So, in the previous topic of my LJ, I mentioned the library-Temple from “The Name of the Rose” by Umberto Eco, which was one of the types of labyrinth. Here I would like to develop this topic a little and give a selection of the most interesting links. It’s interesting that in the process of preparing this material, a user pic was posted in one of the communities, with which I preface today’s message. Which speaks about interesting ways of information finding its audience. :-)

Labyrinth... How mysterious this word sounds, how many wonderful myths and legends, heroic and tragic real events are associated with it! Strictly speaking, not every tangle of intricate passages should be called a labyrinth.

The classic version has seven concentric lines tightly twisted around a central core. There is only one entrance. A long path from it necessarily leads to the center, which, to be precise, is shifted slightly to the edge. Being in close contact, the paths of the labyrinth do not intersect anywhere and do not communicate with each other in any way. There is only one way to leave the center of the structure - the same way that led to the goal. There are no other exits from the maze. Thus, a traveler who has wandered into its depths does not have to rack his brains over solving complex problems: how to quickly get to the goal and get out. All you need to do is follow the path that will lead to the center and back.

Labyrinths (from the Greek λαβιριγοξ) were the name given by ancient authors to structures with numerous complexly connected rooms, from which it is difficult to find a way out. According to one version, the word “labyrinth” is probably associated with the word “labrys,” which was the name for a double-sided ax that symbolized the two horns of a sacred bull. The worship of this bull was part of the Minoan (Cretan) religion, which was heavily influenced by mythology.

The first labyrinth-like cave paintings appeared on Earth back in the Stone Age. It is difficult to say what the prehistoric artist had in mind when he carved winding lines and spirals, but the idea was passed down through the centuries, finally turning into a global symbol - seven lines twisted around the center. The oldest found is believed to be a labyrinth sign scratched on the wall of a tomb in Luzzanas on the island of Sardinia, built at least four thousand years ago. Other labyrinths have been discovered in Sardinian burials dating back to 3500 BC. According to one hypothesis, ancient people discovered the idea of ​​a labyrinth in nature, where similar forms are often found. The prototype, for example, could be a brain coral. Spiral and labyrinthine shapes are characteristic of the shells of some mollusks, visible in coral colonies and underground passages of anthills. Perhaps the ancient artists, who often drew simple spirals and winding lines, gradually improving and complicating these geometric figures, thereby came to the symbol of the labyrinth.

Rock carvings of concentric rings in the form of a bowl or depression, dating back to the Neolithic era and distributed along the entire Atlantic coast of Europe, claim to be the prototypes of the labyrinth. A number of researchers believe that the evolution of these particular forms led to the emergence of the labyrinth symbol. Finally, it has been suggested that the labyrinthine pattern could have appeared during attempts ancient man depict the complex movement of the sun and planets.

Most of the ancient “classical” labyrinths were created according to the same, well-defined pattern with a single, very winding path leading from the entrance to the center. These include petroglyphs in the form of labyrinths that have survived to this day, discovered in Galicia, in northwestern Spain, and dating back to 2000 BC, clay tablets depicting labyrinths found in the Greek city of Pylos, which are 3,000 years old, drawings of labyrinths , scratched into ruins at Gordion, Turkey, dating back to 750 BC.

Dowsers claim that megaliths such as Stonehenge were installed at the intersection of underground currents to enhance the energy that emanates from the earth along the same seven-turn spiral.

Fayum Labyrinth

The first story about the labyrinth is found in the “History” of the ancient Greek historian and traveler Herodotus (c. 484-425 BC), which describes the history of the creation of the huge Fayum labyrinth in northern Egypt - the longest labyrinth in the world - its perimeter was more than 1000 m .

In the center of the Fayum region, one of the rulers of the 18th dynasty of Egyptian pharaohs, Amenemhat III (c. 1456-1419 BC), erected a pyramid, the mortuary temple at which was built in the form of a labyrinth. Here is what Herodotus wrote about him: “I saw this labyrinth: it is beyond any description. After all, if we were to collect all the walls and great structures erected by the Hellenes, then in general it would turn out that less labor and money were spent on them than on one this labyrinth. Of course, the pyramids are huge structures, and each of them is worth in size many creations (of the Hellenic art of construction), taken together, although they are also large. However, the labyrinth exceeds (in size) even these pyramids. It has twelve courtyards with gates located one against the other, six facing north, and six facing south, adjacent to each other. Outside there is a single wall around them. Inside this wall there are chambers of two kinds: some underground, others above ground, numbering 3000, exactly 1500 of each. I myself had to walk through the above-ground chambers and inspect them, and I speak about them as an eyewitness. I know about the underground chambers only from stories: the Egyptian caretakers never wanted to show them, saying that there there are the tombs of the kings who built this labyrinth, as well as the tombs of the sacred crocodiles. That's why I'm talking about the lower chambers only by hearsay. The upper chambers, which I saw, surpass (all) the creations of human hands. Transitions through chambers and winding passages through courtyards, being very intricate, evoke a feeling of endless amazement: from courtyards you move into chambers, from chambers into galleries with colonnades, then again into chambers and from there again into courtyards." (Herodotus. History. - L. : Nauka, 1972. - pp. 126-127).

In the 3rd century. BC e. The Greeks compiled a list of the most grandiose structures - the “seven wonders of the world” - and included the famous labyrinth in it. But only nowadays it became known that Amenemhat III built two labyrinths.

Cretan labyrinth

One of the most beautiful ancient Greek myths is also associated with the labyrinth. The Cretan king Minos ordered famous artist and the architect Daedalus to build a labyrinth. In this labyrinth, Minos settled the Minotaur - a bloodthirsty monster with a human body and the head of a bull - and demanded that the Athenians, who killed his son, send seven of the strongest young men and seven of the most beautiful girls once every 9 years to be devoured by the monster. The son of the Athenian king Aegeus, Theseus, together with another group of victims of the Minotaur, left for Crete with the aim of killing the monster. Minos's daughter Ariadne fell in love with Theseus and, taking from Daedalus a magic ball of thread with which she could find a way out of the labyrinth, she gave it to Theseus. He tied the end of a thread at the entrance to the labyrinth and went in search of the monster, gradually unwinding the ball. The duel ended with the victory of Theseus, who then, with the help of Ariadne's thread, emerged from the labyrinth and brought out all the doomed. Having learned about the role of Daedalus in the victory of Theseus, Minos imprisoned the artist along with his son Icarus in a labyrinth. They were released by Minos' wife. Having made wings from feathers fastened with wax, Daedalus and Icarus flew away from the island. On the way, Icarus rose too high, the sun melted the wax, and the young man fell into the sea, which was later called Icarian.

In 1900, the English archaeologist Arthur Evans conducted excavations on the northern coast of the island of Crete, where he discovered the main city of the island, Knossos, sung in Homer’s “Odyssey” and repeatedly mentioned in myths - Knossos and the Knossos labyrinth palace. Its architecture is striking with its intricate alternation of a wide variety of building elements and the absence of any clarity or symmetry. At every step there are many unexpected passages, bizarre staircases and corridors. In ancient times, the image of a labyrinth was a kind of emblem of Crete. The outlines of labyrinths can be found on seals used to seal state documents, as well as on coins. The Palace of Knossos was heavily damaged during the volcanic eruption on the island of Thera around 1450 BC. e., and after a fire that occurred around 1380 BC. e., was completely abandoned. Currently, some of the premises have been reconstructed. As a result, it turned out that the plan of the palace does not correspond to the classical model of a labyrinth with seven paths. Only fragments of frescoes on the walls remind us of it in the form of patterns - “meander”. In the 1st century AD e. The Roman scientist Pliny noticed that the inhabitants of Crete built their labyrinth one hundredth the size of the Egyptian labyrinth.

