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Welcome to this blog

The Knidos labyrinth

The topic of this blog is the labyrinth.

The fascination of this old symbol shall be shown.

The labyrinth is not a secret, but it is still a mystery.

I want to call your attention to the labyrinth.

Erwin

The 3-Circuit Classical Labyrinth

The labyrinth in its simplest form is one with 3 circuits. For some people it is not a “real” labyrinth because the path is leading directly into the centre without being closer and then farther away from it.
As there is no universally valid definition for the labyrinth, we may nevertheless consider this labyrinth as a real one.

The labyrinth with 3 circuits

How do we get one?

The basic pattern to make a 7-circuit classical labyrinth is known, in the meantime, probably by all readers of this blog. (If not, please take a look here.)

No 3-circuit historical labyrinths are known, it is made from a reduction of the basic pattern. If one omits the four angles, only the cross and the four dots are remaining.

The pattern

This reminds a little: Dot, dot, comma, dash – smiley face in a flash . However, it is really so simple to make a labyrinth, and this is why it is a child’s play to draw one this way.

The first arc

The second arc

The third arc

The fourth arc

However, there are still other methods to draw the labyrinth: In two lines, from one end of the line to the other end. Try to draw it on a sheet of paper. So often that you can do it by heart.
Tip for right hander: Begin at the left end. Left-handed persons are beginning at the right end. The lines may become crooked.

With two lines

An other variation would be to begin in the central intersection point and to draw to all four directions. This has practical meaning if one would build a labyrinth with different material for example.

With four lines

The most elegant method is to draw the labyrinth in one line. Therefore we take the path, the famous thread of Ariadne. We can begin on the inside or from the outside.

Ariadne's Thread

Who realises this by heart, maybe even for the 7-circuit labyrinth, may be called labyrinth expert.

Here a few examples of 3-circuit labyrinths:

Ceramic

Artwork

Graphic art

The first picture shows a gem of Alexander Lautenbacher.

The central picture shows the shoe labyrinth from Schwäbisch Hall. The four “shoe lines” are beginning in the central intersection point.

The last picture shows the graphic on the invitation card from the Labyrinth Society for the Gathering this year.

The Labyrinth of the Minotaur

We know the “staff” of the labyrinth from the Greek mythology: King Minos of Crete, his wife Pasiphaë, her daughter Ariadne, the hero Theseus, the master builder and inventor Daedalos, his son Icarus and the impossible mythological monster Minotaur, part person, part animal for whom the labyrinth was built as a prison.

The origin of the labyrinth is supposed around the Mediterranean at the times of the Minoan civilization. On Cretan coins the classical 7-circuit labyrinth with its unequivocal way into the centre is illustrated, as we know it even today as the “real” labyrinth. However, as a prison for the Minotaur this would have been extremely inexpedient. Only a maze with its dead ends and the bewildering paths could have been suited for this.
Since the British archeologist Sir Arthur John Evans excavated the ruins of the palace of Knossos on the island of Crete, the location is seen as the labyrinth of the Minotaur. But there is not a scientific proof for it till this day.

Did the the labyrinth come into being this way? Is there a historical, real labyrinth in which one could have imprisoned the Minotaur?

Maybe it was rather the cave system from Gortys, also on Crete and not so far from Knossos? It is even called labyrinth.
The best expert of this cave system is certainly the Swiss Thomas Waldmann who has been countless times in the subterranean passageways, knows a lot  and has documented everything on his website “The Cretan Labyrinth Cave”.
In cooperation with him a group of the University of Oxford explored the cave system this summer. They called the project “Labyrinth Lost” and are reporting on it and will present the results of their research.

Maybe this labyrinth cave may be accepted as the labyrinth of the Minotaur?
In any case, a subterranean cave would be a better prison than a physical structure.

Maybe we will never find it out and thus the mystery of the labyrinth will stay alive.

The Native American Labyrinth (The man in the maze)

There is a classical labyrinth in a quite special form: The man in the maze. It is to find above all on the baskets of the Native Americans in the US which have presumably also developed this type.

The Native American labyrinth

It is round, but the goal is not in the middle. If one looks exactly, one recognises the four points of inflexion of the classical labyrinth. They also mark four corners of a square.

The subdivision in 8 segments is new, they also allow to think of the spokes of a wheel. Thus gets in addition a movement towards the centre and away from the centre. The order of paths is again 3-2-1-4-7-6-5-8; well-known from the classical type. The “path changes” always occur on the 9th and 10th ring. The 11th is as it were the stationary pole or the hub.

This could make think to the Wheel of Law  (Dharma wheel) in the Buddhism with eight spokes which on her part remind of the Noble Eightfold Path.

Painting

Sand picture

Silver jewellery

In artistic representations this type often appears, hardly as a walkable labyrinth. But it would absolutely be interesting to walk and to perceive such a labyrinth.

You can see a Flash animation on the website mymaze.

Who would like to build such a labyrinth, please here you may find the layout drawing as PDF file to look on, to print or to copy.

A new Labyrinth Design from the Outback

Alana Forest from Australia has developed new and creative ideas for the labyrinth.

The ways are crossing and looks like being knotted. At first sight this seems to be a maze, because there are crossroads. However, they are not intended as those. Rather one should always go straight ahead, not branch off  to the right or to the left. One can figure the labyrinth three-dimensional, like the lanes in a motorway interchange.

Hence, the way right into the labyrinth is unequivocal and certainly leads into the centre. The way out from the labyrinth is the same and, nevertheless, another. If I was in the centre of the labyrinth and want to go outside again, I must turn back and take the same path. And, nevertheless, something has changed. The drawings should make this clear.

The way in

The way out

The labyrinth sometimes changes something. Here one can see it.

A Chinese proverb says: A way is made by walking. This is applicable here literally.

You will find quite more versions of labyrinth designs on Alana Forest’s website.