Reincarnation, also called rebirth or transmigration, is the belief and concept that a living being's existence does not end when they die: they start a new life in a different form. It is a central tenet of all major Indian religions and was common to ancient cultures, and though majority denominations of the Abrahamic religions do not hold belief in reincarnation, particular groups and individuals within them do. It is commonly held that karma is a factor towards reincarnation: if you are good and honest in life, you will be rewarded after death by being reincarnated to a good life, but if you are cruel and sinful, you will be punished by being reincarnated as a lower life form, or else sent to an infernal realm to be punished for you wickedness.
Due to the nature of the soul, it can be difficult if not impossible to determine who was reincarnated as who. One method among humanity is to compare the likes and dislikes of a child with those of a deceased individual: if one is drawn to items and relics that the deceased favored in life, it may be a sign that they were that person in a past life. Numerous theories and methods abound as to who may or may not be a particular reincarnate spirit. Some have attempted to establish lineages of these spirits, giving them names based on those they may have been in the past.
Due to the nature of the soul, it can be difficult if not impossible to determine who was reincarnated as who. One method among humanity is to compare the likes and dislikes of a child with those of a deceased individual: if one is drawn to items and relics that the deceased favored in life, it may be a sign that they were that person in a past life. Numerous theories and methods abound as to who may or may not be a particular reincarnate spirit. Some have attempted to establish lineages of these spirits, giving them names based on those they may have been in the past.
The Charming Prince has recurred numerous times, mostly in European history, usually appearing as a dashing young man on a quest to save those in need from evil and often save a damsel in distress in the process. The concept of a "Prince Charming" is so pervasive that many women through history have hoped and wished to one day meet their own Prince Charming to wist them away from their troubled lives.
- Perseus (Antiquity; dates unknown) may have been the very first incarnation of the Charming Prince, beginning the tradition of a hero princesses from danger when saved Andromeda from the Kraken as it tried to destroy the city of Joppa. {Clash of the Titans ₁₉₈₁}
- Florimond (15th century; dates unknown) may have been the first incarnation of the Charming Prince to embody the traditional image of "Prince Charming" by braving an Occitan forest of brambles and thorns to find the sleeping beauty, Briar Rose. {Sleeping Beauty ₁₆₉₇}
- Lamoral, Count of Egmont, (November 18 1522 - June 5 1568) was a statesman in the Spanish Netherlands and suitor of Snow White, who he eventually married after apparently reviving her from suspended animation. {Snow White ₁₈₁₂}
- Charmont (17th century; dates unknown) is the namesake of the reincarnated spirit, who Zezolla of Naples married after she proved her identity to him with a glass slipper. {Cinderella ₁₆₉₇, Ella Enchanted ₁₉₉₇}
- Eugene of Savoy (October 18 1663 - April 21 1736) was a general of the Holy Roman Empire, but before he became one of the most successful commanders in modern European history, he rescued a young woman named Persinette from her towered prison, at the time using the alias "Flynn Rider." {Rapunzel ₁₆₉₈, Tangled ₂₀₁₀}
- David Nolan, (born 1981) sheriff of the masquerade community in Storybrooke, Maine, is thought to be the contemporary incarnation of the Charming Prince. {Once Upon a Time ₂₀₁₁}
The Dark Knight is a shadowy defender of justice, often likened to a bat. Coincidentally, almost all incarnations of the Dark Knight have belonged to a single family, the Waynes, and have been associated with Gotham City, New Jersey.
- Joshua of Waineright (13th century; dates unknown) {Batman: Dark Knight Dynasty ₁₉₉₇}
- Tomas de' Medici (15th century; dates unknown) {Batman Annual Vol. 1 #18: Black Masterpiece ₁₉₉₄}
- "Bat-Ninja" (16th century; dates unknown) {Robin Annual Vol. 4 #3: The Narrow Path ₁₉₉₄}
- Joshua "Leatherwing" Wainright (18th century; dates unknown) {Batman: Leatherwing ₁₉₉₄}
- Thomas Wayne, a.k.a. Simon Hurt (c. 1767-1798) {Batman: Castle of the Bat ₁₉₉₄}
- Patrick Wayne (died 1914) {Gotham by Gaslight ₁₉₈₉, Batman: Masque ₁₉₉₇}
- Bruce Wayne (born 1914) {DC Comics}
The Once and Future King has usually appeared when Britain has needed him, possibly originating as early as the 3rd millennium BC. The Once and Future King is unusual in that the spirit technically hasn't moved on since the 6th century--later incarnations of the spirit have actually been the result of astral projection while the true Once and Future King remains in suspended animation.
