The Leaders of the Spirits in the Mythologies of Nations; A Comparative Analysis

One of the most important topics in the mythologies of nations is how spirits are guided to the afterlife and enter the world of afterlife. In various myths and based on the beliefs of each ethnic group about immortality, the "leader" is a person who guides the spirits of the dead - according to their deeds and actions - to their eternal place. In the present research, by using an analytical-comparative method, the types of leaders are introduced in Iranian and other nations mythology, and the relationship between the leader and the gender of the dead person is explained. By recognizing the role of the leaders, people used to gain a deeper understanding of the afterlife, their fears and anxieties decreased, and they calmed down. The research findings show that the performance of the leaders of the spirits is evaluated based on the good or bad deeds of the dead, and the role of the leader in the mythology of one nation is different from its role in the mythology of other nations.