As shown in an earlier post, the Cretan belongs to a group of six very interesting labyrinths. From a formal point of view these are on par. However, there is one speciality that distinguishes the Cretan from the other five labyrinths. Surprisingly this may be overlooked when viewing the labyrinths or their patterns. But if we look at the seed pattern for the Ariadne’s Thread, it becomes immediately apparent.
The labyrinths with their seed patterns
This is shown in the figure with the six labyrinths and their seed patterns. The labyrinths were numbered in the same order as in the previous post:
- The Cretan
- Serpentine from the inside out
- S-shaped course of the pathway
- Yin/Yang-movement
- Serpentine enclosed by a two-fold double-spiral like meander
- Three-fold double-spiral like meander
The Cretan is the only labyrinth with a seed pattern that is made up of four similar fourth parts. All other seed patterns have two similar halves.
Related posts:
Do you use the seed patterns to create the design for the maze?
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Wanda,
please go the “related posts” to learn more about the maze.
I would recommend to go also to the tab “Contents” to look for more information.
There are two seed patterns: one for the walls, and one for the paths (Ariadne’s thread).
Maybe it is not easy to understand how the labyrinths are made in the above drawing: The seed patterns show the paths in black, the lines in black in the labyrinths are the walls.
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I love your blog also, Erwin, may I ask a question? Does one overlay the seed patterns to see the overall pattern?
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Wanda,
there is not an overall pattern. To make the entire labyrinth from the seed pattern one has to connect the lines in a given manner. Please go to the posts about the seed patterns to have more information on this.
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Just wanted to leave a short note mentioning how much I love your blog!
It’s a-maze-ing!
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Thank you.
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