Three Judges Of Souls Await You On Chinvat Bridge – Gateway To Unknown Realms In Zoroastrian Beliefs

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - The concept of death, soul, and afterlife have long fascinated humans. Like modern scientists keep speculating about what happens when we die, ancient civilizations had their own beliefs about what death really means. Invisible bridges leading to unknown realms are mentioned in many myths and legends.

Most ancient people did not consider death to be the ultimate end of existence. The vision of some sort of afterlife was shared by many of our ancestors.

Ancient Beliefs About An Invisible Bridge Leading To Unknown Realms

The idea that there was an invisible bridge between heaven and the earth can be encountered in the mythology of many different peoples. As author Michael P. Berman points out in his book, A Bridge to the Other Side “ in Borneo, the passage for souls to heaven is across a long tree; it is scarcely practicable to any except those who have killed a man.

Three judges of souls wait on the Chinvat bridge. Credit: AncientPages.com

In Burma, among the Karens, they tie strings across the rivers for the ghosts of the dead to pass over to their graves. In Java, a bridge leads across the abyss to the dwelling-place of the gods; the evil-doers fall into the depths below. Among the Esquimaux, the soul crosses an awful gulf over a stretched rope until it reaches the abode of "the great female evil spirit below the sea."

The Ojibways cross to paradise on a great snake, which serves as a bridge. The Choctaw bridge is a slippery pine log. The South American Manacicas cross on a wooden bridge. Among many of the American tribes, the Milky Way is the bridge to the other world.

Readers of Ancient Pages familiar with Norse Mythology will remember the story about the rainbow bridge Bifrost (Bifröst) that ends under the shade of the mighty world-tree Yggdrasil.  Bifrost is said to connect heaven and Earth. This sacred place is guarded by God Heimdallr, who illuminated the world. The rainbow bridge serves as a passage between Asgard, the realm of Norse Gods and Midgard, home of humans.

The rainbow bridge Bifröst reminds a little of the Chinvat Bridge that we encounter in Zoroastrian beliefs.

Three Judges Of Souls Stand On The Chinvat Bridge

According to Zoroastrianism, one of the world's great ancient religions, humans are always faced with a choice between the path of 'good' and 'evil'. How we behave in life decides what happens after death. After the end of the human journey, the souls arrive at the Chinvat crossing, where God Mithras (Covenant) represents one of the three judges of souls. The other two judges are Sraosha, "Conscience" and "Observance" and Rashnu, Justice. Nothing you have done or thought escaped these three judges, no matter how much you try to hide your sins.

The Chinvat Bridge, also known as the "bridge of judgment" is guarded by two four-eyed dogs. The bridge serves as a portal separating the world of the living from the world of the dead.

Ahura Mazda is the creator and sole God of Zoroastrianism, the old Iranian religion that spread across the Middle. Credit: Public Domain

The crossing of the bridge depends on one’s actions in life. Those who have been wicked and evil will find themselves standing on a narrow bridge where they will encounter the demon Vizaresh who will drag the damned souls into the druj-demana (the House of Lies). It’s a place similar to the Christian version of Hell where a person must suffer eternal punishment.

To good and kind people, the Chinvat Bridge will be wide enough to cross. On their way to the other side, the righteousness will be met by the Daena. The Daena leads all good souls into the House of Song where they are united with Ahura Mazda, the creator God in Zoroastrianism. It’s a spirit representing revelation.

Zoroastrianism and Christianity are similar in their beliefs about the fate of the souls. When a person dies, the three spiritual components in Zoroastrian beliefs (the soul, fravashi and spirit) continue to exist in another invisible realm. The destination of the spirit depends on the kind of life one has lived from the age of fifteen.

The judgment of the souls at the Chinvat bridge involves testing and all person deeds are taken into consideration, including thoughts and spoken words.

In a way, one can say that a deceased person cannot hide anything when confronted with the judges at the Chinvat Bridge. The judges of souls see through you.

Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

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