- Aragorn II Elessar (4212-3920 BC) {Tolkien's legendarium}
- Enkidu (c. 2600 BC; dates unknown) {The Epic of Gilgamesh ₂₁₀₀ᵇᶜ, Fate/stay night ₂₀₀₄}
- Vercingetorix (c. 82 - 46 BC)
- Artoria Pendragon (6th century; dates unknown) {Arthurian legend, Fate/stay night ₂₀₀₄}
- unknown 8th century King (8th century; dates unknown) {Arthurian legend, etc.}
- unknown 9th century King (9th century; dates unknown) {Arthurian legend, etc.}
- Arthur King (10th century; dates unknown) {Arthurian legend, Monty Python and the Holy Grail ₁₉₇₅}
- Richard I of England (September 8 1157 - April 6 1199) {Robin Hood legends}
- Joan of Arc (January 6 1412 - May 30 1431) {Fate/stay night ₂₀₀₄}
- Francis Drake (c. 1540 - January 27 1596)
- Arthur Wellesley (May 1 1769 - September 14 1852)
- Winston Churchill (November 30 1874 - January 24 1965)
- Arthur Joseph Curry (born January 24 1965) {DC Comics}
The Sage is an unusual case of reincarnation: instead of being a "true" reincarnation of the soul, it is a genetic reincarnation of a member of the prehistoric Isu civilization, a common sign of an incarnation being heterochromia and they usually have a shared memory. Unlike the reincarnation of the soul, there can theoretically be more than one Sage at a time.
- Aita (c. 75,000 BC) was a member of the Isu, the husband of Juno. In the events leading up to the Toba Catastrophe which wiped out his culture, Juno sought a way to escape her peoples' impending doom by digitizing their minds; Aita volunteered to test their method. The experiment was a failure and Juno was forced to euthanize Aita, but scattered his genetic code throughout humanity so that, in some way, he could come back to life. The Sage is "reincarnated" when a significant portion of his genes collect in an individual, and many Sages bear a physical resemblance to him. {Assassin's Creed ₂₀₀₇}
- Utnapishtim (c. 3rd millennium BC) was an Ancient Mesopotamian who was tasked by Enki with saving himself and his family from the Deluge. He was supposedly granted immortality after the flood, and was sought out by Gilgamesh because of this. {The Epic of Gilgamesh ₂₁₀₀ᵇᶜ}
- Ahasver (c. 1st century) was a Jew, possibly the doorman at Pontius Pilate's estate, who taunted Jesus while He was marched to the Crucifixion, supposedly cursed to walk the earth until the Second Coming. {The Bible}
- Tarkan (c. 5th century) was a Hunnic warrior, son of the warlord Altar who was orphaned after an Alani raid, and was raised by wolves. Eventually, he came to serve Attila the Hun and was an ancestor of Desmond Miles. It is thought that, in addition to being a genetic reincarnation of the Sage, he was also a spiritual reincarnation of the Man-Cub.
- unknown Byzantine Sage (c. 6th century) {Assassin's Creed ₂₀₀₇}
- unknown Mayan Sage (c. 13th century) {Assassin's Creed ₂₀₀₇}
- Jacques de Molay (c. 1234 - March 18 1314) was the 23rd Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and the last to publicly hold the office. He was the leader of the Templars during their public disbandment and was executed by burning at the stake. With his last breath, de Molay cursed Philip IV of France and Pope Clement V, and both died in short order. {Assassin's Creed ₂₀₀₇}
- unknown Chinese Sage (c. 14th century) {Assassin's Creed ₂₀₀₇}
- Thomas Kavanagh, Jr. (1652 - 1706; dates unknown) learned he was different at a young age and struggled with this his entire life, subjected to hallucinations of "shining beings" brought on by bleeding effects of his memories inherited from Aita. {Assassin's Creed ₂₀₀₇}
- Bartholomew "Black Bart" Roberts (May 17 1682 - February 10 1722) {Assassin's Creed ₂₀₀₇}
- The Count of St. Germain (c. 1712 - February 27 1784) {Assassin's Creed ₂₀₀₇}
- unknown Indian Sage (c. 19th century) {Assassin's Creed ₂₀₀₇}
- Campion Bond (1863 - 1916) was a British MI5 agent secretly in league with James Moriarty, recovering the professor from his nearly fatal plunge at Reichenbach Falls. {Sherlock Holmes stories} Even after his subversive activities were discovered, British intelligence kept him in their fold because he was more useful alive than hanged for treason. {The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen ₁₉₉₉}
- Ziggy Stardust (January 8 1947 - January 10 2016) {Assassin's Creed ₂₀₀₇}
- John Standish (1975 - 2013) {Assassin's Creed ₂₀₀₇}
- unknown American Sage (born 2005) {Assassin's Creed ₂₀₀₇}