From childhood, many remember the legend of the terrible monster Minotaur, which his mother, in order to hide her unusual child from human eyes, settled in the Knossos labyrinth. This structure was so confused that no one but its owner could find a way out. The construction of labyrinths was popular not only in ancient times, but also in the Middle Ages and subsequent eras. What is the story of the appearance of the concept of “labyrinth” and does it have other meanings?
Etymology of the term “labyrinth”
Before you know the meaning of this word, you should pay attention to its origin. Like the myth of the Minotaur, so this noun came into Russian from the ancient Greeks.
Two versions of the origin of this name are common. According to one of them, on the island of Crete, the word "labyrinth" was used to denote the place where the ritual hatchet, called the maze, was stored. On the other, a maze is a fortress. In favor of this theory is the fact that in the Greek language there is a word with the same root, which translates as "street" or "lane".
The Greek term labyrinthos came to the Slavs through the mediation of the German language and the word labyrinth used in it. This happened during the time of Peter I, who was very fond of this fashionable European fun. He is credited with the construction of about ten labyrinths throughout the empire, but this is not entirely true.
In fact, the king only erected the “Garden at the Temple Pavilion” in Peterhof. It was a tangled park with a pool in the center with a total area of ​​2 hectares. It was built by Jean Baptiste Leblond and was a great place for a walk on a hot summer day.
As with any innovation, there were a wide variety of rumors about it. Some believed that some travelers disappeared without a trace in this outlandish place. Others sincerely believed that Peter's labyrinth is a secret meeting place for Masons. How true these assumptions were are unknown.
But among the common people, the very word “labyrinth” (its meaning is lower) took root for a very long time, since the name “Babylon” has long been used instead. The Babylonians were always treated with caution, believing that they have some magical properties.
For example, the famous icon of the XVIII century. - “Spiritual Labyrinth” - symbolized by itself how difficult it is to find a way to the Kingdom of Heaven. It was believed that if you look at her without first confessing, you can go crazy.
The term "labyrinth": lexical meaning
Thanks to the popularity of the Greek legend, this word is still actively used in speech today. Moreover, in addition to its main significance, it also acquired several additional ones. Since the XIX century. you can already meet the "labyrinth" (meaning of the word) in Dahl's explanatory dictionary, and later at Ozhegov, Ushakov and others.
Vladimir Dal in his work calls the labyrinth a place from which it is difficult to find a way out due to the system of intricate paths and transitions. Other Russian linguists seem to interpret the lexical meaning of the word “labyrinth”.
Today, this word refers to a two- or three-dimensional structure with an intricate system of paths to the exit. It can be both stone and plant origin.
Other meanings of the word
In addition to the main meaning of this noun, Vladimir Dahl cites a secondary one in his book. So, he calls the maze the inner part of the human ear.
But Ushakov lists in his explanatory dictionary more definitions for this term. So, in addition to the above, he also mentions the figurative meaning of the word: the tangled interweaving of something (a maze of thoughts, a maze of feelings). An example is a quote from Saltykov-Shchedrin: “If I don’t cut off at once, then I’ll probably get lost in the maze of self-questioning and self-objection.”
Today the labyrinth is also a protective device of a computer hard drive, as well as the name of a board game of a Russian publishing house and a bookstore.
In addition, the popularity of this term served to the fact that over the past 30 years, 5 films have been shot, in the name of which this word appears. There are also several books of the same name and music albums.
Fayum maze
One of the first references to the labyrinth structure belongs to the father of history - Herodotus.
He described the temple of an Egyptian deity with the head of a crocodile, which was worshiped in Shade (Herodotus called this city "Crocodilopolis"). The purpose of building the Fayum labyrinth is not exactly known, it is generally believed that it was intended to conduct a variety of religious rituals, as well as to store treasures. According to ancient accounts, the system of passages, columns and niches allowed a person who did not know his device to wander in this place for several days, or even weeks.
From the ruins left in its place today, it is difficult to understand how complicated this structure was in fact, but judging by the description of the father of history, it looked truly luxurious. By the way, this labyrinth is described in Boleslav Prus’s novel “Pharaoh”.
Greek, Roman, Indian Mazes
The famous Knossos labyrinth was made in the image of Fayumsky, but was significantly inferior to it in size. He also performed the role of a religious structure, but the deity was not a crocodile, like the Egyptians had, but a bull (probably from here the legend of the Minotaur). His creation is attributed to Daedalus himself. In contrast to the Egyptian whereabouts, this is still unknown.
In addition to Cretan, there was another famous Greek labyrinth. However, where he was exactly located is unknown. Various historians called its location the islands of the Aegean: Samos or Lemnos. In connection with these, there is a version that the labyrinth of the Minotaur might not be in Crete at all. But until the ruins of at least one of them have been found, all this is just bare theory.
The Romans, who adopted their culture from the Greeks, of course, could not resist and did not build their own labyrinths. Most of them have not survived to our days, however, in the ghostly city of Pompeii, where time seemed to freeze, two small labyrinth houses with amazing mosaics illustrating the myth of the Minotaur remained intact. It is believed that the Romans had a maze - it was also a popular children's fun. Like the Greeks, they sometimes used this building for religious purposes, as evidenced by the royal burial mound in Klusium, consisting of an intricate system of funeral rooms.
By the way, in India, a cult of this structure was also widespread. Hindus believed that evil demons can only move directly, so when entering the temples and houses they made small labyrinths to protect themselves.
Labyrinths in the Middle Ages
With the transformation of Christianity into the dominant religion of Europe, the love of intricate buildings experienced its new upsurge.
Initially, labyrinths adorned the floors of churches and cathedrals, symbolizing human sinfulness. A little later, religious labyrinths began to be used for various productions, in particular for the staging of campaigns in Jerusalem.
Labyrinths in the UK and France
Starting from the 13th century these buildings began to be used as exotic decor in the world. Since it was impractical to build and maintain stone buildings of this type, labyrinths-gardens gradually came into fashion.
They were especially popular in France, Great Britain, and Italy. The creation of such entertainment has become a real art, popular to this day.