Knossos labyrinth palace

There is reason to believe that the fortress walls of cities were also built in the form of a classic labyrinth. Thus, the construction of the legendary Troy, the siege of which by the Achaean army is usually attributed to 1250-1220 BC, has long been associated with a labyrinth. It is no coincidence that even in the Middle Ages, the design of a labyrinth was often perceived as protective symbol namely Troy, and many labyrinths built from boulders and turf in Scandinavia, Germany and Britain are sometimes called the “Trojan City”, “City of Troy”, “Walls of Troy”.

Labyrinths of the ancient world

Soon, labyrinths appeared among the Greeks and Romans. Pliny mentions labyrinths on the island of Samos and on the island of Lemnos in the Mediterranean, the latter famous for its 150 beautiful columns. Pliny also mentions a luxurious Etruscan tomb, which Varro wrote about even earlier and which supposedly contained an underground labyrinth. It is known that during the existence of the Roman Empire, about 60 labyrinths were built in different provinces. The image of the labyrinth itself was very popular among the Romans and was used as an element in the design of walls and floors. Roman artists came up with a huge number of variations of labyrinthine patterns, corresponding to the configuration and size of the rooms. To create them, small cubes of colored stones or glass were usually used, which were placed in a solution mixed with terracotta. Often such variations were located near the entrance or right on the threshold and were probably seen as a protective symbol. It is represented on frescoes and mosaics of the city of Pompeii, which was covered with ash in 79 during the eruption of Vesuvius. The mosaic of the labyrinth with the image of Theseus's victory in the center gave the very name to the building where it was located - "House of the Labyrinth". The labyrinth on the mosaic from the Villa of Diomedes in Pompeii was probably already used for games. It was only through the central arch that one could enter the labyrinth.

Russian labyrinths

And amazing labyrinths have been described on the territory of Russia. Back in 1592, Russian diplomats G. B. Vasilchikov and S. G. Zvenigorodsky wrote from the northern outskirts of Russia: “And in Verenga, during the German massacre... for their glory, having brought from the shore a stone high from the ground, there is even more today fathoms, and near it, further away, a city frame with 12 walls was laid out with stone, and he called that frame Babylon...”

The picture shows:

I. Horseshoe mazes - labyrinths of the so-called “classical type”: (1), Sweden; (2), Finland; (3), England; (4), Karelian Peninsula, USSR. This group includes turf-plant labyrinths: (5), England; (6-8), Solovetsky Islands; (9), GDR. A stone pyramid was certainly placed in the center of such structures.

II. Circular spiral labyrinths: (10), (13), Solovetsky Islands; (11), Greece; (12), Yugoslavia; (14), England.

III. Kidney-shaped labyrinths - mutually inscribed spirals: (15), Solovetsky Islands; (16), (17), Kola Peninsula.

IV. Concentric circular labyrinths: (18), Kola Peninsula; (19), (20), Solovetsky Islands.

The same figure shows analogues of stone labyrinths: (21), a horseshoe-shaped labyrinth on Knossos silver coins of the 3rd-1st centuries. BC e.; (22), a labyrinth in one of the cathedrals in Finland; (23), labyrinth on the North Russian rock, Arkhangelsk region.

The famous stone labyrinths are the oldest and most mysterious monuments of the Solovetsky Museum-Reserve. In total, about 60 of them are known in the world, including 33 on the Solovetsky Islands.

Labyrinths of other nations

The American Indians considered wandering through a labyrinth a means of curing physical and mental illnesses.
The Tohono Otama and Pima Indian tribes from the American state of Arizona today, like thousands of years ago, weave baskets from dry stems, roots and leaves of plants growing in the desert, and decorate them with a labyrinth pattern, which is called the “house of Iitoi” - in honor of his ancestor, whose spirit rests on the top of Mount Baboquivari.

An image of a labyrinth can also be seen in the East - for example, in the Halebid Temple in Mysore (India) - built in the 13th century AD. e., depicts an episode from the epic "Mahabharata". And the Chinese believed that evil spirits They can only fly in a straight line, so they built entrances in the form of labyrinths to protect their homes and cities from evil spirits. In Japan, labyrinths made of wood are most widespread, and 150 of them were built quite recently - in the 1980s and 90s.

In Pakistan and Iceland, labyrinth symbols were carved into wood; in Mexico and Italy they were carved on rocks; in North America and Sri Lanka, its pattern was woven into fabric for blankets and into the base of willow baskets; in Scandinavia and India they laid out stones in desert places or on the coast; in European homes and churches they were depicted on tiled floors, and in Sumatra they were even dug into the ground.

The protective walls of the city of Shimangada, located in the foothills of the Himalayas, in the territory of modern Nepal, were built in the image of a labyrinth. This impregnable city fell to Muslim troops in 1325 only after a traitor pointed out to the enemy a weak spot in the fortress walls. The ruins of Shimangada have survived to this day, but they have been almost completely swallowed up by the jungle.

Medieval labyrinths of Europe

Large underground labyrinths were built under many cities in the Middle Ages. Some of them have survived to this day. For example, in the city of Brno (Czech Republic), several years ago, on one of the streets in the historical center of the city, a section of pavement suddenly collapsed and cracks appeared in the masonry of neighboring buildings. Then, in 1978, work began to identify the causes of this incident and prevent further soil settlement. It turned out that under the central part of Brno there is an extensive labyrinth of catacombs, passages, and underground halls. All of them appeared in the Middle Ages and were dug to protect the city from enemies.

Geoffrey Russell of Ireland, a former businessman, claims to have discovered such a pattern on the hills scattered around Glastonbury Tor, one of the famous early Christian sites in southern Britain and undoubtedly a sacred pagan site for many centuries before the arrival there of St. Joseph of Arimathea carrying the Holy Grail. With the help of photographs taken by RAF specialists, Rasseyal was able to spot a winding, seven-turn trail that he believed pilgrims and initiates had once walked along. Considering that Glastonbury is considered the burial place of the legendary King Arthur, the creation of similar pilgrimage trails is not excluded. Why did they have to have this shape? We will partially answer this further, talking about church labyrinths.

Church labyrinths of Europe

Early Christian churches enthusiastically adopted the labyrinth tradition. First of all, it was a symbol of the church itself, for example, carved on the stone walls of the cathedral in Lucca (Italy) or embroidered on the vestments of deceased bishops, who were depicted lying in the bosom of the church.

With the spread of Christianity, the ancient pagan symbol of the labyrinth gradually changed and began to be perceived as an allegorical image of man’s thorny path to God or the way of the cross of Christ. The labyrinth in Christian philosophy and architecture becomes a metaphor for the material world, passing through which a person must fight the Minotaur - Satan. In the labyrinth of temptations and sins, a person, like Theseus, can only rely on his own fortitude and Ariadne’s saving thread - Faith. The center of the labyrinth was called siel (sky) or Jerusalem, and a centaur or minotaur was usually depicted there, hinting at a connection with the pagan past; a metal plate with this design was in the center of the famous Chartres Cathedral before the Napoleonic Wars, and then was melted down.

