On Mazes and Labyrinths: From Ancient Times to the Present

Labyrinths date back over 4,000 years, appearing first in ancient Minoan Crete around 1900–1400 BCE, where the mythic Labyrinth of Knossos housed the Minotaur. Early labyrinthine designs also appeared in Egyptian tombs, Etruscan pottery, and later Greek coins. In the Roman era, mosaic labyrinths decorated villas and baths, purportedly symbolizing order and protection. During the Middle Ages, Christians incorporated stone or tile designs in cathedrals like Chartres (c. 1200 CE) representing a spiritual journey toward God. Over time, labyrinths evolved from mythic mazes to meditative symbols of pilgrimage, contemplation, and the human search for meaning.

The earliest literary reference to labyrinths is the original legend of Theseus and the Minotaur. The labyrinth was built by Daedalus for King Minos of Crete. Theseus must enter the labyrinth and slay the Minotaur, a beast with the head of a bull and body of a man. For an innovative twist on this tale read Theseus by Andre Gide, which can be found in his book Two Legends.

Miguel de Cervantes, in his timeless masterpiece Don Quixote, employs the labyrinth as a metaphor for the mind. The valiant yet deluded knight errant navigates through a maze of his own making, lost in the labyrinth of his fantasies and delusions—a metaphor that resonates with us even today. Cervantes writes, "When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?" (Note the connections between Don Quixote and Sinne Eeg's Windmills of Your Mind.)

Labyrinths are featured in many other literary works including Dante's Inferno, Jorge Luis Borges' The Garden of Forking Paths, Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, and James Joyce's Ulysses.

My own interest in labyrinths (a.k.a. mazes) stretches back to my high school years. Here are a handful that I created sometime in the past. In attempting to "test" them before sharing I discovered that one, and maybe two, were unsolvable. Click to enlarge, or download and print. See how many of these you can find solutions for.

 

Related Links

Unraveling the Labyrinth: Literary Connections from Theseus to Borges

Jorge Luis Borges: An Introduction

Dream of the Minotaur

Yesterday’s blog entry about mazes brought to mind a dream I once had related to the story of Theseus and the Labyrinth. What follows is what I recorded from that dream on July 24, 1999.

Dream of the Minotaur

A very rich man leads me behind his estate to where he has a long, narrow bull pen. Its dimensions I would estimate to be 10 to 15 feet wide and 200 yards long. The pen appears to be a maze of fencing with at least three narrow corridors going the length of the pen. At various places there are openings that would permit the bull to go from the interior section to the perimeter sections, and in certain places allow the bull to exit the fencing altogether.

My host leaves and it is my understanding that the object of this little game is survival. As I see the bull approaching from the far end, I begin examining the fencing to see where or whether I can climb over or whether the bull will be kept from me if he charges. It is mostly made of rickety slats and wire. I soon realize that since the bull can leave the maze of fencing, I must be able to enter it in order to escape, and suspect that the bull will be faster than I, so that survival will become a matter of wits for me, man against beast, as well as a matter of endurance, since I have no weapon. As long as I am pursued, I must make plans for escaping the bull's reach.

The central corridor is lower than the outer alleys. As I pass the bull, he is down below and I am safely able to reach and explore the complex fencing at the other end of the pen/cage/maze, which seems more elaborate, with higher fences. I see that I am able to climb up on the fencing here and perhaps find safety somehow.

Suddenly, the bull becomes a man. Another young man arrives, and after a brief hug (they appear to be old friends) they say a few words and this other man departs.

The bull / man turns to me now, a tall red-headed fellow with short dreadlock-like curls. We strike up a conversation. I learn that the rich man at the dream's beginning was the bull's father. He, the bull / man, is extremely interested in my life, my background, and especially my involvement in the arts. He wants to arrange a trip with me to New York City where we can go take in the New York arts scene.

I wake.


EdNotes: Visit Wikipedia for more information about the Minotaur of Greek mythology. For a compelling follow up read, find a copy of Andre Gide's Two Legends: Oedipus and Theseus.