History Main / ImmortalityTalisman

These characters typically weren't born immortal, but they didn't let that stop them. They set about acquiring immortality by finding an object that would give it to them.

This trope happens whenever a character is immortal through the agency of a physical object. Said object will often be an AmuletOfDependency: they will typically lose that immortality if the object is destroyed or sometimes just if they lose contact with the object, often resulting in NoImmortalInertia.

There are typically three forms this trope can take: the object simply existing grants them immortality, the object must be used in some way periodically to keep them immortal, or the object must be worn or carried in order to make them immortal.

Supertrope to SoulJar and HeartDrive. Subtrope of {{Immortality}}.
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!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* Rin and Mimi in ''{{Mnemosyne}}'' became immortal when "time spores" entered their bodies. They can sustain severe injuries and regenerate themselves fully, as is shown with the often [[{{Gorn}} gruesome stuff]] that is inflicted on Rin. There is one character in the show who actually eats time spores, preferably old ones, so Rin and Mimi still have to watch their step.
* The Philosopher's Stones in ''FullmetalAlchemist''. Every character laying claim to immortality possesses at least one, allowing them to regenerate from injuries (including fatal ones); however, this expends their Philosopher's Stones, meaning that a [[{{Badass}} sufficiently]] [[{{Determinator}} tenacious]] opponent can still kill them. It's also possible to destroy their Philosopher's Stones directly through alchemy, or even rip them out [[spoiler:as Envy [[DrivenToSuicide does to himself]] [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath after he's called on his hypocrisy]].]]
* In ''FairyTail'', during the Tenrou Island arc [[spoiler:Hades' source of power and life is a device called Devil's Heart. The good guys have one too in the form of the Tenrou tree growing on the sacred island.]]
* ''SamuraiSeven'' has a ruler enthroned in a machine that prolongs his life.
* Both Yukiko and Liselotte Werckmeister from ''11eyes'' share the same immortality that comes with an rapid HealingFactor and [[TheAgeless the inability to age]]. It is revealed that the Voidstone is the source of the immortality and separating it from the host will disable that immortality.
* In L. Jagi Lamplighter's ''ProsperosDaughter'' trilogy, Prospero and his children are immortal between the effects of Miranda's Water of Life, and Eramus's staff's ability to cure.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* MarvelComics' [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_Bloodstone Ulysses Bloodstone]] is immortal because of a meteorite/gem shard stuck in his chest. At the end of his story, it gets surgically removed by some bad guys and he dies.
* The Sphinx, an enemy of Comicbook/{{Nova}}, was an Ancient Egyptian Priest given immortality and great powers by a gem he found in a mysterious temple. But he came to [[WhoWantsToLiveForever regret living for thousands of years]]; his main motivation was to find a way to end his own existence.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
* In ''{{Tangled}}'', the magic flower and later Rapunzel's hair serve this role for Mother Gothel. Singing the magic song restores her youth.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen''. Dorian Gray's portrait, as in the original novel ''ThePictureOfDorianGray''.
* In ''StargateSG1'', Goa'uld sarcophagi are best described as {{Autodoc}}s, but they're so effective that they can ''raise the dead''. The System Lords are thousands of years old thanks to them. Shame about the [[AGodAmI side effects]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''ThePictureOfDorianGray'': the caveat is that the immortality wears off if the titular picture is destroyed.
* In Megan Whalen Turner's ''The Thief'', Gen ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the titular character]]) is recruited to help find a stone that grants immortality to whoever is wearing it. [[spoiler:After he steals it, he hides it in his hair and attempts to escape, but is caught up in a fight and stabbed in the chest. When the sword is removed Gen describes it as feeling as though his life is being stretched thin by the blade, and it causes him an immense amount of pain. Gen decides the pain isn't worth it and swears off ever wanting to be immortal again.]]
* [[spoiler:Durzo Blint, and later Azoth/Kylar Stern gain immortality after bonding with the Black Ka'kari]] from ''TheNightAngelTrilogy'' by Brent Weeks.
* Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged from the ''HitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' series gained immortality during an incident with a particle accelerator, rubber bands, and a liquid lunch. [[spoiler:In ''AndAnotherThing'', his immortality is revoked when those same rubber bands wrap around Thor's hammer.]]
* The Denarians in ''TheDresdenFiles'' are immortal due to the presence of the {{Fallen| Angel}} contained in the silver denarius coin each one carries. Furthermore, Nicodemus is given extra protection by the fact that he wears the noose Judas Iscariot supposedly used to commit suicide around his neck, which allows him to regenerate damage that would drop even other Denarians who are protected by their respective Fallen.
* In JohnCWright's ''Golden Age'' trilogy, nomenual recordings allow effective immortality. Although it is a major plot point that the heat death of the universe will ensure that this is not actually living ''forever'' -- the most that is possible is until every form of energy in the universe is completely consumed.
* In RobertEHoward's ''ConanTheBarbarian'' story "The Tower of the Elephant", Yara is said to be centuries old, and immortal because of his [[MineralMacGuffin gem]], the Heart of the Elephant.
* In ''LordOfTheRings'', this is one of the things the One Ring can do. Gollum's unnatural age is thanks to it. The Nine for the Nazgul also serve this function.