This interpretation of the labyrinth symbol led to changes in its design. TO XII century The labyrinth with eleven paths becomes dominant in the Christian tradition - this number symbolized the concept of “sin” for the medieval Christian. The placement of a cross on top of concentric paths led to the adoption of a quadrant shape for labyrinths, although adherence to the classical configuration was often maintained. It was during this period that similar images appeared on the floors of churches and cathedrals in Europe.

Church thinkers believe that the labyrinth helps to understand faith. By the way, there are church labyrinths at many Western churches, the most famous of them is the Santa Rossa labyrinth in France, in the Chartreuse Cathedral, founded in the 13th century. This cathedral remains a place of pilgrimage to this day. Magnificent labyrinths lined with colored stones, ceramic tiles, marble, porphyry also decorated the floors of temples in Pavia, Piacenza, Amiens, Reims, Saint-Omer, and Rome. Many of them were decorated with allegorical images of Theseus and the Minotaur, scenes from Holy Scripture. The purpose of most church labyrinths remains unclear.

It has been suggested that some of them could be used to correctly determine the day of Easter. Some of the labyrinths apparently served as an object of contemplation and discussion in theological conversations. It is known that the labyrinths in the cathedrals of Chartres, Reims, Arras and Sens became a kind of imitation of the pilgrimage route to Palestine and were sometimes called “The Path to Jerusalem”. In those days, for most believers, a trip to the Holy Land was impossible, and they made it in a symbolic form - they walked through the entire church labyrinth on their knees, reading prayers. In the Middle Ages, there was even a widespread belief in Christianity that traveling through a labyrinth could replace a believer’s pilgrimage to holy places.

Church labyrinths were also used as a means of punishing sinners, as Edward Trodloupe, Archdeacon of Stowe, wrote in the Archaeological Journal of 1858. Sinners had to “crawl on their knees through all the intricate corridors of the labyrinth, saying prayers in designated places until they reached the central hall, which in some cases required a whole hour.”

Church labyrinths are still being built today. For example, next to the temple in Krimulda (Latvia), the only church labyrinth in Latvia was recently built. About it in Latvian on the website of the Krimulda Church: http://www.krimuldasbaznica.lv/index.php?nr=12&mod=text&lang=lv I also had the opportunity to go through it: there is nothing complicated there, you just need to go through it all step by step curls from start to finish and come back.

Symbols of the labyrinth, quite possibly, were also found on the clothes of people of that time, or were used by artists to emphasize the main idea of ​​​​the subjects being portrayed. Provided very interesting links on this issue clement :
Labyrinth on portrait of a man Bartolomeo Veneto http://koukhto.livejournal.com/551886.html and then http://clement.livejournal.com/79674.html

It is also interesting to note that in the Middle Ages they found both completely peaceful and practical applications: they laid out vegetable garden beds in the shape of labyrinths. Below are two examples of such a layout from ancient manuscripts:

The image and symbol of the labyrinth was especially often used by thinkers of the 17th century. In 1631, a philosophical and social novel by the outstanding Czech teacher and writer J.A. was published. Comenius (1592-1670) "Labyrinth of light and paradise of the heart."
One of Comenius's first textbooks (which has not reached us), built in the form of riddles and solutions, was called "The Labyrinth of Wisdom for Young People Studying the World."

Garden labyrinths

In England there are no labyrinths on church floors, but there were many labyrinths made of turf on lawns. They bore various names: “City of Troy”, “Traces of the Shepherd”, etc. Shakespeare mentions such labyrinths in his plays "The Dream of summer night" and "Storm".

The labyrinths in which everything is predetermined and the path is possible only along one path, laid out once and for all, are gradually disappearing. They are being replaced by increasingly complex ones, with numerous options for passages, where a person himself chooses the path among confusing paths and dead ends. Such hedge labyrinths became an indispensable feature of many gardens and parks in Europe, turning into a very popular entertainment for the aristocracy. Numerous labyrinths, distinguished by their variety and exquisite taste, were built in the possessions of the powerful Gonzago clan from Mantua, a walk through the labyrinth created in 1669 in the garden of Versailles was considered an exciting journey, and the labyrinth planted in 1670 in the garden of the Villa Altieri in Rome became a favorite pastime of Pope Clement X, who enjoyed watching his servants try to find a way out.

Labyrinth of the castle of Reignac-sur-Indre (France):

The art of creating “living” labyrinths reached its greatest flowering in Great Britain, becoming one of the national symbols of the kingdom. A magnificent example of a labyrinth in the Tudor garden at Hatfield House in Hetfordshire has been reconstructed from ancient engravings, and the labyrinth of laurel bushes at Glendergen House in Cornwall, planted in 1833, still amazes with its winding paths.

One of the first English hedge mazes (now demolished) was planted in the 12th century during the reign of King Henry II in the garden near his palace at Woodstock and was called Rosamund's Boudoir. Sharp tongues claim that Henry created the decoration for his garden for a reason. Allegedly, in the center of the labyrinth, the king built a mansion for his favorite Rosamund Clifford (hence the name). And since no one, except the monarch himself, for the time being knew the only thing the right path to the house of a beautiful lady, lovers could enjoy each other's company without fear that their privacy would be violated by Queen Eleanor or one of the servants. But Henry II's bliss did not last long. His wife turned out to be smarter than he thought, and, using one of the methods of solving labyrinths, she finally made her way into a secluded corner and killed her rival.

However, all this is nothing more than a legend, not documented. Some historians even claim that hedge mazes arose solely to protect royal estates from wild animals. But, be that as it may, Rosamund's Boudoir inspired the British to create many other labyrinths of bushes and trees, in which you can escape from animals, arrange amorous affairs, and simply wander along shady alleys with equal success.

Labyrinths today

Currently, in Europe and America, labyrinths are created in hospitals, churches, schools and prisons. They can be seen as a means of psychotherapy or simply as a place to relax. Each person puts their own meaning into visiting the labyrinth.

Over the past few decades, puzzles have played a major role in the leisure and entertainment industry. For example, in 1988, a “hedge” of 2,400 yew trees was planted in Leeds, so that the paths of the Leeds “puzzle” form an image royal crown. For greater effect, towers and bastions were installed in the corners of the “confusion.” But the most remarkable thing about this labyrinth is the exit. Having walked to the center in a completely ordinary way - along the alleys, visitors make their way back... through an underground grotto, specially built for this purpose. The entrance to the grotto is located on a hillock, which also serves as an observation deck. Among the “young” ones is the world’s largest “symbolic” labyrinth, located in the garden of the English castle of Blenheim. Its length is 88 m, width - 55.5 m. And it is called symbolic because on its “walls” there are countless heraldic signs of the British Empire. Well, 1991 in Great Britain was proclaimed... The Year of the Labyrinth.

Labyrinths in other areas of human activity

Note that not all labyrinthine structures are amenable to direct observation. There is an interesting theory that this kind of structure is, for example, the development model of Indo-European languages, as well as any linguistic (linguistic) labyrinth.

In general, verbal information encrypted in some way is nothing more than a linguistic labyrinth. Already in ancient times they were invented various systems symbols - codes (from the Latin codex - code of laws) as a means of classifying (coding), storing and transmitting information. The codes were developed in the form of cryptograms (from the Greek - secret). Along with coding, or encryption, the art of decryption, or cryptanalysis, also developed.

