In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate maze-like structure constructed for King Minos of Crete and designed by the legendary artificer Daedalus to hold the Minotaur, a creature that was half man and half bull and was eventually killed by the Athenian hero Theseus. Theseus was aided by Ariadne, who provided him with a fateful thread to wind his way back again. The term labyrinth is often used interchangeably with maze, but a maze is a tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage, with choices ...

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• Labyrinth - Ancient labyrinths
• Labyrinth - Labyrinth as pattern
• Labyrinth - Modern labyrinths
• Labyrinth - Modern interpretations of the Greek labyrinth
• Labyrinth - Cultural meanings

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In Antiquity the more complicated labyrinth pattern familiar from medieval examples was already developed. In Roman floor mosaics the simple classical labyrinth is framed in the meander border pattern, squared off as the medium requires, but still recognisable. Often an image of a bull-man, a minotaur, appears in the centre of these mosaic labyrinths. Roman meander patterns gradually developed in complexity towards the four-fold shape that is now familiarly known as the medieval form. The labyrinth retains its connection with death an ...

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Labyrinth, Labyrinth - Ancient labyrinths, Labyrinth - Labyrinth as pattern, Labyrinth - Modern labyrinths, Labyrinth - Modern interpretations of the Greek labyrinth, Labyrinth - Cultural meanings

Read more here: » Labyrinth: Encyclopedia II - Labyrinth - Labyrinth as pattern

Labyrinth is a word of pre-Greek ("Pelasgian") origin absorbed by classical Greek, and is apparently related to labrys, a word for the archaic iconic "double axe", with -inthos connoting "place" (as in "Corinth"). The complex palace of Knossos in Crete is usually implicated, though the actual dancing-ground, depicted in frescoed patterns at Knossos, has not been found. Something was being shown to visitors as a labyrinth at Knossos in the 1st century AD (Philostratos, De vita Apollonii T ...

See also:

Labyrinth, Labyrinth - Ancient labyrinths, Labyrinth - Labyrinth as pattern, Labyrinth - Modern labyrinths, Labyrinth - Modern interpretations of the Greek labyrinth, Labyrinth - Cultural meanings

Read more here: » Labyrinth: Encyclopedia II - Labyrinth - Ancient labyrinths

In modern imagery, the labyrinth is often confused with the maze, in which one may become lost. The myth of the labyrinth has in recent times transformed into a stage play by Ilinka Crvenkovska in which exploring notions of a man's ability to control his own fate, Theseus in an act of suicide is killed by the Minotaur only to be killed himself by the horrified towns people. The Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges was entranced with the idea of the labyrinth, and used it extensively throughout his short stories. His modern lite ...

See also:

Labyrinth, Labyrinth - Ancient labyrinths, Labyrinth - Labyrinth as pattern, Labyrinth - Modern labyrinths, Labyrinth - Modern interpretations of the Greek labyrinth, Labyrinth - Cultural meanings

Read more here: » Labyrinth: Encyclopedia II - Labyrinth - Modern interpretations of the Greek labyrinth

In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in the labyrinth symbol, which has inspired a revival in labyrinth building, notably at Willen Park, Milton Keynes; Grace Cathedral, San Francisco; Tapton Park, Chesterfield; and the Labyrinthe de Harbor 16 in Montreal. Countless computer games depict mazes and labyrinths. The internet is a huge labyrinth. ...

See also:

Labyrinth, Labyrinth - Ancient labyrinths, Labyrinth - Labyrinth as pattern, Labyrinth - Modern labyrinths, Labyrinth - Modern interpretations of the Greek labyrinth, Labyrinth - Cultural meanings

Read more here: » Labyrinth: Encyclopedia II - Labyrinth - Modern labyrinths