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. Myth accurately describes 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, lift the veil from them and again see their innermost meaning, realize 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 called Labrys and, according to an older 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, a 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 very interesting, because modern science has 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 happens when we get lost or wander in 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, 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 a deeper sense of the word, 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 the Greek myth says, it so happened that the wife of Minos fell hopelessly in love with a white bull, dreamed only of him and desired 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 the imperfection of his 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 in our daily life we do not realize that we are in a labyrinth that draws 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.
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 design could have appeared during ancient man’s attempts to 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 the famous artist and 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 are 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 a protective symbol of 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 could 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 were laid out of 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
The 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. 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.
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 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. 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.
| Labyrinth in Chartres: | Labyrinth in Amiens: |
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 a male portrait of 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 quite peaceful and practical applications were found for labyrinths: garden beds were laid out 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 A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Tempest.
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 true path to the house of the 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 of the 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, various systems of symbols were invented - 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 grid on a blank sheet of 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 the science fiction 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.
Walking through life, we have no idea where we will be tomorrow. We strive for a goal, but we don’t know how to achieve it. We get lost, risking ending up in a dead end. We are racking our brains: which road to choose? The symbol of our life is a labyrinth. The history of labyrinths is long, complex and confusing. Just like human life.
The ancients say that it is impossible to simply walk through a labyrinth, and the best way to move through it is through dance or steps that describe certain figures: figures on the surface, figures in space, ritual and magical figures. In a sense, we must also move along the road of life by dancing, thus determining the process of evolution.
The symbolism of the labyrinth in the first millennium BC. e. spread throughout the Old World. From the Mediterranean it penetrated to the East, and later it would become popular in the West: in Spain, England, Scandinavia and Rus'. In Scandinavia, the Baltic states and Russia you can find more than five hundred very archaic labyrinths made of stones. Their builders did not disdain either small cobblestones or large boulders. These structures are called the “Trojan fortresses” of the North. The diameter of most of them is from seven to eighteen meters. Many correspond to the classic Cretan type of labyrinth with one entrance. The timing of their construction was determined by the age of the lichens that covered the stones. All of them were built approximately in the XIII - XVII centuries. Their purpose is still unclear to scientists.
Labyrinths beckon, confuse, frighten and can even drive those who find themselves in them to despair. There are many stories about labyrinths from which it is impossible to escape. And even if the exit was close, some unknown force returned the victim to the starting point... The Labyrinth refused to let its guests go...
Scientists suggest that the answer lies in the structure of the labyrinth, in its passages and traps. Once caught in them, a person would lose orientation and immediately fall into panic! In ancient times, labyrinths were used to drive unwanted people crazy, and to further intimidate, passages were “decorated” with human bones, images of demons and other evil spirits. In mythology, a labyrinth is a symbol of death and rebirth. It protects a place endowed with special power and limits access to it. This place embodies the transition zone between two worlds, and the labyrinth itself is a symbolic gate. 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. Recently, labyrinths, once full of sacred meaning, have become a common attribute of parks and attractions, changing and becoming more complex as people’s ideas about the universe, of which the labyrinth was a unique model, have 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.
Egyptian labyrinth
In ancient Egypt, in the city of Abydos, there were labyrinths called Karakol. They were almost circular temples, in the corridors of which ceremonies took place, symbolizing the stages of evolution and the road that leads a person to his center.
A very ancient labyrinth was located 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 m2. Visitors were not allowed to explore the underground rooms of the labyrinth; there were tombs for pharaohs and crocodiles - animals sacred in Egypt. 
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 through 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.
All northern labyrinths are made of small stones, have an oval shape in plan, and inside there are intricate passages leading to the center of the structure. There are several types of labyrinth designs. It has been noted that labyrinths of different types can coexist, and identical designs can be found in areas separated by hundreds of kilometers. There is no general work on the northern labyrinths, but researchers from different countries have been studying these mysterious structures for more than 150 years. 
Stone labyrinths here often bear the names of cities or fortifications - “Troy”, “Babylon”, “Nineveh”, “Jerusalem”. In Finland, in addition, there are names “The Fence or the Road of the Giants”, “St. Peter’s Game”, “Maiden Dances”, etc. Such names also do not reveal to us the essence of the labyrinths and are inspired by ancient Greek and biblical motifs, local legends. The labyrinths in them were used for folk games and festivities between Easter and midsummer. Usually the girl was placed in a circle and danced towards her. Such customs are an example of the reuse of historical monuments. In science, several points of view have been expressed about the purpose and chronology of labyrinths. They are seen as objects associated with providential magic, the cult of the dead, and they are ascribed calendar significance.
Russia
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 the 11th - 1st 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. 
One of its unsolved mysteries still remains the origin of stone labyrinths - strange, mystical patterns laid out on the surface of the earth. How and when they appeared on the islands, by whom they were created and what purpose they served - researchers to this day cannot give an unambiguous answer to these questions. 
The labyrinth has only one entrance, which at the same time serves as an exit: a person who decides to go through the labyrinth and follows its rules will, after a while, be surprised to find that he came out in the same place where he entered. The age of the labyrinths is about three thousand years, archaeologists say. It is not known for certain who exactly left these bizarre patterns of stones on the islands. According to one version, these were ancient Pomeranian tribes, long forgotten; according to another, they were northern sailors who explored the cold waters of the Breathing Sea, today called the White Sea. Proponents of this hypothesis support their arguments by the fact that almost all labyrinths are located on the coast. 