The Italian mathematician G. Cardano (1501-1576) invented a method of cryptography - the “Cardano lattice”. This grid is a sheet of thick paper in which rectangular holes of constant height and variable width are cut, located at different distances from each other. The cryptographer placed the grate on Blank sheet paper and wrote the text of the message in the holes so that either a letter, a syllable, or a whole word was placed in each hole. Then the grid was removed, and the remaining spaces were filled with a random set of letters. It was he who was the verbal labyrinth that classified this message. Mathematicians have developed the requirements that the encryption lattice must satisfy, so that each cell of the square in some combination ends up under the “window” of the lattice, and only once. For an 8X8 square and a set of 90°, 180° and 270° rotations, there are 164 cipher grating options. (For more details, see: Zalmanzon M., Khlabystova L. Self-combination of the square and secret writing. // Quantum. - 1980. - No. 12. - P. 32.)

The idea of ​​a labyrinth as a disordered structure of space has found numerous applications in technology. For example, in any hydraulic system, the most critical elements that ensure reliability and efficiency are the seals. A seal is a device that prevents or reduces the leakage of liquid or gas through the gaps between parts of a machine or any other structure, as well as protecting parts from the penetration of dirt and dust. Seals can be contact, non-contact or labyrinth. The sealing effect in labyrinth seals is achieved due to the occurrence of hydraulic resistance when a viscous fluid flows through a small gap. To increase hydraulic resistance, labyrinthine grooves are made that change the cross-sectional area.

If a magnetic crystal (a fourth-generation computer element) is placed under a microscope and illuminated with a laser beam, it will be discovered that its structure is disordered and resembles a labyrinth. By disrupting this structure with a magnetic needle and then gradually magnetizing it, elementary magnets - domains - are obtained. Each of them carries a unit of information. On 10 cm² you can place a million of these magnets, that is, record 106 units of information.

Labyrinths have proven to be a convenient means for studying the complex mechanisms of memory, as well as the behavior of a living organism in extreme situations. Similar experiences, for example, are well described by Daniel Keyes in fantasy story"Flowers for Algernon" http://lib.ru/INOFANT/KIZ/eldzheron.txt

In general, the idea of ​​the Labyrinth as an archetype of the universe has been used quite widely by science fiction writers. The most famous of them, of course, is the Labyrinth of Amber from The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. A brief description of this Labyrinth and its essence is outlined in his “Guide to Amber Castle”: http://lib.ru/ZELQZNY/visual_amber2/pattern.htm

In the 21st century, the labyrinth motif is used in advertising, computer games and films. Thus, the labyrinth has passed with us - from the Bronze Age to the computer age.

Medieval scientists considered Daedalus' labyrinth to be the most complex labyrinth ever created.
According to legend, Daedalus created this labyrinth to imprison the Minotaur in it.
Daedalus very cleverly used psychological factors of behavior that the probability of escaping from the labyrinth is practically zero.

If the passages of this labyrinth were a meter wide, and the walls were 30 centimeters thick, the only path leading out of it would be more than a kilometer long. Most likely, any person would rather die of hunger or thirst before finding a way out.

Over its long history, the Cretan labyrinth was destroyed and rebuilt several times, and in 1380 BC it was destroyed and abandoned completely, until the English archaeologist A. Evans discovered a mysterious hieroglyphic letter in the Oxford Museum. The letter spoke of an ancient labyrinth. In 1900, an archaeologist arrived in Crete and began excavations.

Arthur Evans carried out excavations for almost 30 years and unearthed not a city, but a palace equal in area to the entire city. This was the famous Knossos labyrinth, which was a structure with a total area of ​​22 thousand square meters, which had at least 5-6 above-ground floors connected by passages and stairs, and a number of underground crypts. The Cretan labyrinth turned out to be not an invention of the ancients, but a real miracle of architecture, in which there was something incomprehensible to the mind.

The Labyrinth is a real Myth, it is a story about heroes and events that historical science does not recognize as real, but considers as symbols.

We believe that at the heart of any myth, any image, any symbolic narrative lies reality, even if not always historical. The myth accurately describes the psychological reality: human experiences, mental processes and forms are hidden behind symbols that have been passed down from generation to generation and have finally reached us so that we can unravel them, remove the veil from them and see them again hidden meaning, realized their deep essence.

The myth of the Labyrinth is one of the oldest, and, I dare say, it is similar to the myths of all ancient civilizations, which say that the labyrinth is a difficult and unclear path, on whose complex and winding paths it is easy to get lost. Sometimes the plot of this myth is woven into the story of an extraordinary person, a hero or a mythical character who overcomes a labyrinth and finds the key to solving a riddle that appears before him in the form of a path.

When we talk about labyrinths, we immediately remember the most famous of them, about which evidence has been preserved in Greek mythology- in a simple and accessible form, close to a children's fairy tale: the labyrinth of the island of Crete. I don’t want to talk about it in the same simplified way as is done in well-known legends, we will open its deeper layers and analyze the archaeological finds made in Crete in order to understand what the Cretans worshiped and what the labyrinth really was for them. And we will see how this story will take on a complex symbolic form, and it will no longer seem so childish to us.

Knossos Labyrinth

So, one of the ancient symbols of Crete, associated with its supreme deity, was a double-edged ax, which can be represented as two pairs of horns, one of which is directed upward, the other downward. This ax was associated with the sacred bull, the cult of which was widespread in Crete. It was named Labrys and, according to more ancient tradition, served as the instrument with which the god, who later received the name Ares-Dionysus from the Greeks, cut through the First Labyrinth.

Here's his story. When Ares-Dionysus, the god of primordial times, is very ancient god, descended to earth, nothing had yet been created, nothing had yet taken shape, there was only darkness, darkness. But, according to legend, Ares-Dionysus was given a weapon from heaven, Labrys, and it was with this tool, with this weapon, that he created the world.

Labyrinth of Daedalus

Ares-Dionysus began to walk in the middle of the darkness, describing circle after circle. (This is quite interesting, because modern science discovered that when we find ourselves in the dark in an unfamiliar room or trying to leave some spacious but unlit place, we most often begin to walk in circles; the same thing happens when we get lost or wander through the forest. We gave such a comparison because from the very beginning we want to emphasize that the symbolism of the labyrinth is associated with certain atavisms inherent in humans.)

And so Ares-Dionysus began to walk in a circle, cutting through the darkness and cutting furrows with his axe. The road that he cut and which became brighter with every step is called the “labyrinth,” that is, “the path cut by Labrys.”

When Ares-Dionysus, cutting through the darkness, reached the very center, the goal of his path, he suddenly saw that he no longer had the ax that he had at the beginning. His ax turned into pure light- he held in his hands a flame, a fire, a torch, which brightly illuminated everything around, for God performed a double miracle: with one edge of the ax he cut through the darkness outside, and with the other - his inner darkness. In the same way that he created light outside, he created light within himself; just as he cut the outer path, he cut the inner path. And when Ares-Dionysus reached the center of the labyrinth, he reached the end point of his path: he reached the light, achieved inner perfection.

This is the symbolism of the Cretan myth of the labyrinth, the oldest that has come down to us. We know later legends much better.

The most famous of them is the myth of the mysterious labyrinth created by Daedalus, an amazing architect and inventor from ancient Crete, whose name is now always associated with a labyrinth, a confusing path.

The name Daedalus, or Dactyl as it is sometimes called, in the ancient language of the Greeks means “He who creates,” “He who works with his hands, builds.” Daedalus is a symbol of the builder, but not just the creator of the complex of parks and palaces, which was the labyrinth of King Minos, but the builder in more in a deep sense words, perhaps similar to the symbolism of the very first deity, who built the Labyrinth of Light in the darkness.

