place

Labyrinth

Symbols · Places

A path that folds on itself. The Cretan story of a built maze is one local tale, not the origin of every winding walk.

Also known as maze

Hellenic religion

  • Labyrinth appears in Hellenic religion.

    Ovid tells the Cretan labyrinth as a built prison for a bull-man. The tale is Roman poetry about a Greek story, not a map of every maze.

    from Ovid · Metamorphoses, 8 CE

    appears in · sourced · culturally specific

  • Labyrinth is associated with Transformation.

    The Metamorphoses places the labyrinth among stories of changed bodies and trapped lives. The change is poetic, not alchemical.

    from Ovid · Metamorphoses, 8 CE

    associated with · partially sourced · documented

  • Labyrinth is associated with Knowledge.

    The Cretan story is a problem that is solved by a thread. Knowledge here is a trick for getting out, not a Hermetic key.

    from Ovid · Metamorphoses, 8 CE

    associated with · partially sourced · culturally specific

  • Circle is associated with Labyrinth.

    Some labyrinth pavements are circular in plan. The path is still a walk, not an abstract “wholeness.”

    associated with · interpretive · culturally specific

  • Labyrinth is associated with Underworld.

    A folding path has been compared to a descent. The comparison is easy and therefore suspect; this seed keeps it interpretive.

    associated with · interpretive · speculative

sources