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

Unraveling the Labyrinth: Literary Connections from Theseus to Borges

Luis Borges, one of the profoundly influenial literary giants of the 20th century, captivated readers with his philosophical depth, metaphysical explorations, erudition and innovative storytelling. Among the many recurring themes in his work, the labyrinth stands out, so much so that one of his seminal collections is aptly titled Labyrinths: Selected Stories & Other Writings.

The labyrinth, a symbol steeped in antiquity, has fascinated writers for centuries. In Greek mythology, Theseus embarks on a perilous journey through the labyrinth to slay the Minotaur, a creature that is part man and part bull. (For a fresh and entertaining retelling, consider André Gide's Two Legends: Oedipus and Theseus.)

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? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams—this may be madness. To seek treasure where there is only trash."

Our own lives often mirror labyrinths. We wander through the corridors of existence, seeking an elusive end, hoping each path we take leads to treasure rather than a dead end. This sentiment echoes Borges' view: "Life itself is a labyrinth, we are forever lost within it."

The advent of the World Wide Web in the early 1990s introduced a new kind of labyrinth. I recognized the similarity in my first encounter in 1994. We traverse from page to page, sometimes losing ourselves in the vast expanse of information, hoping to unearth treasures amidst the digital maze. The web, much like the mythical labyrinths of old, can be a place of discovery or a confounding tangle of endless paths.

In the words of Borges: "I thought of a labyrinth of labyrinths, of one sinuous spreading labyrinth that would encompass the past and the future and in some way involve the stars." This encapsulates the endless allure and mystery of labyrinths, both in literature and in life.

The labyrinth, whether in ancient myths, classic literature, or our modern digital age, remains a powerful symbol of our quest for understanding, our struggles, and our journey through the unknown.

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For more on Borges, here is page of links to a half dozen blog posts under the heading Jorge Luis Borges: An Introduction

The "Orson Welles In Hollywood" Maze

Here's a maze that reflects the career of Orson Welles who once described his passage through Hollywood like this: "I started at the top and ended up at the bottom." His first picture in Hollywood was Citizen Kane in which he wrote, directed and starred in this epic film. By the end of his storied career he was doing television commercials, endorsing products for pay. Alas.

Here are hotlinks to a pair of blog posts I've written about The Third Man, a film in which he famously played a part. When I looked back through my archives just now I noticed that I'd begun several blog posts about other films featuring Welles including Compulsion, Touch of Evil, The Eyes of Orson Welles and F is for Fake. 

1. A Film Noir Favorite: The Third Man

2. Graham Greene's The Third Man Continues to Satisfy

Here is a link to the Orson Welles Wikipedia page. 

If you're interested in having your own career mapped out in the form of a maze (with ups, downs, dead ends and expanding horizons) send me an email and I'll see what we can work out.

Keep on keepin' on.

A Pair of Mazes for You

The notion of labyrinths traces back to ancient mythology, but recurs throughout history. In essence, a labyrinth is a maze, a puzzle, a complicated route that leads to, or conceals, something.

Many writers have made reference to labyrinths in their work. Jorge Luis Borges was fascinated by the idea of labyrinths, which appear repeatedly in his short stories. Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose was inspired by Borges in this fascination.

From ancient and medieval times to the present, labyrinths have had their appeal, as real structures to be built or as an idea. The mind itself is said to be a labyrinth. Numerous characters in literature, from Cervantes' Don Quixote onward, have become lost in the labyrinthine worlds of their imaginations.

One of Andre Gide's most fascinating works is his story Theseus, about the Athenian hero who navigated the labyrinth in Crete to slay the half-man, half-bull Minotaur aided by Ariadne's thread. It is an entertaining read, with unexpected twists, and comes with my highest recommendation.

Of course my first encounter with the Internet was somewhat akin to the notion of a labyrinth. If one considers each page a room, from which one must exit to enter another room, you can imagine the whole world wide web as a labyrinthine universe. You can lose yourself in it forever.

Based on this concept I created a small html-labyrinth when I built my personal website seventeen years ago. The Entrance is at the bottom of the page.

A question for you: If the Internet is a Labyrinth, then where is the Minotaur?

Finally, here below is a Maze that I drew this weekend as we sat around drawing together as a family. I must have spent hundreds of hours drawing mazes like this in my youth. It’s not as much fun though if you can’t get others to play the game… so take a minute to download this image and print it. Begin at the word START and see if you can reach the Red Dot at the END. Enjoy!

Download JPEG of maze, then Print.

EdNote: Except for the last paragraph and some minor editing along the way, this blog entry is a re-post of my blog entry of January 8, 2008. The maze is new.