Another unsolved mystery remains the purpose of the strange stone ornaments. There are many versions: from purely scientific to absolutely fantastic. At different times, “theorists” prone to mystification considered labyrinths to be traces of aliens, means of communication through which ancient people communicated with the Cosmos, and even portals to another world. Oddly enough, most serious researchers agree with the latest version. They believe that labyrinths served sacred purposes and were actually used to move to another world - the afterlife. In these places, primitive people performed burial rituals for the dead. Even the design of the labyrinths itself speaks in favor of this theory. Its spiral shape resembles the coils of coiled snakes. It was the snake in the Karelian-Finnish epic that served as a symbol of death and was associated with the other world: its bite sent a person straight to the kingdom of the dead. Many scientists also explain the complex structure of the drawings by the fact that the ancient peoples believed that if entangled in a labyrinth, the soul of the deceased would not be able to return and harm the living.
The world is a labyrinth. No exit, no entrance,
There is no center in the monstrous dungeon.
Here you are wandering through narrow walls
To the touch, in the dark - and there is no way out.
In vain do you expect that your path will go by itself,
When he forces you to make a choice again,
Which will force you to make a choice again,
It will end. You are condemned by fate.
Along the endless stone processes
A two-legged bull, dropping shreds of foam,
Whose appearance terrifies these walls,
Like you, he wanders through the thicket of crossroads.
I wander through the labyrinth, no longer believing,
That I will meet at least a beast in him.
From the end of the 15th century, labyrinths began to appear in churches, on church floor tiles. Such floor images of labyrinths became an integral part of the punishment, when a repentant sinner had to walk on his knees through all the twists and turns of the labyrinth. Such penance was imposed on those who could not make a pilgrimage to holy places, and was called the “road to Jerusalem.” 
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. 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.
Oh horror, these stone nets
And Zeus cannot unravel. Exhausted
I wander through the labyrinth. I'm a convict.
On an endlessly long parapet
The dust has frozen. Direct galleries,
Measured by long steps,
Secret curls in circles
Around the past years. I want it faster
I walk, but I just fall. And again
It seems to me in the gathering darkness
Those creepy glowing pupils,
That's an animal roar. Or the echo of a roar.
I'm coming. Around the corner, in the distance,
Perhaps he was lying in wait
The one who has been thirsting for fresh blood for so long.
I have been yearning for deliverance for just as long.
We are both looking for a meeting. As before,
I believe this fading hope.
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. 
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 story of the labyrinth is still not over. Its roads, like an endless timeline, move further and further, leading a person to an unknown goal, which is all the more desirable the less predictable the path in the labyrinth. 
Superstitions of the labyrinth
In ancient times, the image of a labyrinth was considered an excellent amulet. Thus, 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. In Pakistan and Iceland, symbols of the labyrinth are carved into the tallest tree in the garden to deter thieves. In Sri Lanka, the labyrinth pattern is woven into fabric for blankets and into the base of willow baskets; in Scandinavia and India they lay out a labyrinth of stones in desert places or on the coast if they want their cherished desire to be fulfilled. True, there is a problem here. It is believed that the labyrinth, in exchange for a dream come true, takes away seven years of a person’s life/
When going to a dangerous place, you can try to draw a labyrinth pattern on your palm. And trouble will pass by.
Children under seven years old and old people who have passed the 70-year mark are not allowed into the labyrinth. The labyrinth supposedly can take away the souls of both.
Pregnant women also do not go into the labyrinth - there is a sign that otherwise the child may become entangled in the umbilical cord.
Evil spirits living in the labyrinth can be deceived by wearing other people's things. So, if you get lost, exchange clothes with your companion, and you will find a way out.
It is better not to take photographs in the passages of the labyrinth or against its background: troubles in life and problems with memory and vision may begin.
If, standing in the center of the labyrinth, you make a wish and then quickly find a way out, you can assume that your wish will quickly come true.
To avoid the insidiousness of the labyrinth, you need to leave some thing as a gift, for example, toss a coin.
The version that many modern researchers adhere to is that the labyrinths were conceived as a kind of laboratory for improving the spirit, and special mystical rituals were performed inside. It is no coincidence that the structure of the labyrinth resembles the structure of the brain! A person, passing the labyrinth to the end, overcame his deepest fears and became one of those initiated into the secrets of this and that world. Moreover, he gained new strength, vigor and was resurrected in soul and body. The labyrinth was seen as a path to the kingdom of the dead and a way to gain magical power. There is an assumption that a person walking through the labyrinth symbolized the Sun, dying and rising, and, therefore, joined the ancient natural rhythms. ladies of the heart danced along the winding passages to the center of the “giant”. Message quote
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
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
Synonyms:"Who created the labyrinth of mirrors,
There are multiple reflections in it.
There, lost, I searched in vain,
The trace of Ariadne's thin thread."
(Ignatov A.)
"Babylons", "Giant's Road", "Trojan Castle". Whatever they called the stone labyrinths, intricately laid out by who knows who, who knows when, who knows for what purposes.
In this article, another attempt will be made to explain what kind of structures are stone labyrinths, why they were created and how they worked.
Labyrinths, or northern megaliths, are a type of stone structure laid out on the surface of the earth with large or small stones according to a certain pattern. If I may say so, the culture of the image of labyrinths is found in almost all corners of the world - Europe, Asia, the Middle East, India, North America, South America.
