王希臘-埃及神赫淮斯托斯（ Ptah ）「統治了 9000 年」。 ^[19]

中世紀時代

波蘭

波蘭國王皮亞斯特·科沃傑 (Piast Kołodziej)，於 861 年去世，據稱享年 120 歲（公元 740 年 - 公元 861 年）。 ^[20]

威爾士

威爾士吟遊詩人Llywarch Hen（《英雄輓歌》），據說享年約為 150 歲。^[21]

參見

注釋

參考

^ ^1.0 ^1.1 Ni, Maoshing. Secrets of Longevity . Chronicle Books. 2006: 101. ISBN 978-0-8118-4949-4. Chuan xiong ... has long been a key herb in the longevity tradition of China, prized for its powers to boost the immune system, activate blood circulation, and relieve pain.
^ ^2.0 ^2.1 Fulder, Stephen. An End to Ageing: Remedies for Life . Destiny Books. 1983: 27. ISBN 978-0-89281-044-4. Taoist devotion to immortality is important to us for two reasons. The techniques may be of considerable value to our goal of a healthy old age, if we can understand and adapt them. Secondly, the Taoist longevity tradition has brought us many interesting remedies.
^ Hokisson, Paul Y. Number Manipulation for Profit, or Just for Fun?. Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. January 2010, 30 (6): 3 [2023-10-07]. （原始內容存檔於2023-10-07）.
^ Kohn, Livia. Daoism and Chinese Culture. Three Pines Press. 2001: 4, 84 [2020-09-25]. ISBN 978-1-931483-00-1. （原始內容存檔於2021-06-03）.
^ Title of 'Oldest Living Person' Is Up for Grabs -- If You Have Some Proof. 洛杉磯時報. 14 January 1990 [2015-02-23]. （原始內容存檔於23 February 2015）.
^ Anderson, Stacy L.; Sebastiani, Paola; Dworkis, Daniel A.; Feldman, Lori; Perls, Thomas T. Health Span Approximates Life Span Among Many Supercentenarians: Compression of Morbidity at the Approximate Limit of Life Span. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A. 1 April 2012, 67A (4): 395–405 [2021-04-11]. PMC 3309876  . PMID 22219514. doi:10.1093/gerona/glr223. （原始內容存檔於2012-09-15）.
^ B. M. Weon; J. H. Je. Theoretical estimation of maximum human lifespan. Biogerontology. 17 June 2008, 10 (1): 65–71. PMID 18560989. S2CID 8554128. doi:10.1007/s10522-008-9156-4.
^ Galapagos tortoise in the database AnAge. [2021-06-08]. （原始內容存檔於2021-03-05）.
^ Bowhead whale in the database AnAge. [2021-06-08]. （原始內容存檔於2021-02-15）.
^ Sullivan, Danny. Aging experts hail new study, which finds that solving the decline in our ability to recover as we age may hold the key to dramatically extending human lifespan. Longevity Technology. 25 May 2021 [7 June 2021]. （原始內容存檔於7 June 2021）. Extrapolation of this data shows a complete loss of human body resilience at around 120-150 years of age – indicating the current limit of human lifespan
^ Willingham, Emily. Humans Could Live up to 150 Years, New Research Suggests. Scientific American. 25 May 2021 [7 June 2021]. （原始內容存檔於7 June 2021）.
^ Horner, IB. The nineteenth chronicle: that of the Lord Vipassin. Oxford: Pali Text Society. 1975: 74–7. ISBN 978-0-86013-072-7.
^ Davids, TWR; Davids, R. https://archive.org/stream/buddhistbirth00daviuoft#page/n151/mode/1up |chapterurl=缺少標題 (幫助). The successive bodhisats in the times of the previous Buddhas. London: George Routledge & Sons. 1878: 115–44.
^ Worshiping the Three Sage Kings and Five Virtuous Emperors - The Imperial Temple of Emperors of Successive Dynasties in Beijing. Beijing: Foreign Language Press. 2007. ISBN 978-7-119-04635-8.
^ Li, Mengyu. The Unique Values of Chinese Traditional Cultural Time Orientation: In Comparison with Western Cultural Time Orientation (PDF). The University of Rhode Island. 2008 [2010-03-19]. （原始內容 (PDF)存檔於2011-06-06）.
^ Saints & Sages Part I: Founding Ancestor Peng 彭祖爺 – Purple Cloud. [2020-10-26]. （原始內容存檔於2021-06-04）.
^ Ching, Julia; R. W. L. Guisso. Sages and filial sons: mythology and archaeology in ancient China. The Chinese University Press. 1991: 140. ISBN 978-962-201-469-5.
^ Records of the Grand Historian
^ Manetho; Syncellus, George. Fragments (Fr. 3). [2020-12-18]. （原始內容存檔於2021-02-11）.
^ Prichard, James C. Researches into the Physical History of Mankind 1. London: Houlston and Stoneman. 1836: 11–5 ff [2023-10-07]. （原始內容存檔於2023-10-07）.
^ Hulbert, Charles. Instances of Human Longevity in Europe. 1825: 451–7.

