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People all throughout time have lived their lives with the intention of being granted
access to some grand utopia or paradise beyond the stars.
Heaven has taken on various forms across the many mythologies of the world, some more fantastical
or mystical than others.
We’re looking beyond the mortal plane in this Archive to discover and contemplate the
top ten mythical versions of heaven.
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10.
Gan Eden In Jewish tradition, Gan Eden is one of the
many versions of the afterlife, first appearing in the book of Genesis as the land where God
placed all of humanity after its creation.
You may know it better as the Garden of Eden.
The higher Gan Eden is said to be a celestial place, compared to the more terrestrial and
physical “lower Gan Eden,” that serves as a final stop for the cleansed souls of
those of Jewish and non-Jewish faith.
Also known as the Garden of Righteousness, Jewish eschatology portrays Gan Eden as a
place where the virtuous will walk and dance with God.
9.
Valhalla One Norse depiction of heaven is thought to
be a great hall in Asgard that only warriors who die in battle will be privy to.
Watched over by the Greater Norse God, Odin, Valhalla provides the Viking warriors that
are given access to it, the einherjar, with a life filled with massive and endless feasts,
battles without consequence, and the attention of maidens known as Valkyries.
Warriors are chosen by Odin to enter Valhalla in order to recruit them in the battle with
the wolf Fenrir during Ragnarok, a war that neither Odin or the einherjar are intended
to survive.
8.
Vaikuntha Home to Lord Vishnu, a greater deity of Hinduism,
Vaikuntha is an exclusive oasis open only to Lord Hari, Sri Lakshmi, and souls that
have been emancipated from ignorance.
Lucky souls that are given access to Vaikuntha enjoy an eternity of happiness and bliss all
within the company of Lord Vishnu.
Those living in Vaikuntha are stripped of their material forms and are instead depicted
visions similar to that of Vishnu, also known as Narayana.
Palaces with crystal walls line Vaikuntha while wish-fulfilling trees blossom constantly
and fragrant air blows throughout the peaceful land.
7.
Jannah If you follow the Islamic faith, chances are
you live your life with the intention of entering Jannah at the end.
After one’s death, it’s believed that they await their resurrection on Yawn al-Qlyamah
or Judgement Day.
If granted entry into Jannah, a person is met with whatever they longed for during their
mortal life.
At the highest level of this paradise, Firdaws, the most loyal followers of Islam and highly
pious individuals will reside.
According to texts like the Quran, Paradise is marked with gorgeous women, an abundance
of delicious food, and ever flowing streams of water.
6.
The Otherworld Often described as a supernatural world of
unusual beings and Celtic deities, there are those that believe the magnificent lands of
The Otherworld was also the Celtic version of heaven.
It’s said that rules of the mortal plain do not apply to The Otherworld as time passes
much slower, allowing those that live there to remain eternally youthful.
It’s said to be a place for mystical heroes who reach it either through burial mounds
or by being invited by a woman of the Otherworld through the offering of a silver apple branch,
apple, or ball of thread.
5.
Nirvana Buddhists may have had one of the more unique
concepts of heaven as they believed theirs, known as Nirvana, wasn’t a place but rather
a state of existence.
To reach Nirvana, a person underwent a rebirth of their karma, which would alleviate them
of their stresses and unhappiness.
The concept of Nirvana as a place for the soul to be cleansed is said to stem from the
lack of proper language to describe the state of being, making it much easier to detail
it as a location free from worries one goes to after they die and are reborn anew.
4.
The 13 Heavens According to the beliefs of the Aztecs, heaven
wasn’t just one place where pious and good people gather once they pass away or are cleansed
of their sins.
Instead, the Mesoamerican culture considered there to be 13 different heavens, the lowest
of which encompassing the Earth’s atmosphere and the orbit in which the Moon traveled.
Each subsequent level distanced itself further from the planet, stretching beyond the stars
to a mystical place, thought to encompass the final two levels, where the dual supreme
deity was said to reside.
Up until about the 7th level, in which lesser gods resided, the Aztec heavens consisted
of the solar system and surrounding galaxies. 3.
Sekhet-Aaru Always a fascinating belief system, Ancient
Egyptian lore believed their heavenly oasis was a reed field ruled over by Osiris.
Access to Sekhet-Aaru required one’s heart to balance a scale with a feather within the
realm of the dead.
If the scale remained balanced, the soul was considered pure and the person could start
the journey to Aaru.
The quest to the Egyptian paradise was a difficult one, met with demons intent on blocking the
path.
Those that succeeded in passing each demon were welcomed into a massive reed field where
they would live for eternity. 2.
Elysium Unlike other versions of Heaven, which were
open to the souls of the righteous, the Grecian depiction of Heaven, known as Elysium, was
initially reserved solely for epic heroes and mortals that were related to the gods.
In later texts, the guest list expanded to include the virtuous, heroic, and anyone chosen
by the gods.
Within Elysium, an eternal life of happiness and good blessings awaited.
How Elysium was portrayed changed over time, with some believing to be a series of islands
found at the end of the Earth or a vast field by the stream of Okeanos on the edge of the
world.
1.
Paradise It’s believed that the concepts of heaven,
hell, and a person’s final judgment stemmed from the beliefs of Zoroastrianism.
Within one of the world’s oldest religions resides a place known only as Paradise, an
early incarnation of heaven and a place of pleasantries and comforts basked within the
radiance of God.
To reach Paradise, after a person dies and their soul is trapped for three days, they’re
brought before the Bridge of Judgment, otherwise known as Chinawad or Chinavat Bridge, where
their karmic deeds are considered.
Souls deemed “good” are granted entry into Paradise.
If you found our video… heavenly… click that like button and leave us a comment with
your ideas of what awaits us at the end of the road!