Labyrinth on the frieze of the Halebid Temple at Mysore in India (13th century).
Labyrinth of the island of Crete (shape).
Tibble Labyrinth in Västerås, Sweden.
Solovetsky labyrinth
Labyrinths of the Papago and Pima tribes from the Southwestern North America
"Hollywood Stone" County Wicklow (Ireland)
Labyrinth Jericho
Galgal Refaim in the Golan Heights, Israel
Map of the labyrinth of mainland Greece
Ancient Greek coins depicting a labyrinth
A labyrinth sign scratched on the wall of a tomb in Luzzanas on the island of Sardinia.
Such a wide distribution of the image of labyrinths (or in northern “Babylons”) throughout the world may indicate its certain importance in the cultures of different peoples.
Common classifications of labyrinths.
The study of any object begins with attempts to identify it - by appearance, by composition. And labyrinths are no exception.
In terms of classifying these objects, the work of Vinogradova N.N. . , where he identified among them the following types of calculations:
1. Spiral or snail-shaped labyrinths;
2. Labyrinths are round or roundish;
3. Horseshoe-shaped labyrinths;
4. Mixed types.
But there were two shortcomings in Vinogradov’s classification: 1. It covered only the labyrinths of the Solovetsky Islands, thus narrowly localizing the material for research, and did not cover the megaliths of Europe, for example. 2. The only criterion for classifying labyrinths was their external shape (round, roundish, snail-shaped, horseshoe-shaped); the type of drawing of the spirals was not taken into account.
Researcher Kuratov A.A.. proposed his own version of the classification of labyrinths - according to the type of drawing of their spirals.
In this case, labyrinths are divided into three main groups:
- Single-stranded
2. Spiral
3. Concentric-circular
An open question is why some labyrinths are round in shape, and some are square. In what cases and why were they laid out (depicted, carved) by some, and in what cases by others? Most of the famous square labyrinths, both layouts and images, are of southern origin (such as the labyrinth in Jedimedu, India, images of labyrinths in ancient Greece and ancient Rome).
Pompeii, Graffiti (8x9.5 cm) on the peristyle pillar of the house of Marcus Lucretius on Stabian Street.
An image of a labyrinth on an ancient coin of the island of Crete.
The northern labyrinths are mostly round in shape, but also square layouts, although much less common, were found, such as the remains of the only square labyrinth on the Solovetsky Islands.
Another interesting fact is that the southern labyrinths are mostly knocked out or scratched out, while the northern labyrinths are made of stones.
The place of the labyrinth in the cultures of different peoples and civilizations.
The image of the labyrinth has left its mark on many cultures. For example, in ancient Egypt, in the city of Abydos, there was a labyrinth, which was a round temple, in the galleries of which ceremonies were held dedicated to the path of evolution that a person went through before reaching the center - the true Man. And this structure, according to Herodotus, was only part of a larger and more amazing labyrinth, the grandeur of which even the famous pyramids cannot compare with.
In India, labyrinths are understood as symbols of meditation, concentration, returning to oneself, getting rid of samsara and the laws of karma.
In Celtic culture, the labyrinth was considered the entrance to the underground (otherworldly) world. And the Chinese built labyrinths in front of the entrances, because they believed that they protected against evil spirits.
Modern worldview systems have also not avoided the image of a labyrinth. So, for example, on the Solovetsky Islands, ancient stone spiral structures, sort of like “a relic of the culture of pagan heretics,” are not destroyed, but peacefully coexist with a large Christian center - the Solovetsky Monastery, and in Catholicism there is the phenomenon of a prayer labyrinth - a labyrinth inside or in front of the church (cathedral), through which people walk with prayers, although this is a deviation from the canons of the Bible. For example, a labyrinth in the Cathedral of Chartres, in the Duomo di Siena Cathedral, Tuscany, two at the Cathedral of Grace Episcopal Church in San Francisco, etc.
Labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral
Labyrinth in Amiens Cathedral
St John's Church in Glastonbury, Somerset, England, UK
In the (Masonic) church of Santa Maria Magdalena, Venice.
And the question arises - why is the image of a labyrinth so important?
A brief history of labyrinth exploration.
The mystery of spiral objects has been of interest to humanity for decades. Various researchers, both Russian and foreign, have contributed to the study of this phenomenon.
Labyrinths have existed since quite ancient times. For example, the stone spiral structures of the Solovetsky Islands date back to the Neolithic era (approximately 3rd millennium BC), about 4000 years ago a labyrinth was built among the pyramid complex of Amenemhat III in Hawar (12th dynasty, 1844-1797 BC .e.). This labyrinth connected twelve spacious chambers, which were connected by corridors, colonnades and shafts. The central burial chamber of the king's pyramid was reliably hidden using the intersection of passages and false doors sealed with stones. The first known image of a labyrinth of seven circles was found on a clay tablet of the Mycenaean Palace in the city of Pylos - the palace burned down around 1200 BC. As we can see, the age of the labyrinth as an object of culture (and most likely as part of a person’s worldview) is quite ancient, about 5000 years, which makes this symbol at least a contemporary of the Egyptian pyramids, and possibly even older.
