Eschatologia Iranica IV: Automated Judgment in Zoroastrian Eschatology; The Way Činwad Bridge Works

Abstract The Zoroastrian eschatological bridge, known as Činwad, is razor-thin for the wicked, while the righteous can cross it easily. The present article demonstrates that some narratives describe this transformation as a revolving movement of the bridge’s deck. By assembling dispersed, concise, and intricate information derived from certain Middle Persian texts, the mechanics of this rotation can be elucidated. The function of another element, namely the scales, provides the necessary force for the rotation of the bridge. In light of conceptual metaphor theory, it can be posited that the presence of this mechanism in eschatological descriptions may be indicative of similar semiautomated systems existing in everyday life or, at the very least, the presence of such an idea among the elites of society.