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Article: Heaven, hell & limbo.
- Article from:
- Calliope
- Article date:
- January 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Zoroastrians believe that when an individual dies, his or her soul sits near the head of the corpse for three days and nights. During this period, demons are thought to prey upon the soul, but they can be kept away by a fire that the deceased individual's relatives kindle. On the dawn of the fourth day, Sraosha, the divinity of obedience and prayer, approaches the good soul. Sraosha then opposes the Demon of Death, the Untier of Bones, and other demons and leads the soul to the Bridge of the Compiler (that is, he who gathers the records of good and evil thoughts, words, and deeds). Here, the soul is greeted by its den ("conscience") in the form of a beautiful maiden. ...