Among Russian researchers of this phenomenon, the first attempt to explain the purpose of the labyrinth was made by scientist N.N. Vinogradov, who studied the Solovetsky labyrinths in the late 1920s. The archaeologist noted that the most important element of the structure is a pile of stones in the center, and proposed an interpretation through the prism of the religious concept of Mount Saivo, sacred to the “Russian” Lapps. “Labyrinths are nothing more than Saivo, sacred mountains where the souls of the departed live, enjoying bliss. The very appearance of the ridges of the labyrinths already gives an idea of the ridges of the stone mountains,” wrote Vinogradov. In his opinion, labyrinths were a kind of “cities of the dead.” “The soul of the deceased continues to live after death, retaining the ability to leave its home... To prevent unwanted visits, the Sayvo labyrinth is made with one entrance, with tangled paths and ridges of stones, so that the spirits of the dead themselves become entangled in them and cannot get out.” . The piles of stones in the center of the structures reminded the researcher of the “world pillar,” which in Lapp mythology was said to support the entire world. Thus, N.N. Vinogradov was the first to raise the question of the semantics of labyrinths, offering his explanation of the central stone piles as a sacred mountain, and the spiral layouts as mountain ridges.
Researcher A.Ya. Martynov developed Vinogradov’s idea, noting that stone labyrinths, being part of the Solovetsky sanctuaries, including burial stone mounds, “were symbols of the other world, in which the souls of the dead were entangled, or...symbols of a certain “third world” separating the earthly and other worlds.” Martynov also expanded the functional purpose of the labyrinths, suggesting that in some of them ceremonies of worship of the solar deity were performed.
Archaeologist and historian A.L. Nikitin argued in his works that it was ritual actions in labyrinths that allowed the ancients to conduct experiments with changes in consciousness and explore the other world of spirits - a source of strength and enlightenment.
In the 1970s, N. Gurina’s version was widespread in the USSR that the labyrinths were fish traps. This version was supported by the fact that a significant part of the spiral structures of the North were laid out near reservoirs, and, given the age of the structures up to 5000 years, they could have been hidden by water, the level of which was higher at that time. The fisherman simply entered the labyrinth and collected the fish that swam into it.
Researcher L.V. Ershov put forward a version that the lines of the labyrinth repeat the movement of the Sun and Moon, and thus are calendars. But the version is controversial, since labyrinths do not have a single orientation in space).
Ethnographer and writer Popov A.M. in his works he noted that the labyrinth resembles papillary patterns on the fingers of a person, while the movement of lines around a common center is much more complex than the usual multi-entry spiral characteristic, for example, of galaxies. The trajectories of the lines alternately approach and move away from the center. Popov, in the course of many years of research, established that labyrinths in local legends are a kind of mystical code, passed down from generation to generation, regardless of religious worldviews. Popov also put forward the version that, while passing through the labyrinth, residents of the North received or transmitted information using the labyrinth pattern as an antenna.
Among foreign researchers, one can highlight, first of all, J. Craft’s 1977 work “The Labyrinth and the Game of Horsemen,” which is referenced in many scientific publications on this topic to this day. Kraft systematized information from the register of state monuments about 199 stone labyrinths recorded in the 1930s. and about 80 more labyrinths from other sources, the safety of which was noted as unverified. Among the place names associated with labyrinths, the researcher noted about 40 names “Trelleborg” (“Troll City”), 2 “Jungfrudans” (“Dance of the Maidens”) and 8 Trojaborgs (“City of Troy”). Information was also collected about games associated with labyrinths in the 19th and 20th centuries. In general terms, according to location, J. Craft divided the labyrinths into 2 groups - coastal and southern Swedish (conditionally “mainland”). Coastal labyrinths, based on their location relative to sea level and their connection to medieval and later fishing sites, were dated no earlier than 2 thousand AD.
N. Broadbent in the mid-1980s, to establish the age of the labyrinths, used a method that had previously been used in geology, which makes it possible to date the surface of a stone by the growth of lichen colonies on it (lichenometry). The technique developed at the Arctic Research Center of Umeå University made it possible to determine with sufficient accuracy the time of laying out a particular labyrinth, the stones of which were overgrown with the lichen Rhizocarpon geographicum. The results of these studies generally made it possible to confirm the medieval dating of some stone labyrinths. In parallel with lichenometry since the mid-1980s. The geological method of comparing the degree of weathering of rocks was also used for dating.
The problem of substantiating the dating of the Baltic labyrinths was solved by European scientists in the 2nd half of the 1980s. using a set of methods:
1. Dating by location on coastal terraces, the date of their rise from the water is known from geological data.
2. Dating based on the degree of weathering of the rocks on which the labyrinths are located.
3. Dating based on the growth of lichen colonies on the stones that make up the labyrinths.
4. Indirect dating by correlation with similar images of labyrinths in medieval churches and on everyday objects of modern times.
Stone labyrinths located in Northern Norway are discussed in the publication Stone Labyrinths of Arctic Norway by Bjørnar Olsen. The researcher correlates these structures, located on the coast of the Barents Sea (Finnmark), with the Sami, since they are located near Sami burial grounds, connects them with the cult of the dead and dates them to the period 1200–1700. This dating is based both on the proximity of the labyrinths to Sami burial grounds, and on the location of the labyrinths not high from sea level.
So. The main common theories of the purpose of labyrinths are:
1. To fulfill the religious needs of their builders. This can be either entering an altered state of consciousness or a funeral ritual.
2. Labyrinth - ancient calendar.
3. Labyrinth - a fishing device used by seaside residents to catch fish.
All theories were put forward on the basis of facts discovered by researchers - the location of objects (proximity to the sea, proximity to burial complexes), features of the layout, traces of human activity (carbon deposits on stones, remains). But, if you ask questions, none of them fully explains the purpose of the structures.
