In almost every religion or mythology, one way or another there is a place where the souls of those who behaved well and correctly in worldly life go. But the concept of correctness in many religions is too different. But now it's not about that, but about exactly how that very place looks like, which can be called paradise in the representation of various religions and beliefs. It's not always just a beautiful garden.
Ancient mythology - Elysium
It was called by various names: Elysium, Elysium, "Champs Elysees" or "Arrival Valley". This is a special place in the afterlife, where eternal spring reigns, and where the chosen heroes spend their days without sorrow and worries. At first it was believed that only the heroes of the fourth generation who died in battles could settle on the Isles of the Blessed. But later, Elysius became "available" to all those who are blessed in soul and initiated. Among the shady alleys, the righteous lead a blissful life, arranging sports games and musical evenings. By the way, it was from this word that the name Elisha and the name of the Parisian avenue Champs Elysees came from.
Slavic mythology - Iriy
East Slavic and East Polish mythology presented paradise as a kind of mythical country, which is located on a warm sea in the west or southwest of the earth, where birds and snakes winter. The paradise world tree has the same name, at the top of which birds and souls of the dead live. Iriy is a place in the sky or underground where the souls of deceased ancestors go and live, where birds and insects fly away for the winter, and snakes crawl away. According to popular beliefs, the cuckoo is the first to fly there (since it has the keys), and the last is the stork.
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Armenian mythology - Drakht
In ancient Armenian mythology, a part of the afterlife? the heavenly place where the righteous go was called Drakht. Is there Partez in Dracht - the Garden of Eden, in the middle of which the world tree of life grows? Kenatz tsar, which is the center of the world and a symbol of absolute reality. When a person is born, the spirit of death Grokh writes his fate on the person's forehead. Throughout a person's life, Groh notes in his book his sins and good deeds, which should be communicated at God's Judgment. Sinners, walking along Maza Kamurj, slip and fall into the Fiery River, which leads them to Jokhk (an analogue of hell), and the righteous pass over the bridge and end up in Drakht.
Scandinavian mythology - Valhalla
Literally translated as "palace of the fallen" - the heavenly palace in Asgard for those who fell in battle, paradise for valiant warriors. Valhalla is ruled by Odin himself, seated on Hlidskjalve. According to legend, Valhalla is a gigantic hall with a roof made of gilded shields propped up by spears. This hall has 540 doors and through each 800 warriors will come out at the call of the god Heimdall during the last battle - Ragnarok. The warriors who live in Valhalla are called Eincheria. Every day in the morning they put on armor and fight to the death, and then they rise up and sit down at a common table to feast. They eat the meat of Sehrimnir's boar, which is slaughtered every day and is resurrected every day. Einheria drink honey, which milked the goat Heidrun, standing in Valhalla and chewing the leaves of the World Tree Yggdrasil. And at night beautiful maidens come and please the soldiers until morning.
Ancient Egyptian mythology - Fields of Ialu
A part of the afterlife, in which the righteous gain eternal life and bliss after the judgment of Osiris. In the Fields of Ialu, "Fields of the Reed," the deceased was in for the same life that he led on earth, only it was happier and better. The deceased did not lack anything. Seven Hathor, Neperi, Nepit, Selket and other deities provided him with food, made his afterlife arable land fertile, bringing a rich harvest, and his cattle - fat and fertile. So that the deceased could enjoy the rest and he would not have to work the fields and graze the cattle himself, the ushabti were placed in the tomb - wooden or clay figurines of people: scribes, porters, reapers, etc. Ushabti is the "defendant." The sixth chapter of the "Book of the Dead" talks about "how to make ushebti work": when in the Fields of Ialu the gods call the deceased to work, calling him by name,the ushabti man must step forward and respond: “Here I am!”, after which he will unquestioningly go where the gods will command, and will do as ordered. Wealthy Egyptians were usually placed in a coffin with a ushebti, one for each day of the year; for the poor, the ushabti was replaced by a papyrus scroll with a list of 360 such workers. In the Fields of Ialu, with the help of magic spells, the men named on the list incarnated in ushabti and worked for their master. It was the Fields of Ialu that became the prototype of the Champs Elysees (Elysium) in ancient Greek mythology. In the Fields of Ialu, with the help of magic spells, the men named on the list incarnated in ushabti and worked for their master. It was the Fields of Ialu that became the prototype of the Champs Elysees (Elysium) in ancient Greek mythology. In the Fields of Ialu, with the help of magic spells, the men named on the list incarnated in ushabti and worked for their master. It was the Fields of Ialu that became the prototype of the Champs Elysees (Elysium) in ancient Greek mythology.
Christianity (Old Testament) - Eden
The Garden of Eden, which, according to the Bible, was the original habitat of people. The people living in it, Adam and Eve, were, according to the traditional view, immortal and sinless, however, seduced by the serpent, they ate the fruit from the forbidden Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, having sinned, as a result of which they found suffering. God closed Paradise to people, drove them out, putting on guard the Cherubim with a flaming sword.
Christianity (New Testament) - Kingdom of Heaven
The new meaning of paradise, after the fall, is revealed as the “Kingdom of Heaven”, where the road is again opened to people, but after the knowledge of sin, suffering and trials, in which the infinite mercy of God and the weakness of man are revealed. You could even say that this is heaven after hell, after the experience of evil and the free rejection of hell. The saints inherit paradise after earthly death and resurrection in the new universe, knowing no sickness, or sorrow, or sighing, feeling unceasing joy and bliss.
Islam - Jannat
Jannat is a place where righteous Muslims will forever come after the Day of Judgment. Paradise has enormous dimensions and several levels for various categories of the righteous. It will be neither cold nor hot. It is made of silver and gold bricks with a fragrant musk scent. For the righteous in paradise food, drink, coolness, peace, luxurious clothes, eternally young spouses from heavenly virgins and from their own wives are prepared for the righteous. However, the pinnacle of heavenly blessings will be the possibility of “seeing Allah”. The righteous who have gone to heaven will be at the age of 33. There will be married life in paradise, but children will not be born.
Buddhism - Sukhavati
In Buddhist mythology, a paradise ruled by the Buddha Amitabha. The soil and water in Sukhavati is noble, all buildings are made of gold, silver, coral and precious stones. All inhabitants of Sukhavati are bodhisattvas of the highest level, who also attain nirvana there. They live "immeasurably long" and enjoy infinite happiness. In general, Buddhists believe that after the death of the body, the soul of the deceased person is transferred to another body. These multiple transmigration of the soul from body to body in the language of Buddhism is called samsara. Heaven and hell do exist. But this is not a place for eternal bliss and eternal torment, it is just one of the transmigration of the soul. After a temporary stay in heaven or hell, souls again return to an earthly body. After a long, very long stay in samsara, the souls of especially deserved righteous people fall into a special place and into a special state,which is called nirvana. Nirvana is similar to paradise in that it is also bliss, and at the same time bliss is eternal. However, unlike paradise, in nirvana there are no forms of activity, it is bliss similar to a dream.