Mithra aligns closely with the winter solstice, a moment when darkness reaches its peak before the gradual return of light. In the Roman world, the solstice marked the end of one cosmic cycle and the birth of another. Mithra, frequently linked with Sol Invictus, the Unconquered Sun, embodied this rebirth. As the sun appears weakest yet is secretly turning toward strength, Mithra represented the hidden power that restores balance, order, and life. The Winter solstice was therefore not a defeat of light, but a promise of something new.

In Zoroastrian texts, for example, Mithra is an exalted figure, who with ‘Rashnu’, (Justice) and ‘Sraosha’ (Obedience), is one of ‘three’ judges at the ‘Chinvat Bridge’, the Bridge of ‘Separation’ which all souls must cross.

Read more: Mithra: The ‘Lord of Light’ & the Astrological Doors that mark ‘Time’.