For example. Let's say that labyrinths are fish traps. Regarding coastal structures, this could be relevant. But spiral structures can also be found deep on continents, where there is no sea with its tidal wave, for example, the labyrinth on Mount Shamanka near Arkaim. Yes, there is a river nearby, but its floods obviously won’t reach the labyrinth. And there is no point in setting a trap where it won’t catch anything in principle. And there is a spiral structure made of stones. If labyrinths are just fish traps, then why were they depicted on ancient coins, why were buildings built in their shape and according to their layout (like the Mycenaean Palace in Pylos, or the famous labyrinth in Knossos), and entire cities, for example, the legendary Jericho. By the way, if you look closely, it’s also famous Arkaim not only has the shape of a classic labyrinth, but its layout is very reminiscent of a “classic” labyrinth:
But there are also legends of many nations associated with labyrinths. All of the above casts doubt on the version of labyrinths-fish traps, especially since it is much easier to weave a net or make other fish traps than to lay out multi-meter stone structures, and low ones at that, which a tidal wave would certainly hide.
The version of calendar labyrinths is also controversial, mainly due to the fact that labyrinths do not have a single orientation in space relative to the cardinal points.
The hypothesis about labyrinths as cult objects associated with rituals (initiation, burial) seems more likely, since these structures are sometimes adjacent to burial mounds and traces of fire are found in the centers of the labyrinths, which may indicate the use of the central part of the labyrinth as an altar. The only question about the labyrinth-funeral complex hypothesis is that no human remains were found under any of the stone labyrinths. And the construction of buildings and entire cities, like Jericho, in the form of funeral structures for the life of living people seems unlikely from the point of view of human sanity.
The most likely version seems to be about labyrinths as some kind of antennas, put forward Popov A.M.. It was this hypothesis that interested me, and I will try to develop it by comparing some physical, physiological, geological facts known to me with the features of the labyrinth structure, and answer the questions:
1. By what principles could the “Babylon” labyrinth function;
2. The purpose of constructing a spiral object;
3. The hypothetical mechanism of interaction between the device and its operator.
Labyrinth - plasma antenna.
The labyrinth of the “classical” Cretan sample was chosen for analysis as the most common and stereotypical image of this structure.
According to Kuratov's classification, this is single spiral labyrinth , according to Vinogradov – double-spiral horseshoe-shaped with a cross-shaped intersection at the entrance . And this labyrinth is compared with everything - and with the papillary pattern of the fingers,
and with a schematic resemblance to the brain in section, where the center of the labyrinth corresponds to the location of the Pineal gland in the brain,
also, for example, this labyrinth has an external resemblance to the sight of an anti-aircraft machine gun
or even with the antenna of a multi-wave generator engineer G. Lakhovsky
Interesting properties of silicon.
Labyrinths, if they were created as megaliths, were laid out mainly from stone, which means that with almost one hundred percent probability there were silicon compounds there.
Let's turn to geology. Silicon makes up from 27 to 29% of the mass of the earth's crust and is second in abundance in the lithosphere after oxygen. In total, more than 50% of the earth's crust consists of silicon dioxide (SiO2), or quartz, with various impurities that provide a variety of minerals. Silicon is widely used in the radio industry as an excellent semiconductor - for example, computer processors, memory units are built on silicon lattices, and silicon is also used, for example, in the manufacture of solar panels, due to its piezoelectric property - it converts light energy into electrical energy. Thus, a labyrinth made of silicon-containing material may well exhibit interesting properties under certain physical influences. As part of the development of the version about labyrinths - stone antennas, it is precisely the property of a labyrinth to transmit and receive information that we must try to find and argue.
Silicon antennas.
In recent years, so-called plasma antennas have been actively developed. The technology of using ionized gas - plasma for receiving and transmitting radio waves instead of metals was developed at the beginning of the 20th century by D. Hettinger and patented by him in 1919. The very first plasma antennas were created in gas-discharge devices (usually lamps) and were called ionized gas antennas. The second version of the plasma antenna, a solid-state one, in which plasma is created due to multiple emission of electrons as a result of activation of diodes in ... Silicon chip , the basis of the antenna. The advantage of such an antenna over a conventional metal antenna is that at very high temperatures the conductivity of the plasma exceeds the conductivity of silver, which improves the quality of the transmitted and received radio signal. Additionally, a plasma antenna can reflect or focus radio waves from another transmitter.
There are well-known experiments by physicists from ITMO and MIPT universities on the use of spherical silicon nanoparticles as an effective control of light. The development can be used in fiber-optic communication lines for ultra-fast information processing and in optical computers of the future. The authors studied a dielectric nanoantenna. In their case, it is a spherical silicon nanoparticle with optical resonances . The resonant wavelengths in it are predetermined precisely by the particle size . The first of these resonances, observed for the longest wavelength, is magnetic dipole resonance. At a certain wavelength, incident light excites a circular electric current in a spherical particle, similar to the current in a closed circuit. In silicon, magnetic dipole resonance is observed in the optical wavelength region already for nanoparticles with a diameter of about 100 nm. This property makes such particles attractive for enhancing all kinds of optical effects on the nanoscale.