參考書目

Boia, Lucian. Forever Young: A Cultural History of Longevity from Antiquity to the Present. Reaktion Books. 2004. ISBN 978-1-86189-154-9.
Thoms, William J. The Longevity of Man. Its Facts and Its Fictions. With a prefatory letter to Prof. Owen, C.B., F.R.S. on the limits and frequency of exceptional cases. London: F. Norgate. 1879.

[trad1-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Ni, Maoshing. Secrets of Longevity . Chronicle Books. 2006: 101. ISBN 978-0-8118-4949-4. Chuan xiong ... has long been a key herb in the longevity tradition of China, prized for its powers to boost the immune system, activate blood circulation, and relieve pain.

[trad2-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Fulder, Stephen. An End to Ageing: Remedies for Life . Destiny Books. 1983: 27. ISBN 978-0-89281-044-4. Taoist devotion to immortality is important to us for two reasons. The techniques may be of considerable value to our goal of a healthy old age, if we can understand and adapt them. Secondly, the Taoist longevity tradition has brought us many interesting remedies.

[3] Hokisson, Paul Y. Number Manipulation for Profit, or Just for Fun?. Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. January 2010, 30 (6): 3 [2023-10-07]. （原始內容存檔於2023-10-07）.

[kohn-4] Kohn, Livia. Daoism and Chinese Culture. Three Pines Press. 2001: 4, 84 [2020-09-25]. ISBN 978-1-931483-00-1. （原始內容存檔於2021-06-03）.

[5] Title of 'Oldest Living Person' Is Up for Grabs -- If You Have Some Proof. 洛杉磯時報. 14 January 1990 [2015-02-23]. （原始內容存檔於23 February 2015）.

[6] Anderson, Stacy L.; Sebastiani, Paola; Dworkis, Daniel A.; Feldman, Lori; Perls, Thomas T. Health Span Approximates Life Span Among Many Supercentenarians: Compression of Morbidity at the Approximate Limit of Life Span. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A. 1 April 2012, 67A (4): 395–405 [2021-04-11]. PMC 3309876  . PMID 22219514. doi:10.1093/gerona/glr223. （原始內容存檔於2012-09-15）.

[7] B. M. Weon; J. H. Je. Theoretical estimation of maximum human lifespan. Biogerontology. 17 June 2008, 10 (1): 65–71. PMID 18560989. S2CID 8554128. doi:10.1007/s10522-008-9156-4.

[8] Galapagos tortoise in the database AnAge. [2021-06-08]. （原始內容存檔於2021-03-05）.

[9] Bowhead whale in the database AnAge. [2021-06-08]. （原始內容存檔於2021-02-15）.

[10] Sullivan, Danny. Aging experts hail new study, which finds that solving the decline in our ability to recover as we age may hold the key to dramatically extending human lifespan. Longevity Technology. 25 May 2021 [7 June 2021]. （原始內容存檔於7 June 2021）. Extrapolation of this data shows a complete loss of human body resilience at around 120-150 years of age – indicating the current limit of human lifespan

[11] Willingham, Emily. Humans Could Live up to 150 Years, New Research Suggests. Scientific American. 25 May 2021 [7 June 2021]. （原始內容存檔於7 June 2021）.

[Horner1975-12] Horner, IB. The nineteenth chronicle: that of the Lord Vipassin. Oxford: Pali Text Society. 1975: 74–7. ISBN 978-0-86013-072-7.

[Davids1878-13] Davids, TWR; Davids, R. https://archive.org/stream/buddhistbirth00daviuoft#page/n151/mode/1up |chapterurl=缺少標題 (幫助). The successive bodhisats in the times of the previous Buddhas. London: George Routledge & Sons. 1878: 115–44.

[flp1-14] Worshiping the Three Sage Kings and Five Virtuous Emperors - The Imperial Temple of Emperors of Successive Dynasties in Beijing. Beijing: Foreign Language Press. 2007. ISBN 978-7-119-04635-8.

[15] Li, Mengyu. The Unique Values of Chinese Traditional Cultural Time Orientation: In Comparison with Western Cultural Time Orientation (PDF). The University of Rhode Island. 2008 [2010-03-19]. （原始內容 (PDF)存檔於2011-06-06）.

[16] Saints & Sages Part I: Founding Ancestor Peng 彭祖爺 – Purple Cloud. [2020-10-26]. （原始內容存檔於2021-06-04）.

[17] Ching, Julia; R. W. L. Guisso. Sages and filial sons: mythology and archaeology in ancient China. The Chinese University Press. 1991: 140. ISBN 978-962-201-469-5.

[18] Records of the Grand Historian

[19] Manetho; Syncellus, George. Fragments (Fr. 3). [2020-12-18]. （原始內容存檔於2021-02-11）.

[jp-20] Prichard, James C. Researches into the Physical History of Mankind 1. London: Houlston and Stoneman. 1836: 11–5 ff [2023-10-07]. （原始內容存檔於2023-10-07）.

[ch-21] Hulbert, Charles. Instances of Human Longevity in Europe. 1825: 451–7.

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