Re-reading the Horseclans books got me thinking about Highlander, specifically about how immortality works in the two different universes. Both worlds include immortal characters, and there are some interesting similarities. Highlander is probably more well known than Horseclans, with its half-dozen movies and two television series (Highlander and Raven).

The first Horseclans book was published in 1975, eleven years before the Highlander movie. In fact, by the time the Highlander movie came out (1986), thirteen Horseclans books had been published.

Highlander was created by Gregory Widen who was a student in film school when he wrote the script as a class project. The official version tells us Widden was traveling through Scotland on vacation and while standing in front of a suit of armor, wondered, 'What would it be like if that guy was alive today?' Viola! The genesis of Highlander. Now this is my opinion, but I bet Widden had, at some time or other, read the Horseclans books too; there are some interesting similarities.

Aging: Neither Highlander nor Horseclans immortals age. The set age of a Highlander immortal is determined by his age when he becomes an immortal (more later). For a Horseclans immortal, their age appears to be random. Milo, for example, appears to be a man of around 40. Mara and Aldora, as young women in their mid-twenties.

Disease: Both Highlander and Horseclans immortals are immune to disease.

Drowning: Highlander immortals are immune to drowning, Horseclans immortals are not.

Suffocation: Not specifically addressed in the Highlander universe, but given their immunity to drowning, I'm going to assume a Highlander immortal can't die by suffocation. Horseclans immortals can.

Injury: For both Highlander and Horseclans immortals, decapitation kills them. Highlander immortals can't grow severed limbs, Horseclans immortals can. Highlander immortals can recover from severe, traumatic injuries that cause immediate death. Horseclans immortals can't.

Fire/Burns: Can kill a Horseclans immortal if severe enough; a Highlander immortal will eventually recover.

That's pretty much a top level rollup. But how would super healing really work? Could some sort of super healing ability function in the 'real world'?

First off, Highlander immortals don't heal in the traditional sense of how healing works. Highlander immortals are humans whose bodies have been occupied by an alien energy force. This force rebuilds the body after injury, using the body's DNA as it's instruction manual. As such, Highlander immortals don't get scars, and any injury short of decapitation can be eventually healed. If the injury is severe enough, the Highlander immortal actually 'dies'. The length of time this death lasts depends on how long it takes the alien energy to rebuild the body. Eventually, it heals all damage and brings the immortal back to life.

Also, a Highlander's immortality has to be activated by a violent death. If he or she is never killed violently, he or she never becomes immortal. Why it takes a violent death is never explained, but death from illness or age old doesn't do it.

As noted above, Highlander immortals can't regenerate severed limbs. Lose a hand, the hand is gone for good (it won't regrow). However, were the Highlander immortal able to recover the limb and hold the severed ends together, it would heal. A Highlander immortal, after healing, will show no scars or deformities. As long as the injured area remains connected to the body, and thus accessible to the 'alien energy', it can be healed completely and totally. Lastly, it's explained that foreign objects left in the body are destroyed by the alien energy. So if a Highlander immortal is shot with a gun, and the bullet is stuck inside them, will be dissolved.

Now this type of healing is pure science fiction/fantasy. Obviously it wouldn't work in the 'real' world.

But what about Horseclans healing? Horseclans immortals are different in that they are humans with a greatly accelerated healing rate. Even direct sword thrusts through the heart can't kill one, though I'm not sure what would happen in the case of a traumatic brain injury. There's some backstory to Milo, the main undying Horseclans character, that indicates he suffered a brain injury at one time hundreds of years in the past and that, as a result, he lost some memories.

In contrast to a Highlander immortal, a Horseclans immortal can regrow a severed limb. It might take a long time, depending on how much was severed, but eventually it will grow back. Now to me, it seems the re-growing severed limbs is beyond the scope of simply possessing accelerated healing. So I'm calling the severed limb growing thing as not working in the 'real' world. It would be interesting to know if a freshly severed limb, that has yet to suffer from cell death, would 'heal' if the two severed ends were held together. I'm thinking they would.

Since Horseclans immortals heal like normal humans (except very, very quickly), they are described as being covered with all manner of scars. So that means if a Horseclans immortal had a broken bone, and that bone wasn't immediately set, it would heal in whatever position is was in. In the span of hundreds of years, most of us would at some time or another suffer some sort of deforming injury. And what about injuries that disrupt the structure of the body to a severe degree? A depressive skull fracture, for example. Or a shotgun blast to the chest?

The basic structure has to remain in place and be functioning, right? And that the person has to be living for the healing to work. So stabbed through the heart? No problem (what about cardiac scar tissue?). But that shotgun blast that tears a hole in your chest? I'm thinking since the structure of the heart is destroyed, you're out of luck. And super healing isn't going to do any good getting rid of stuff stuck in you. If an arrowhead breaks off inside you, someone would have to dig it out! So I'm thinking that hte basic integrity of the organ has to be intact, or the healing won't do any good.

So what's the point? None, just passing some time in pointless conjecture.

If I had a choice, I'd take Highlander immortality. But if all I could get was super healing?

What the heck, I'll take it!