In experiments with such a spherical nanoantenna, a laser pulse one ten-trillionth of a second long excited a given silicon nanoparticle. Under the influence of laser radiation, electrons in silicon moved into the conduction band of silicon, forming electron plasma, which changed its optical properties. This changed the amplitudes of the electric and magnetic dipole resonance of the nanoparticle, so that the particle re-radiated the light incident on it in the direction of the incoming pulse. Thus, by firing short and intense pulses at the particle, experimenters could dynamically influence its characteristics as an antenna.
These facts prove the possibility of the existence of not metal, but stone (silicon) antennas, which are more effective in terms of speed and quality of transmission of wave oscillations. Which simply suggests the possibility of labyrinths made of material containing silicon to have similar properties, provided they contain a plasma source.
Physicists' experiments with silicon nanospheres gave rise to the idea of stone spheres, found in large quantities, for example on the island of Champa (Franz Josef Land).
Spheres of a perfectly round shape, of different sizes, created from sandstone (which is also based on silicon) are very reminiscent of nanospheres from the above-mentioned experience of scientists; balls of different sizes could be “tuned” to waves of different amplitudes. And, perhaps, from similar elements, ideally a silicon antenna could be assembled - a labyrinth, for example - in order of decreasing size of the balls from the periphery to the center of the structure. But this is just a guess.
In its form, the “classical” Cretan labyrinth under consideration is very reminiscent of an omnidirectional antenna, which evenly emits (receives) a signal in all directions
Fire.
One of the versions that labyrinths are structures for the cult activities of their builders is based on the fact that traces of fire were found in the central accumulations of stones of quite a few labyrinths, which was considered by researchers as a kind of altars, but at the same time there were practically no remains of ritual sacrifices.
Fire is an intense oxidation process accompanied by radiation in the visible range and the release of thermal energy. In a narrow sense, it is a collection of hot gases (low-temperature plasma) released as a result of:
A). Arbitrary/involuntary heating of a flammable material to a certain point (hereinafter, combustible materials mean materials such as wood, and not reacted components, for example, sulfur) in the presence of an oxidizing agent (oxygen);
B). Chemical reaction (in particular, explosion);
IN). Flow of electric current in a medium (electric arc, electric welding) (Wikipedia).
So, fire is a low-temperature plasma, that is, theoretically, if you light a fire in a labyrinth made of a material containing silicon, then it can work like full plasma antenna.
Perhaps, initially, this was precisely why the fire was lit in the center of the structure, and not at all for making sacrifices? This happened only later, later, when everything was forgotten, when the previous creators of this technology assimilated with the new alien tribes and lost part of their culture. Only fragments of it have survived to this day - images of labyrinths, awareness of their importance, and their purpose specifically for man, for his actions with this structure. And new people, bearers of a different worldview, began to use them in their own way - as their own ritual complexes, and not as devices with the functions inherent in them by their creators. As an example, we can recall the same Catholic “prayer labyrinths” located in some Western churches.
Interestingly, the labyrinth in the image is located in the Masonic Church of Venice, it is laid out from amazing pink quartz or granite, and the central place is marked with either white quartz crystals or rock crystal. I think it’s no accident. Masons have always been considered initiated into many secrets that are inaccessible to ordinary people, and, probably, the secret of the spiral structure is one of them...
But what could this device be intended for? The answer most likely lies in the so-called “ritual” of walking through the labyrinth.
“In the beginning was the word...”
Scientists have long proven that everything in the Universe has vibrations, everything has a wave nature - from the galaxy to the smallest particle. Back in 1924, the French physicist Louis de Broglie put forward the hypothesis that all matter is a heterogeneous combination of quanta that vibrate. Radio waves, light waves, sound waves (if there is an atmosphere) are also vibrations. The wave “pattern” is one of the distinctive features of all images in the Universe - material and immaterial. Everything obeys the single law of vibrational rhythmic movement, everything in the Universe is in constant motion, which is not chaotic, but has a certain harmony. The collective vibration of the many particles that make up a material object adds up to a certain vibrational spectrum, which exists as long as its carrier exists.
The principle of vibrations is applicable not only to material objects, but also to phenomena and processes occurring in the Universe - as part of the general rhythm given to it, which, nevertheless, is not only synchronized with general vibrations, but also has its own personal rhythm, just like material components of the Universe - from the galaxy to the smallest particle. The absence of vibrational motion in even one atom or event can destroy the entire Universe.
And man, as a part of the Universe, also has his own fluctuations. At the cellular level – some, at the organism level – others. A simple example - our organs - eyes, ears, tactile sensors on the skin perceive certain frequency ranges - the eyes see a wave from approximately 385-395 to 750-790 THz, human hearing is susceptible to the vibration range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, we can recognize by touch different states of matter - solid, liquid, jelly. And, for example, the protoplasm of a cell has a frequency of acoustic symmetrical vibrations from 1 Hz (for a radius of 10 μm) to 109 Hz (for a radius of 1 μm).
And, despite this seemingly difference in cellular frequencies and the frequencies of the organism as a whole, the organism exists and develops, which can serve as confirmation of this theory.
All oscillatory systems are characterized by the phenomenon of resonance and its antagonist - dissonance.
Resonance (from the Latin resono “I respond”) is a frequency-selective response of an oscillatory system to a periodic external influence, during which a sharp increase in the amplitude of stationary oscillations occurs. Observed when the frequency of external influence approaches certain values characteristic of a given system .