The Labyrinth of Daedalus was neither an underground structure nor something dark and twisting; it was a huge complex of houses, palaces and parks, designed in such a way that whoever entered it could not find a way out. The point is not that Daedalus's labyrinth was terrible, but that it was impossible to escape from it.

Daedalus built this labyrinth for the Cretan king Minos, an almost legendary character, whose name allows us to get acquainted with the very ancient traditions of all the peoples of that era.

Minos lived in a fairytale palace, and he had a wife, Pasiphae, because of whom all the drama associated with the labyrinth played out.

Wanting to become a king, Minos counted on the help of another powerful god, the ruler of the waters and oceans, Poseidon. In order for Minos to feel his support, Poseidon performed a miracle: he created a white bull from the waters and sea foam and presented it to Minos as a sign that he really was the king of Crete.

However, as he says greek myth, it so happened that Minos’s wife fell hopelessly in love with a white bull, dreamed only of him and wanted only him. Not knowing how to approach him, she asked Daedalus, the great builder, to build a huge bronze cow, beautiful and attractive, so that the bull would feel attracted, while Pasiphae would hide inside her.

And then a real tragedy unfolds: Daedalus creates a cow, Pasiphae hides in it, the bull approaches the cow, and from this strange union of a woman and a bull, a half-bull, half-man appears - the Minotaur. This monster, this monster settled in the center of the labyrinth, which at the same moment turned from a complex of parks and palaces into a gloomy place inspiring fear and sadness, into an eternal reminder of the misfortune of the king of Crete.

Some ancient legends, in addition to the Cretan ones, preserved a less simplified interpretation of the tragedy of Pasiphae and the White Bull.

For example, in the legends of pre-Columbian America and India there are references to the fact that millions of years ago, at a certain stage of human evolution, people lost their way and mixed with animals, and because of this perversion and violation of the laws of nature, real monsters appeared on earth, hybrids that are difficult to even describe. They inspired fear not only because, like the Minotaur, they had an evil disposition; they bore the mark of shame from a union that should never have taken place, from a secret that should not have been revealed until all these events were erased from the memory of mankind.

So, the connection of Pasiphae with the Bull and the birth of the Minotaur is related to the ancient races and to those ancient events that at a certain moment were erased from people’s memory.

On the other hand, the monster, the Minotaur, is a blind, amorphous matter without reason or purpose that lurks in the center of the labyrinth, awaiting sacrifice from its benefactor.

Years pass, the legend continues, and the Minotaur in his labyrinth truly turns into something terrifying. The king of Crete, having defeated the Athenians in the war, imposes a terrible tribute on them: every nine years they must send seven young men and seven innocent girls as sacrifices to the Minotaur. When the deadline for paying the third tribute comes, a hero with all the virtues, Theseus, rebels against it in Athens. He makes a promise to himself not to accept rule of the city until he frees it from the scourge, until he kills the Minotaur.

Theseus himself enlists among the young men who are to become victims of the monster, goes to Crete, captivates the heart of Ariadne, the daughter of Minos, and gets her to give him a ball of thread with which he can pass through the labyrinth and then, having killed the Minotaur, find the his way out. The ball played a very important role in this story. Theseus enters the labyrinth and, penetrating further into its complex and intricate corridors, unwinds the thread. Having reached the center, thanks to his colossal strength and will, he kills the Minotaur and finds a way out.

In simple and naive stories, Theseus kills the Minotaur with a sword, sometimes with a dagger. But in the most ancient narratives, as well as in images on ancient Attic vases, Theseus kills the Minotaur with a double-bladed axe. And again the hero, having made his way through the labyrinth, having reached the center, performs a miracle with the help of Labrys, a double axe.

We have to solve one more riddle: Ariadne gives Theseus not a ball, but a spindle with threads. And, penetrating into the depths of the labyrinth, Theseus unwinds it. But the hero returns to the exit, picking up the thread and rewinding it again, and from the labyrinth he actually takes out a ball - a perfectly round ball. This symbol also cannot be called new. The spindle with which Theseus goes into the labyrinth symbolizes his imperfection inner world, which he must “unfold”, that is, pass a series of tests. The ball that he creates by picking up the thread is the perfection that he achieved by putting the Minotaur to death, which means passing the tests and emerging from the labyrinth.

There were many labyrinths, just like Theseus. They are also available in Spain. Along the entire path to Santiago de Compostella and throughout Galicia, there are an infinite number of ancient images of labyrinths on stone that invite the pilgrim to take the path to Santiago and walk this road, and they directly indicate to us that in their symbolic and spiritual meaning this the path is a labyrinth.

In England, the famous Tintagel Castle, where, according to legend, King Arthur was born, also has its own labyrinths.

We also find them in India, where they were a symbol of reflection, concentration, and turning to the true center.

IN Ancient Egypt In the ancient city of Abydos, founded almost in the predynastic period, there was a labyrinth, which was a round temple. In its galleries, ceremonies were held to commemorate time, evolution, and the endless roads that man traveled before reaching the center, which meant meeting the true man.

According to the history of Egypt, the labyrinth of Abydos was apparently only a very small part of the huge labyrinth described by Herodotus, who considered the Egyptian labyrinth so colossal, amazing and unimaginable that even the Great Pyramid pales next to it.

Today we can no longer see this labyrinth; we only have the testimony of Herodotus. For many centuries, for the peculiarities of his presentation, people called him the father of history, Herodotus the truthful, and gave many more similar names, but when not all of his descriptions were confirmed, we naturally decided that Herodotus was not always confident in his words. On the other hand, modern science has confirmed the truth of so many of its descriptions that it is probably worth being patient and waiting in case archaeologists discover the labyrinth that the Greek historian wrote about.

There were many labyrinths in the Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages. One of the most famous, images of which are quite common, is the labyrinth laid out on the stone floor of the main cathedral in Chartres. It was created not for anyone to get lost in it, but for it to be followed: it was a kind of path of initiation, a path of accomplishment and a path of achievement that the candidate, the student, the one who aspired to be had to overcome. accepted into the Mysteries.

Indeed, it is extremely difficult to get lost in the labyrinth of Chartres: all its roads are purely symbolic, all turns and crossroads are visible. The most important thing here is to reach the center, a square stone on which the various constellations are marked with nails. For a person, this allegorically means to reach Heaven and become on a par with the deities.

It is very likely that all such myths of antiquity and all the symbolic labyrinths of Gothic cathedrals reflect not so much historical reality as psychological reality. And the psychological reality of the labyrinth is still alive today. If in ancient times they spoke of the initiatory labyrinth as a path through which a person could realize himself, today we must talk about a material and psychological labyrinth.

It is not difficult to see the material labyrinth: the world around us, what we encounter in life, how we live and how we express ourselves - all this is part of one labyrinth. The difficulty is different: those who found themselves in Cretan parks and palaces did not even suspect that they had entered a labyrinth; so are we in ours Everyday life We don’t realize that we are in a labyrinth that pulls a person into itself.

From a psychological point of view, the confusion of Theseus, who longed to kill the Minotaur, is of the same nature as the confusion of a person who is confused and afraid.

We are afraid because we don’t know something and we can’t do it; we are afraid because we don’t understand something and because of this we feel insecure. Our fear usually manifests itself in the fact that we cannot choose, we do not know where to go, what to devote our lives to; it manifests itself in eternal routine and mediocrity, exhausting and sad: we are ready to do anything, just not to make a decision and not show at least a little firmness.