* In ''TheHistoryOfTheRunestaff'', King-Emperor Huon's life is indefinitely prolonged by the Throne Globe, an elaborate piece of LostTechnology. From the outside, it looks like a glass sphere full of translucent fluid in which Huon floats. He can talk to people in the room, but he can't leave the sphere or move it. If it were to be destroyed, which would not be terribly hard considering it's made of glass, he would die. This is the UrExample of this kind of life prolongation (1967) as far as I know. (I don't think Huon is ever explicitly ''called'' a GodEmperor, but he otherwise fits the trope; for instance, people swear "By Huon's Teeth".)
* In ''{{Mistborn}}'', [[GodEmperor the Lord Ruler's]] bracers serve this function, though he made them himself. By exploiting a loophole in the magic system, he was able to store his youth and vitality in them and increase its output exponentially- so long as he's wearing the bracers, he's as young as he wants to be, with [[TheAgeless everything that implies]]. [[spoiler:When the heroine rips the bracers off him during their duel, he instantly reverts to his real age- of over one thousand. ''Ouch''.]]
* {{Kurt Vonnegut}}'s short story ''Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow'' has a drug called Anti-Gerasone that confers {{The Ageless}}ness when ingested regularly. Later on a stronger version of Anti-Gerasone is invented that will even reverse the aging process on people who were already old when the original Anti-Gerasone was invented. Since Anti-Gerasone is dirt-cheap to manufacture and accessible to everyone, the Earth is extremely overpopulated.
* The narrator in Xanadu by ''{{Rush}}'' gains immortality after entering the Pleasure Dome, dining on the honeydew, and drinking the milk of paradise. He is ''not'' happy about it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', despite regaining a set of regenerations, the John Simm version of the Master forces himself not to, storing his essence inside a ring to revive himself later.
** Similarly, the Kastrian Eldrad was blown into a single hand. He and his entire race could store their genetic imprint into a ring to be reawakened with a burst of radiation even after over a hundred million years.
* ''Space 1999'' episode "The Exiles". Two prisoners have extended lifespans due to skintight membranes covering their bodies. If the membrane is ripped and their bodies are exposed, they're subjected to RapidAging and die.
* Goa'uld sarcophagi in ''StargateSG1'' are best described as {{Autodoc}}s, but they're so effective that they can ''raise the dead''. The System Lords are thousands of years old thanks to them. Shame about the [[AGodAmI side effects]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radio]]
* ''HitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'': Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged [[spoiler:has his immortality revoked by the Great Prophet Zarquon (he was the last person on Wowbagger's "insult" list).]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''CallOfCthulhu'' campaign ''The Fungi From Yuggoth''. The {{villain}} Lang Fu has worn his Coat of Life for centuries, as it grants him long life. If it is ever removed from him for more than a few minutes, he will suffer from RapidAging and die.
* In ''{{Warhammer40000}}'', the life of the [[GodEmperor God-Emperor of Man]] is preserved by technology in his throne. Probably influenced by the ''Runestaff'' books; certainly much better known nowadays.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''PokemonRanger: Guardian Signs'', [[spoiler:The Societea become immortal by wearing pieces of the Golden Armor. This seems to be of the "stop the aging process and survive mortal blows" kind, but we never actually see them suffer any direct physical harm until after they lose their armor to [[TheStarscream Purple Eyes]], so we can't be sure about the latter. After Purple Eyes is defeated, the armor disappears, thus making sure no one remains immortal.]]
* Starscream, in ''TransformersAnimated'', becomes immortal due to a shard of the [=AllSpark=] lodged in his head. [[spoiler:Prowl removes it in the series finale.]]
* The Heart of Chaos serves this purpose for Caius of ''VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy XIII-2}}''. As long as it beats in his chest, he always revives instantly after being defeated, {{Justified}} via him having the Auto-Raise status boost. If it's destroyed, he dies [[spoiler:and so does the goddess who gave it to him.]]
* Miss Fortune of {{Skullgirls}}, upon swallowing the Life Gem. She was cut into pieces shortly afterwards, though not only did she survive the ordeal, the gory extent of splitting apart her undying body is utilized in her fighting style.
* Igos du Ikana, Igos du Ikana's bodyguards, Flat, Sharp and every undead inhabitant of the Ikana Canyon in ''[[MajorasMask Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask]]'' revived by Skull Kid wearing the Majora's Mask and mantained alive by Twinmold.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* From the WebOriginal/SCPFoundation, there's [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-963 SCP-963]], a talisman which, if you are killed while holding it, is imprinted with your soul. From then on, anyone else who touches the talisman has their personality overwritten with whoever is contained inside. It's actually possible to make multiple copies of yourself this way.
** Anyone who touches [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-596 SCP-596]] is kept alive forever until they release it, even regenerating from any injury. Not that you would want to be however, since you're kept alive in permanent agony, and the only way to let go is for someone else to touch it at which point you die. Its heavily hinted that it was a booby trap to curse tomb robbers with a case of AndIMustScream.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* The Dog talisman in ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' gives someone immortality with youthful energy, but (the baddies, at least) can still feel pain from blunt force trauma. The Horse Talisman could probably provide FromASingleCell-type immortality, although its regenerative powers was never taken to the limits in the show. Together, they provide CompleteImmortality.
[[/folder]]