For example, absolutely all of our radio technology is based on the phenomenon of frequency resonance - the receiver is tuned into resonance with the transmitter, which is why it receives its signal. But the phenomenon of resonance cannot always occur only between material sources of waves. There are known cases of the so-called “plasma radio”, when an arc from a conductor connected to a radio tower, when it is closed, vibrates with the modulation frequency of the carrier wave and because of this, the radio broadcast is perfectly audible (in the presence of air propagating acoustic waves) directly from the arc (read plasma) .
Frequency resonance in humans occurs not only physically - the body is a cell, but also at a qualitatively different level. Metaphysical. It’s not for nothing that there is an expression in Russian “to be on the same wavelength” with someone. What does it mean to have common values, to speak a language that each other understands, in general – mutual understanding between people, internal harmony. The expression itself suggests that all of the above are also certain oscillatory structures, since they have both imagery and eventfulness, and are a process and have their carriers (resonators). For example, it is very difficult for a professor to be “on the same wavelength,” for example, with a mechanic who graduated from a vocational school, although physiologically they are both human, but due to the great difference precisely at the metaphysical level of internal development, resonance-harmony between them is unlikely.
Accordingly, a person interacts with the world and reality around him not only on the physical, but also on the wave level. This fact is proven by modern studies of human DNA. Let me give you an example of one article that is so interesting that it is better to quote it in full. “Research suggests that the genetic codes of an organism may not be located in the DNA molecule at all. When scientists placed a DNA sample in a small quartz container and irradiated it with a soft laser, they discovered that the DNA acts like a sponge, absorbing light.
Somehow, the DNA molecule absorbed all the photons of light in that location and stored them in a spiral. The molecule created a vortex that attracted light, but on a much smaller scale. It has been proven that, through an unknown process, the DNA molecule draws in photons from space. The only technology we have that could capture light in the spiral pattern scientists discovered in the DNA molecule is a fiber optic cable. But even fiber optic cables do not absorb light from the environment.
An interesting effect in these studies was this. Scientists removed the DNA molecule into a quartz container, and in the place where it was previously located, the light continued to spiral, although physically the DNA was no longer there.
Some invisible force did not need the DNA molecule at all. The only rational scientific explanation is that there is an energy field that is one with the DNA molecule, as if the DNA molecule has an energy “double.” The twin has the same shape as the physical molecule, but if the DNA is removed, the twin remains where the molecule used to be. It doesn't even require a DNA molecule to continue doing the job of storing visible light. Photons are held in place by a field.
The human body has trillions of highly specialized and structured DNA molecules. Our entire body must have an energy double. This fits perfectly with theories and observations Dreych, Gurvich, Burr And Becker about the presence of an information field that dictates to our cells what to do. It turns out that The most important job of the DNA molecule is to store light, both in the physical body and in its energetic counterpart.
When the experimenters filled the phantom with liquid nitrogen (a sudden strong cooling effect), the spiral of light disappeared, but returned again after 5-8 minutes. The ambient light again organizes itself into a unique, helical DNA pattern that remains visible for another 30 days. Information about this has been available for 25 years, but practically no one has heard about it, and the experiments themselves were repeated many times, including R. Pecoroy in USA.
Biochemist Glen Raine, a graduate of the University of London, studied how DNA reacts to the influence of consciousness. It is known that in a cell, before dividing (or if it is damaged, that is, dead), the DNA helices are separated. They begin to connect as the cell works to repair or heal itself. The extent of the connection or disconnection can be measured by how well it absorbs light at a wavelength of 260 nanometers. In his experiments, Rhine took living DNA from a human placenta, placed it in water, and stored the mixture in a beaker. Various people then tried to connect or separate the DNA with the power of thought. Control samples, with which no one tried to do anything, changed by only 1.1%, and those treated with thought - up to 10%. This meant that our thoughts enhance processes in human DNA several times. (that is, immaterial thought is capable of physically influencing material DNA precisely because of its wave nature and the presence of vibrations in DNA) .
In addition, people with the most harmonious wave radiations have the strongest ability to change the structure of DNA, and “a highly aroused individual (with a very disharmonious brain wave pattern) created an abnormal shift in the ultraviolet light” absorbed by the DNA. The change occurred at a wavelength of 310 nanometers (close to Popp's value of 380 nanometers), a wavelength that can cause cancer. An angry person also caused the DNA to stick together more tightly when combined. According to Rhine, the change in light with a wavelength of 310 nanometers could only mean that that “a change occurs in the physical and chemical structure of one or more bases of the DNA molecule.”
In another case, when DNA was placed in front of people who had harmonious brain wave packets but did not try to change the DNA, no connections or disconnections were observed in the DNA sample. Everything happened only when people wanted to do it. This strongly suggests that such effects are created by the conscious intention of people. Lew Childr could connect or separate DNA in the laboratory, being at a distance of 800 m from it. Valery Sadirin in 30 minutes he could connect DNA in the Rhine laboratory in California, while at home in Moscow, thousands of kilometers away from the laboratory. Raine noted that the key quality of energy that can create harmony in brain waves and influence DNA is radiation from the heart: “Although the techniques used by different healers are different, they all require focusing on the heart.”
In fact, microbiological evidence has been obtained that our thoughts can actually create physical and chemical changes in the structure of the DNA molecule, connect or separate it, and a connection has been established between angry thoughts and the growth of cancerous tissue." .