Confusion is another disease that haunts us in the modern labyrinth on the psychological plane. This confusion arises because it is very difficult for us to decide who we are, where we came from and where we are going. These three questions are the main reason for our confusion, although they are so simple and ingenuous that they seem childish to us. Is there any meaning in our lives other than constant confusion? Why do we work and why do we study? Why do we live and what is happiness? What are we aiming for? What is suffering and how to recognize it?

From a psychological point of view, we are still wandering in a labyrinth, and although there are no monsters or narrow corridors in it, traps constantly await us.

And of course it is the myth that offers us the solution. Theseus does not enter the labyrinth empty-handed, and it would be strange if we were to look for a way out of it empty-handed. Theseus takes two objects with him: an ax (or a sword, whichever you prefer) to kill the monster, and a spindle with thread, his ball, to find his way back.

Mysterious labyrinths (unknown)

The first rock paintings depicting labyrinths appeared quite a long time ago - in the Stone Age. The idea of ​​the prehistoric artist underwent changes, but was passed down through the centuries and became a global symbol - a labyrinth of seven lines twisted around the center. The oldest found is believed to be a labyrinth sign scratched on the wall of a tomb in Luzzanas on the island of Sardinia, built at least four thousand years ago. IN Lately labyrinths, once full of sacred meaning, became a common attribute of parks and attractions, changing and becoming more complex as man’s ideas about the universe, of which the labyrinth was a unique model, transformed.

The mere mention of a labyrinth conjures up in the imagination of a modern person an unusually complex, tangled web of passages, narrow paths and dead ends, surrounded by stone walls. This image, which is familiar to us, is actually far from the “original source”. Most of the ancient “classical” labyrinths were created according to the same, well-defined pattern with a single, very winding path leading from the entrance to the center. These are the labyrinthine petroglyphs that have survived to this day, discovered in Galicia, in northwestern Spain, and dating back to 2000 BC. BC, clay tablets depicting labyrinths found in the Greek city of Pylos, which are 3,000 years old, drawings of labyrinths scratched on ruins in Gordion, Turkey, dating back to 750 BC. e.

The puzzle moves are arranged differently, called “maze” in English. Meises in their structure are more sophisticated and intricate figures than labyrinths. As a rule, such puzzles contain several roads to the goal, two or more entrances and exits, the paths communicate with each other and form forks. Solving a maze, that is, going to its center or some goal, is not so easy. The creators have lined up complex tasks: choose the right entrance, guess the direction at a fork, or avoid getting on the same path twice. The idea of ​​mazes dates back to the Middle Ages and is the result of the development of mathematical science, but we are interested in the classical labyrinth as the most ancient cultural symbol.

Palace in Knossos

The literal meaning of the Greek word labyrinthos is "large stone house." It fits perfectly with the Knossos Palace on the island of Crete, the glory of which has lived on for more than three thousand years thanks to the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. The labyrinth, built, according to legend, by the Athenian architect Daedalus on the orders of King Minos, was an underground network of tunnels that led to the abode of the monstrous man-bull - the Minotaur. For a long time it was believed that the prototype of the famous labyrinth was the extensive quarries located in the vicinity of the Cretan city of Gortyn. However, in 1900-1930, the English archaeologist Arthur Evans, conducting excavations in Knossos, discovered a royal palace of colossal size, the main part of which was built more than 1,500 BC. e. Today, a grandiose structure with an area of ​​about 16 thousand m2, consisting of hundreds of intricately located rooms, replete with corridors and passages located on different levels halls and staircases leading deep underground, is interpreted by archaeologists as a prototype of the legendary labyrinth of the Minotaur.

The Palace of Knossos was heavily damaged during the volcanic eruption on the island of Thera around 1450 BC. e., and after a fire that occurred around 1380 BC. e., was completely abandoned. Currently, some of the premises have been reconstructed. As a result, it turned out that the plan of the palace does not correspond to the classical model with seven paths. Only fragments of frescoes on the walls remind us of it in the form of patterns - “meander”.

For the first time the famous symbol of the labyrinth, reproduced later in different parts light, appeared on Knossos coins around 300 BC. e., that is, a thousand years after the construction of the palace.

Labyrinth - Christian symbol

With the spread of Christianity, the ancient pagan symbol of the labyrinth gradually changed and began to be perceived as an allegorical image of man’s thorny path to God or the way of the cross of Christ. The labyrinth in Christian philosophy and architecture becomes a metaphor for the material world, through which a person must fight the Minotaur - Satan. In the labyrinth of temptations and sins, a person, like Theseus, can only rely on his own fortitude and Ariadne’s saving thread - Faith. This interpretation of the labyrinth symbol led to changes in its design. By the 12th century, a labyrinth with eleven paths became dominant in the Christian tradition - this number symbolized the concept of “sin” for a medieval Christian. The placement of a cross on top of concentric paths led to the adoption of a quadrant shape for labyrinths, although adherence to the classical configuration was often maintained.

It was during this period that similar images appeared on the floors of churches and cathedrals in Europe. Magnificent labyrinths lined with colored stones, ceramic tiles, marble, and porphyry adorned the floors of temples in Chartres, Pavia, Piacenza, Amiens, Reims, Saint-Omer, and Rome. Many of them were decorated with allegorical images of Theseus and the Minotaur, scenes from the Holy Scriptures. The purpose of most church labyrinths remains unclear. It has been suggested that some of them could be used to correctly determine the day of Easter. Some of the labyrinths apparently served as an object of contemplation and discussion in theological conversations. It is known that the labyrinths in the cathedrals of Chartres, Reims, Arras and Sens became a kind of imitation of the pilgrimage route to Palestine and were sometimes called “The Path to Jerusalem”. In those days, for most believers, a trip to the Holy Land was impossible, and they made it in a symbolic form - they walked through the entire church labyrinth on their knees, reading prayers.

The art of creating labyrinths began to undergo significant changes with the expansion of man's ideas about the world. Great geographical discoveries, successes in the natural sciences, the emergence of the doctrine of the plurality of worlds - all this was reflected in the philosophical perception of the labyrinth - a symbol of the Universe and human life. The labyrinths in which everything is predetermined and the path is possible only along one path, laid out once and for all, are gradually disappearing. They are being replaced by increasingly complex ones, with numerous options for passages, where a person himself chooses the path among confusing paths and dead ends. Such hedge labyrinths became an indispensable feature of many gardens and parks in Europe, turning into a very popular entertainment for the aristocracy. Numerous labyrinths, distinguished by their variety and exquisite taste, were built in the possessions of the powerful Gonzago clan from Mantua, a walk through the labyrinth created in 1669 in the garden of Versailles was considered an exciting journey, and the labyrinth planted in 1670 in the garden of the Villa Altieri in Rome became a favorite pastime of Pope Clement X, who enjoyed watching his servants try to find a way out.

The art of creating “living” labyrinths reached its greatest flowering in Great Britain, becoming one of the national symbols of the kingdom. The famous labyrinth at Hampton Court, built in 1690 for William of Orange, has survived to this day. A magnificent example of a labyrinth in the Tudor garden at Hatfield House in Hetfordshire has been reconstructed from ancient engravings, and the labyrinth of laurel bushes at Glendergen House in Cornwall, planted in 1833, still amazes with its winding paths. Today, labyrinths, becoming more and more complex, are created on the basis of mathematical models and theories. Set up in parks and on tourist routes, they offer exciting intellectual entertainment, a test of intelligence and luck.

What did the ancient man mean?