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* The Dog talisman in ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' gives someone immortality with youthful energy, but (the baddies, at least) can still feel pain from blunt force trauma. The Horse Talisman could probably provide FromASingleCell-type immortality, although its regenerative powers was never taken to the limits in the show. Together, they provide PerfectImmortality.

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''PokemonRanger: Guardian Signs'', [[spoiler:The Societea become immortal by wearing pieces of the Golden Armor. This seems to be of the "stop the aging process and survive mortal blows" kind, but we never actually see them suffer any direct physical harm until after they lose their armor to [[TheStarscream Purple Eyes]], so we can't be sure about the latter. After Purple Eyes is defeated, the armor disappears, thus making sure no one remains immortal.]]
* Starscream, in ''TransformersAnimated'', becomes immortal due to a shard of the [=AllSpark=] lodged in his head. [[spoiler:Prowl removes it in the series finale.]]
* The Heart of Chaos serves this purpose for Caius of ''VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy XIII-2}}''. As long as it beats in his chest, he always revives instantly after being defeated, {{Justified}} via him having the Auto-Raise status boost. If it's destroyed, he dies [[spoiler:and so does the goddess who gave it to him.]]
* Miss Fortune of {{Skullgirls}}, upon swallowing the Life Gem. She was cut into pieces shortly afterwards, though not only did she survive the ordeal, the gory extent of splitting apart her undying body is utilized in her fighting style.
[[/folder]]

Supertrope to SoulJar and HeartDrive.

* From the SCPFoundation, there's [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-963 SCP-963]], a talisman which, if you are killed while holding it, is imprinted with your soul. From then on, anyone else who touches the talisman has their personality overwritten with whoever is contained inside. It's actually possible to make multiple copies of yourself this way.

* Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged from the ''HitchhikersGuide'' series gained immortality during an incident with a particle accelerator, rubber bands, and a liquid lunch. [[spoiler:He had his immortality taken away due to said rubber bands wrapped around Thor's hammer.]]

* ''HitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'': Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged only lost his immortality from the [[spoiler:rubber bands that caused it wrapped around Thor's hammer]] in the book written by Eoin Colfer. In the original radio series [[spoiler:he had his immortality revoked by the Great Prophet Zarquon (he was the last person on Wowbagger's "insult" list)]]

[[folder:Web Original

!!Examples

!!Examples:

* The Philosopher's Stones in ''FullmetalAlchemist''. Every character laying claim to immortality possesses at least one, allowing them to regenerate from injuries (including fatal ones); however, this expends their Philosopher's Stones, meaning that a [[{{Badass}} sufficiently]] [[{{Determinator}} tenacious]] opponent can still kill them. It's also possible to destroy their Philosopher's Stones directly through alchemy, or even rip them out [[spoiler: as Envy [[DrivenToSuicide does to himself]] [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath after he's called on his hypocrisy]]]].
* In ''FairyTail'', during the Tenrou Island arc [[spoiler: Hades' source of power and life is a device called Devil's Heart. The good guys have one too in the form of the Tenrou tree growing on the sacred island.]]

