From childhood, many people remember the legend of the terrible monster Minotaur, whom his mother, in order to hide her unusual child from human eyes, settled in the Knossos labyrinth. This building was so intricate that no one but its owner could find a way out of it. The construction of labyrinths was popular not only in ancient times, but also in the Middle Ages and subsequent eras. What is the history of the emergence of the very concept of "maze" and does it have other meanings?
Etymology of the term "maze"
Before you know the meaning of this word, you should pay attention to its origin. Like the myth of the Minotaur, this noun came into the Russian language from the ancient Greeks.
There are two versions of the origin of this name. According to one of them, on the island of Crete, the word “labyrinth” was used to refer to the place where a ritual hatchet, called a labrys, was kept. According to another, the labyrinth is a fortress. This theory is supported by 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 language used in itlabyrinth words. This happened during the time of Peter I, who was very fond of this fashionable European fun. He is credited with building about ten labyrinths throughout the empire, but this is not entirely true.
In reality, only the "Garden at the Temple Pavilion" in Peterhof was built by the tsar. It was an intricate park with a pool in the center with a total area of 2 hectares. It was built according to the design of Jean Baptiste Leblon and was a great place for walking on a hot summer day.
As with any innovation, there were a variety of rumors about this. Some believed that some travelers disappeared without a trace in this outlandish place. Others sincerely believed that the Petrovsky labyrinth was a secret meeting place for Masons. How true these assumptions were is unknown.
But among the common people, the very word "labyrinth" (its meaning is below) took root for a very long time, since the name "Babylon" was used instead of it for a long time. Babylons have always been regarded with apprehension, believing that they have some kind of magical properties.
For example, the famous icon of the XVIII century. - "Spiritual Labyrinth" - symbolized how difficult it is to find the way to the Kingdom of Heaven. It was believed that if you look at her without first confessing, you can go crazy.
The term "maze": lexical meaning
Due to the popularity of the Greek legend today, this word is still actively used in speech. Moreover, in addition to the main value, it also acquired several additional ones. Since the 19th century can already be found"Labyrinth" (meaning of the word) in Dahl's explanatory dictionary, and later in Ozhegov, Ushakov and others.
Vladimir Dal in his work calls a labyrinth a place from which it is difficult to find a way out due to a system of intricate paths and transitions. It seems that other Russian linguists also 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 Dal also cites a secondary one in his book. So, he calls the inner part of the human ear a labyrinth.
But Ushakov lists more definitions for this term in his explanatory dictionary. So, in addition to the above, he also mentions the figurative meaning of the word: an intricate interweaving of something (a labyrinth of thoughts, a labyrinth of feelings). As an example, a quote from S altykov-Shchedrin is given: “If I don’t cut it off at once, then I’ll probably get confused in the labyrinth of self-questions and self-objections.”
Today, a labyrinth is also a protective device for a computer hard drive, as well as the name of a board game by a Russian publisher and bookstore.
In addition, the popularity of this term has led to the fact that over the past 30 years 5 films have been shot, in the title of which this word appears. There are also several books with this title and music albums.
Fayum labyrinth
One of the first references to the building-the labyrinth belongs to the father of history - Herodotus.
He described the temple of an Egyptian deity with the head of a crocodile, who was worshiped in Shedita (Herodotus called this city "Crocodilepolis"). The purpose of building the Fayum labyrinth is not exactly known, it is generally believed that it was intended for various religious rituals, as well as for storing treasures. According to the stories of the ancients, 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 complex this structure really was, but judging by the description of the father of history, it looked truly luxurious. By the way, this labyrinth is described in the novel Pharaoh by Bolesław Prus.
Greek, Roman, Indian labyrinths
The well-known Knossos labyrinth was made in the image of Fayum, however, it was much smaller in size. It also served as a cult building, but the deity was not a crocodile, like the Egyptians, but a bull (probably, hence the legend of the Minotaur). Its creation is attributed to Daedalus himself. Unlike the Egyptian whereabouts of this is still unknown.
Besides the Cretan labyrinth, there was another famous Greek labyrinth. However, it is not known exactly where he was. Different historians called the islands of the Aegean Sea the place of its location: Samos or Lemnos. In connection with these, there is a version that the labyrinth of the Minotaur could not be in Crete at all. But for nowthe ruins of at least one of them have not been found, all these are just naked theories.
The Romans, who adopted their culture from the Greeks, of course, could not resist and build their own labyrinths. Most of them have not survived to this day, but in the ghostly city of Pompeii, where time seemed to have frozen, two small labyrinth houses with amazing mosaics illustrating the myth of the Minotaur have been preserved intact. It is believed that among the Romans, the labyrinth was also a popular children's fun. Like the Greeks, this building was sometimes used for religious purposes, as evidenced by the royal burial mound in Clusium, consisting of an intricate system of burial chambers.
By the way, the cult of this building was also widespread in India. Hindus believed that evil demons could only move straight, so at the entrances to temples and houses they made small labyrinths to protect themselves.
Labyrinths during the Middle Ages
With the emergence of Christianity as the dominant religion in Europe, the love for intricate buildings has experienced a new upsurge.
Initially, the floors of churches and cathedrals were decorated with labyrinths, thus symbolizing human sinfulness. A little later, religious labyrinths began to be used for various performances, in particular for staged campaigns against Jerusalem.
Labyrinths in the UK and France
Starting from the 13th century. these buildings began to be used as an exotic decor in the world. Since building and maintaining stone buildings of this type wasimpractical, labyrinth gardens gradually came into fashion.
They were especially popular in France, Great Britain, and also Italy. Creating such entertainment has become a true art, popular to this day.