The main unsolved mystery of the ancient symbol remains its origin. Dozens of hypotheses put forward in this regard could not explain the emergence and then spread throughout the world of an intricate pattern of a winding path. Perhaps this image was suggested by nature itself - spiral and labyrinthine shapes are characteristic of the shells of some mollusks, visible in the colony of corals, underground passages of anthills. Perhaps the ancient artists, who often drew simple spirals and winding lines, gradually improving and complicating these geometric figures, thereby came to the symbol of the labyrinth. Rock carvings of concentric rings in the form of a bowl or depression, dating back to the Neolithic era and distributed along the entire Atlantic coast of Europe, also claim to be its “progenitors”. A number of researchers believe that the evolution of these particular forms led to the emergence of the labyrinth symbol. Finally, it has been suggested that the labyrinthine design could have appeared during ancient man’s attempts to depict the complex movement of the sun and planets.

The mystery of the labyrinth has not yet been solved. Perhaps his very roads lead a person further and further from his desired goal.

How many cinder blocks are needed to build a palace on time? © Vasilisa the Wise

So, a sociological survey showed that out of 48 regular readers, as many as 7 are truly regular readers. And only one out of seven is honest^^ Well, the other six will have to read this))

Ancient Greek labyrinths.

It is generally accepted that the first labyrinths appeared in Ancient Greece, so we will start our journey from here.
The first association with the word labyrinth is, as a rule, the beautiful legend of the Cretan Labyrinth and the brave Theseus. The myth tells that in this labyrinth King Minos hid the secret of his unfaithful wife Pasiphae, who, inflamed with passion for the sacred white bull, gave birth to the monster Minotaur - half-man, half-bull. Daedalus built a Labyrinth with such intricate passages that no one could find a way out of it. Every seven years, the Athenians had to send seven boys and seven girls as sacrifices to the Minotaur. This happened twice already, but the third time Theseus, the son of Aegeus, volunteered to go to the Labyrinth to fight the monster. He defeated the Minotaur and found his way back.

Cretan labyrinth.
The construction scheme of the classic ancient Greek labyrinth is ridiculously simple: a cross, 4 right angles and 4 points connected by concentric lines. And yet, how can one not admire the person who first came up with this method of creating labyrinths! There is a version that someone scratched such a labyrinth on a clay tablet simply out of boredom. The classic, or Cretan, labyrinth has only one path, and it is impossible to get confused in it. Therefore, the legend of Theseus seems slightly implausible. We will soon get acquainted with a puzzle in which there really may not be a way out.
Ancient Greek labyrinths were not particularly diverse, which suggests that for them the labyrinth was only a symbol that could not be modified. The impetus for development was given by Roman civilization. Therefore, we will not stop for long in Greece, and will hurry to the next folder.

Ancient Roman labyrinths.
We saw how from simple pattern the first labyrinths appeared. But the development of mankind continued, and now in Ancient Rome, as we know, adopted a lot from Greece, its own types of labyrinths appeared, significantly more complicated. Here we can already begin to talk about labyrinths as a kind of art, because by inventing new outlines, and not simply copying the previous ones, the masters created new forms that had not been used by anyone before. Appear different types labyrinths.
The first type is created from a meander when it is distorted. In the first picture you can take a closer look at this graceful transformation. This type of labyrinth is also called classic. The double meander, also known as the Greek key, can be transformed into a classic labyrinth. If you carry out the operation in reverse order, you can better study the key parts of the labyrinth, those very decisive sectors where the paths turn to go to a new turn. Versions of maze designs, called compression diagrams, show the basis of the solution, free of unnecessary details. Therefore, for clarity, I add compression versions to some particularly intricate labyrinths: ancient Roman and, especially, medieval ones.

Classic meander labyrinth.

Otfried Labyrinth.

Meandering types.

Construction of meandering labyrinths.
The second type of labyrinth follows from the Cretan one: it is compressed to ¼ square and copied with a rotation. What if we increase the number of basic labyrinths to five? Eight? What if we take a different labyrinth initially? More and more space for imagination is opening up. Labyrinths continued their evolution into the Middle Ages. But now I suggest you familiarize yourself with the labyrinths of other civilizations.

Labyrinth from Pompeii.

Ancient labyrinths in Asia, America and Africa.
It's interesting that different nations, strangers to each other, similar motives appear in the labyrinths. A similar phenomenon can be traced in the similarity between the Egyptian pyramids and the Mayan step pyramids.
If Egyptian labyrinths were created under inspiration from Cretan ones (or even vice versa), then how can we explain the presence of the same classical structure of labyrinths in Ancient India or South America?
The most ancient Egyptian labyrinth was located next to Lake Birket-Karun, located west of the Nile River, near the city of Cairo. It was built back in 2300 BC and was a building surrounded by a high wall, where there were one and a half thousand above-ground and the same number of underground rooms. The total area of ​​the labyrinth was 70 thousand square meters. The complex system of corridors, courtyards and rooms in the labyrinth was so intricate that without a guide, an outsider would never be able to find a way or exit in it. The labyrinth was plunged into absolute darkness, and when some doors were opened, they made a terrible sound, like thunder or the roar of a thousand lions.
The Tohono and Pima Indian tribes from the American state of Arizona, today, like thousands of years ago, weave baskets from dry stems, roots and leaves of plants growing in the desert, and decorate them with a labyrinth pattern in order to protect themselves from evil spirits. The labyrinth becomes a symbol of these tribes.

Labyrinths of the Pima tribe.

Indian labyrinth Chakrvyuha.

Middle Ages.
We have only made the first circle, going through history Ancient world. It was the longest and lasted thousands of years, but even in the labyrinth the first circle has the largest radius, therefore it is the longest. Now let's return to Europe, and, as I already promised, we will trace further development labyrinth
First of all we will visit France, Chartres Cathedral. Many books about labyrinths feature this particular labyrinth on the covers.
Chartres Cathedral is one of the most amazing sacred places in France. It is deservedly considered an ideal example of sacred geometry, and at the same time a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. On the floor of the cathedral, a mysterious labyrinth dating back to 1205 is laid out in mosaics, which is 12 meters in diameter, and the path traversed by believers is approximately 200 meters. It served as a path of repentance for believers, and penitents had to walk barefoot or on their knees to the center of the circle, constantly repeating prayers. This method indirectly created a trance prayer state in people.

View from above.

We go to the center and become enlightened...
In the Reims Cathedral, pilgrims also walked through the labyrinth on their knees, maybe that is why it was not preserved - it was so carefully polished.

Labyrinth from Reims with a diagram for clarity.
The first author of the Amiens cathedral project did not even try to equal the grandiose splendor of Chartres and Reims. A fire in the old cathedral of Amiens prompted the construction of a completely new building, which began in 1120. The first architect and chief builder of the new cathedral in Amiens was Robert of Luzarches; he was succeeded by Thomas de Cormont and his son René, who in 1288 completed the creation of the first labyrinth on the floor of the cathedral, of which only a copy has survived to this day. This labyrinth was intended to remind people of the people who played the most important roles in the history of the building and the most important dates in this history.

Medieval labyrinths are characterized by an eleven-circle structure, which is formed by complicating the basic pattern of the Cretan labyrinth by adding four more corners to it. The number 11 symbolized sin.

