The Fountain of Youth

The Fountain of Youth is a legendary spring that has been said restores the youth of anyone who drinks from it. Tales these fountains have been told in narratives across the world for thousands of years.

Eternal youth is the belief of human physical immortality free of aging. The term youth is meant to be a reduction of the negative signs of aging, rather extending the lifespan.

 A fountain with an extraordinary type of water is located in Ethiopia, which gives the Ethiopians their exceptional long lives.  A story of the Water of Life describes the crossing the Land of Darkness to find the restorative spring.  These beliefs were very popular in Spain during and after the period of Moorish rule, and several explorers journeyed to America in search of the magical water.

 Eternal youth is a gift frequently desired in myth and legend, and it remains a popular theme in fiction. Stories of things such as the elixir of life are common throughout Europe and elsewhere. Eternal life and eternal youth although they differ in actual meaning is a recurrent theme in Greek and Roman mythology. The elixir of life, also known as the elixir of immortality is a legendary drink that grants the drinker eternal life and/or eternal youth. Many magicians and witches have pursued it. The elixir of life was also said to be able to create life. In Norse mythology it is described as providing the Gods apples that grant them eternal youthfulness.

Various myths tell the stories about the quest for rejuvenation. It was believed that magic or intervention of a supernatural power can bring back the youth and many mythical adventurers set out on quests for themselves, their relatives or some authority that sent them.

The stories continued well into the 16th century. A famous Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León led an expedition around the Caribbean islands to Florida to find the Fountain of Youth; many of the seekers perished in the attempt. The Fountain was nowhere to be found as locals were unaware of its exact location.

In some religions, people were to be rejuvenated after death prior to entering heaven.

The Fountain of Youth is a mythic spring that would supposedly grant eternal life and vigor to whoever drank from it. Legends and myths about the tale have existed since ancient times.  


However so far, achieving eternal youth remains beyond the capabilities of man. Unbelievably there is much research currently being conducted in the field of genetics which may prove to be an agent in reducing the process of aging at some time in the future.