* The Sphinx, an enemy of {{Comicbook/Nova}}, was an Ancient Egyptian Priest given immortality and great powers by a gem he found in a mysterious temple. But he came to [[WhoWantsToLiveForever regret living for thousands of years]]; his main motivation was to find a way to end his own existence.

[[folder:Film - Animated]]
* In ''{{Tangled}}'', the magic flower and later Rapunzel serve this role for Mother Gothel. Singing the magic song restores her youth.

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

* [[spoiler: Durzo Blint, and later Azoth/Kylar Stern gain immortality after bonding with the Black Ka'kari]] from ''TheNightAngelTrilogy'' by Brent Weeks.
* Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged from the ''HitchhikersGuide'' series gained immortality during an incident with a particle accelerator, rubber bands, and a liquid lunch. [[spoiler:He had his immortality taken away due to said rubber bands wrapped around Thor's hammer]].
* The Denarians in ''TheDresdenFiles'' are immortal due to the presence of the [[FallenAngel Fallen]] contained in the silver denarius coin each one carries. Furthermore, Nicodemus is given extra protection by the fact that he wears the noose Judas Iscariot supposedly used to commit suicide around his neck, which allows him to regenerate damage that would drop even other Denarians who are protected by their respective Fallen.

* ''HitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'': Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged only lost his immortality from the [[spoiler: rubber bands that caused it wrapped around Thor's hammer]] in the book written by Eoin Colfer. In the original radio series [[spoiler: he had his immortality revoked by the Great Prophet Zarquon (he was the last person on Wowbagger's "insult" list)]]

* In ''{{Mistborn}}'', [[GodEmperor the Lord Ruler's]] bracers serve this function, though he made them himself. By exploiting a loophole in the magic system, he was able to store his youth and vitality in them and increase its output exponentially- so long as he's wearing the bracers, he's as young as he wants to be, with [[TheAgeless everything that implies]]. [[spoiler: When the heroine rips the bracers off him during their duel, he instantly reverts to his real age- of over one thousand. ''Ouch''.]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* In ''PokemonRanger: Guardian Signs'', [[spoiler: The Societea become immortal by wearing pieces of the Golden Armor. This seems to be of the "stop the aging process and survive mortal blows" kind, but we never actually see them suffer any direct physical harm until after they lose their armor to [[TheStarscream Purple Eyes]], so we can't be sure about the latter. After Purple Eyes is defeated, the armor disappears, thus making sure no one remains immortal.]]

* The Heart of Chaos serves this purpose for Caius of ''VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy XIII-2}}''. As long as it beats in his chest, he always revives instantly after being defeated, {{Justified}} via him having the Auto-Raise status boost. If it's destroyed, he dies [[spoiler: and so does the goddess who gave it to him.]]
[[/folder]]

* The Philosopher's Stone in ''FullmetalAlchemist''. Every immortal character is reliant on one, and if it's removed from their body and destroyed, then they die.

This trope happens whenever a character is immortal through the agency of a physical object. They will typically lose that immortality if the object is destroyed or sometimes just if they lose contact with the object, often resulting in NoImmortalInertia.

* A vampire in ''{{Angel}}'' supplemented his usual TheAgeless-style immortality by having his heart cut out in a mystical ceremony to temporarily make himself truly unkillable. After a while this effect wore off and he crumbled to dust without external cause.

* In ''{{Mistborn}}'', [[GodEmperor the Lord Ruler's]] bracers serve this function, though he made them himself. By exploiting a loophole in the magic system, he was able to store his youth and vitality in them and increase its output exponentially- so long as he's wearing the bracers, he's as young as he wants to be, with [[TheAgeless everything that implies]].

* In RobertEHoward's ''ConanTheBarbarian'' story "The Tower of the Elephant", Yara is said to be centuries old, and immortal becuase of his [[MineralMacGuffin gem]], the Heart of the Elephant.

* In RobertEHoward's ConanTheBarbarian story "The Tower of the Elephant", Yara is said to be centuries old, and immortal becuase of his [[MineralMacGuffin gem]], the Heart of the Elephant.

* [[spoiler: Durzo Blint, and later Azoth/Kylar Stern gain immortality after bonding with the Black Ka'kari]] from ''TheNightAngel'' trilogy by Brent Weeks.

* In FairyTail, during the Tenrou Island arc [[spoiler: Hades' source of power and life is a device called Devil's Heart. The good guys have one too in the form of the Tenrou tree growing on the sacred island.]]

* ''SamuraiSeven'' also has a ruler enthroned in a machine that prolongs his life.