Revival of labyrinths in the 19th century.
Over time, labyrinths continued to be rethought and turned from a religious Christian symbol into the decoration of parks and gardens of kings, rich and noble people, that is, they became more secular. Now talented artists could receive orders and show their imagination, creating more and more unusual labyrinths.
Tall hedges served as the walls of the labyrinths. Today, the world's largest labyrinth, first opened in 1878, is located at Longleat House, Wiltshire. The embodiment of the labyrinth archetype in stone and landscape design went in two directions: an asymmetrical labyrinth and a labyrinth with several axes of symmetry passing through its center ("Maze"). It was believed that “walking” improved mental health. The activity was considered both deeply Christian and respectable: labyrinths in England became an obligatory element of a country estate park and served only to entertain visitors. Since mazes had several options for passing, they became more and more interesting for people.

This is how they were)
Here's what happened in the cathedrals:

Chambery Cathedral

Saint Omer

Well, everything is written in the picture, read and read.

Modern labyrinths.
We have come to the most interesting part of our journey, because the art of the labyrinth is still alive: for example, in our native St. Petersburg an annual international festival « Imperial Gardens Russia." You can always find something beautiful and unusual there; bright summer photographs from the festival are pleasing to the eye.

Pleasant to the eye and traffic!
We have mentally visited many corners of the world, admiring the many labyrinths, but allow ourselves trip around the world Not everyone can do it in reality. What if you want to see everything at once? Then our path leads to Denmark, to magical land Labyrinthia. Here you can see a lot of different labyrinths: from a smaller copy of the already familiar labyrinth from Chartres Cathedral to a unique three-dimensional labyrinth where you can not only walk left and right, but also climb up the stairs! There is also a children's labyrinth where kids must find 5 pictures of animals to receive a special diploma; a balance labyrinth consisting of planks over a shallow pit, and it will take a lot of effort from you to conquer it; a fun labyrinth where at any moment you can be doused with a cool stream of water; few people reach the center dry.

Currently, many experiments are being carried out with the shape and material of the labyrinth: glowing neon labyrinths, a three-dimensional labyrinth stretched on a cube, labyrinths made of metal, glass, paper, plastic or even cacti, labyrinths with mirrors, labyrinths in the form of spiders, kittens, horses, labyrinths with obstacles - such variety can make your head spin.
Every day artists come up with more and more original forms of labyrinths.
S.L. Panfilov inscribes labyrinths into stylized female bodies. These are not exactly labyrinths in the usual sense. The author himself describes them as follows: “... the human body is depicted as a complex erotic labyrinth formed by lines of geometric spirals. That is, erotic labyrinths are abstract symbols considered as a phenomenon of human nature, the forms of which contain the relationships of interconnected figures, and the essence is manifested in the erotic perception of the proportions of the female body. The erotic drawings shown are real, that is, drawn on paper using pencils and drawn with ink (sometimes markers are used instead of ink).” The lines in his works are so elegant, simple and clear that they resemble hieroglyphs.


Eroglyphs~ Artists should like it!
Writers were also fascinated by labyrinths. For example, in one of the most popular fantasy books, The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny, the labyrinth is the main character. All mystical and important events are connected with him. And passionate fans embody the author’s fantasies in our world. The labyrinth, mysteriously flickering in the dark, really creates a feeling of something unreal.

The theme of labyrinths even affected cinema. "Labyrinth" is a 1986 science fiction film by British director Jim Henson. The film tells the story of a young girl, Sarah, who sets out on a journey through a strange labyrinth world to save her brother from the goblin king Jareth. By the way, one of Escher’s works served as a labyrinth there.

Kingdom

And this is Escher's labyrinth in Futurama)

Russia.
Being a guest is good, but being at home is better? At the end of our journey we finally return to our homeland. Russia also has its own labyrinths, we have something to be proud of. Thus, on the Solovetsky Islands there are about 30 labyrinths and more than 1000 mounds and various symbolic stone patterns. Most of them date back to 11-1 millennia BC. e. To this day, these structures remain one of the most mysterious places on Earth. There is no vegetation on them except mosses and berries. Planted plants and trees die, and animals avoid these places.

Solovetsky labyrinth.
Today in Russia the most famous are the White Sea labyrinths, which were introduced into scientific use under the name back in 1877. Later, the generally accepted formulation became the expression “northern labyrinths”. “Northern labyrinths” are spiral-shaped figures, representing various systems of passages made of small boulder stones. The sizes, however, as well as their shape, are different: diameter from 3.40 m to 25.40 m. It is curious that the schemes of the Cretan and northern labyrinths are interconnected and have the property of reciprocity. The northern labyrinths resemble intertwined snakes.

Types of northern labyrinths: bi- and single-spiral.
Literature.
Along the way, Jeff Saward’s book “Labyrinths” faithfully helped me; I took the vast majority of information and pictures from it.
Well, I was introduced to all the latest trends by an online magazine about labyrinths, located on a website with a very laconic address labiri.net. There are also fascinating puzzles here, so you can linger on the site for a long time.
www.art-labirint.msk.ru is another large site about the art of the labyrinth and not only with a breathtaking design.
www.labyrinthgallery.64g.ru is the same gallery of erotic labyrinths. I think I'll intrigue you enough by saying that everything in the folder is only a small part of the magnificence that can be seen there.
www.labyrinthia.dk – this site introduced me to the diversity of Labyrinthia and the difficulties of translation from Danish.
ec-dejavu.net – encyclopedia of cultures.
Not without our beloved Wikipedia: ru.wikipedia.org.

Almost everything that doesn’t move is clickable.

@mood: Arrr! Yes, I did it! Radical, work, did I suffer in vain?

This meant a more or less extensive space, consisting of numerous halls, chambers, courtyards and passages, arranged according to a complex and intricate plan, with the aim of confusing and not allowing a person ignorant of the labyrinth to escape. In the broad sense of the word, a labyrinth can represent a dead end situation or a matter from which it is very difficult to find a way out. Labyrinths are not solved by humans using an algorithm. It is believed that if you go through a labyrinth by touching only one of the edges of the walls of the labyrinth, then this labyrinth will definitely be completed. However, there are exceptions. It depends on the complexity of the maze. For example, a player will get lost if they initially touch a wall that is not connected to other walls. But this is if you do not include the player’s intuition and logic (the ability to act not according to a given algorithm).

Origin of the word

In Russian, most likely, through it. Labyrinth from the original source - ancient Greek. λαβύρινθος . The ancient Greek word probably comes from the same root as λαύρα - “street, alley, gorge.” Another possibility is the origin from the word "labrys" ( λάβρυς ) - this was the name of a ceremonial hatchet with two blades, which was used in ancient times on Crete; this does not exclude confusion with words like λαύρα . In any case, in ancient times the labyrinth was associated with the labyrinth at Knossos and with the Minotaur. Second component ινθος most likely means "fortress". Both words are of pre-Greek origin, having parallels in modern Iberocaucasian languages.

Labyrinth in Egypt

Literature

• Hermann Kern. Labyrinth: basic principles, hypotheses, interpretations // Kern G. Labyrinths of the world. - St. Petersburg: ABC-classics, 2007, p. 7-33
• Kodola O. E., Sochevanov V. N. The path of the labyrinth. - St. Petersburg, 2003. −176 s. ISBN 5-94922-007-2
• Kuratov A. About the stone labyrinths of Northern Europe. // Soviet archeology. No. 1. 1970.
• Starodubtseva L.V. Metaphysics of the labyrinth // Alternative worlds of knowledge. - St. Petersburg. , 2000. pp. 238-296.
• Khan-Magomedov S. O. Dagestan labyrinths. - M.: Ladya, 2000

Links

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