Struldbrug

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In Jonathan Swift's novel Gulliver's Travels, the name Struldbrug is given to those humans who are born seemingly normal, but are in fact immortal. However, although struldbrugs do not die, they do nonetheless continue aging. Swift's work depicts the evil of immortality without eternal youth.

They are easily recognized by a red dot above their left eyebrow. They are normal human beings until they reach the age of thirty, at which time they become dejected. Upon reaching the age of eighty they become legally dead, and suffer from many ailments including the loss of eyesight and the loss of hair.

Incidentally, Chinese Taoism placed the Island of the Immortals eastward from China, while Swift places the Struldbrugs near Japan.

The term struldbrug has often been used in science fiction to describe supercentenarians.

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