These experiments of Western scientists confirm, for example, experiments P.P. Garyaeva with attempts to grow ideal frogs from tadpoles, without the influence of any radiation on them. The essence of the experiment is that a frog tadpole was placed in an ideal nutrient medium in a permalloy chamber, completely shielded from any waves, including light radiation, in order to grow an ideal frog without the influence of any external factors on it. However, the frog did not work out - the result was a non-viable mutant that died after a few hours or days. The experiment was repeated many times with the same result, which leads to the conclusion that not all hereditary information is statically stored and transferred into DNA, but a significant part comes from the outside, from some source, through light, electromagnetic waves, which DNA receives like an antenna. In 1998, Garyaev developed his experience. He used laser irradiation to extract sounds from DNA molecules. Their melodies could conceivably be carriers of DNA information. A similar experiment with the effect of radiation on DNA was carried out by Garyaev in Canada in 2002 (8). It is logical to assume that the diversity of life on Earth may be due to the variety of ranges of DNA “antennas”, each receiving its own waves for which it is designed, thanks to which the very studied small percentage of DNA responsible for the “construction” of proteins creates an original organism.
One of the comparisons of the Cretan classical labyrinth is with the diagram of the human brain with the center corresponding to the location of the Epiphysis gland (also called the pineal gland).
And if we accept the idea that the labyrinth, at least considered, and maybe in general, as a device, was created, for example, to synchronize a person with certain cosmic rhythms and vibrations?
In the North of the European part of Eurasia - on the Kola Peninsula, the Solovetsky Islands, and Sweden - there are “extended” versions of the “classic” Cretan labyrinth.
With a similar plan for drawing lines and a similar shape, the right labyrinth is more complex due to the larger number of paths - twelve versus eight. The question arises - why? Is it a whim of the maze creators - a different number of paths, or is there a pattern to this?
Brain rhythms.
The human brain, like any part of it, also has certain fluctuations that affect a person’s state - his well-being (vigor, uplifting spirit, apathy, drowsiness).
Brain rhythms are diagnosable electrical oscillations of the brain - the central part of the human nervous system, which is a compact accumulation of nerve cells and their processes.
There are five main groups of brain rhythms:
1.Delta rhythms. The slowest oscillations, range from 1 to 4 Hz. They dominate at the moment a person is immersed in a state of deep sleep. Scientists also found out during experiments that stimulating delta rhythms while awake (listening to binaural beats in the delta range) helps subjects get rid of some chronic pain, reduces stress, and has a beneficial effect on consciousness.
2. Theta rhythms. Frequencies from 4 to 7 Hz. These brain frequencies are the object of numerous studies due to the fact that altered states of consciousness - hypnosis, meditation, the transition state from sleep to wakefulness (in natural conditions, without any stimulation) are invariably accompanied by an increase in these particular brain frequencies. The impact of theta waves on the brain leads to improved memory, greater control over the emotional sphere, meditative practices when exposed to theta waves bring more vivid impressions, it is easier to enter a state of self-hypnosis, dreams become vivid and more varied. Further research into the effects of theta frequencies has shown improvements in intuition, creativity, and the unlocking of the human brain. Research into the connection between theta brain activity and the Zen state (a state of deep meditation) began in 1966. Over thirty years, about 29 such studies have been conducted, during which EEG was recorded from people in a deep meditative state. Professor Takahashi recorded the EEG of people engaged in Zen practices for a long time.
As a result of this and other studies, it was proven that when in a state of deep meditation, theta rhythms begin to dominate in the anterior frontal lobes of the brain. Researchers also noted an increase in serotonin levels when exposed to theta frequencies.
There is a widely known legend that D. Mendeleev I saw my table in a dream (although this case is controversial), but some scientists actually saw their discoveries in a dream. For example, an American Elias Howe At the end of the 19th century, while developing a sewing machine, it was in a dream that he saw a solution to the problem of fabric damage with his machines. One day he dozed off over the drawings and had a dream in which he was executed by the Sultan for a poorly made sewing machine. When the guards led him to the scaffold in a dream, he noticed their spears, which had holes right above the tip. As a result, when he woke up, he developed a needle with a hole at the tip, which solved the problem.
Another case of insight in a dream state occurred with a Danish scientist Niels Bohr, who in 1913 dreamed that he found himself on the Sun, and planets were revolving around him at great speed. Inspired by this dream, Bohr created a planetary model of the structure of atoms, for which he was later awarded the Nobel Prize.
And in the middle of the 20th century, an American scientist James Watson I saw two intertwined snakes in a dream. This dream helped him become the first in the world to depict the shape and structure of DNA.
Nikola Tesla, whose inventions were many decades ahead of their time, according to his own statements, he saw key solutions to his problems during “dazzling flashes.” He saw the operation of any desired apparatus in his imagination and did without drawings. Was very sensitive to vibration, sound and light.
From the famous soothsayer and mentalist Wolf Messing in childhood he had a tendency to somnambulism, from which he was rescued, but later he was able to fall into a short-term lethargic sleep, in which he could make accurate predictions of events.
These examples show that a person is in an altered state of consciousness, when his brain operates at the frequency of theta waves in some way and, most importantly, receives information previously unknown to anyone from some source. Probably, at the moment the brain operates in the theta wave mode, it comes into resonance with a certain source or field of information, in accordance with the theories of Dreitch or Becker, in which the concept of time is missing, or it is distorted, since people see something that there were no events, new inventions – it doesn’t matter. And, most importantly, people in such a state see what they are “tuned in” to in a conscious state, what they want to solve. That is, there may be a selective focus of such a field - for example, Tesla could not predict future events, but Messing was not the inventor of instruments and mechanisms that were far ahead of his time.
3.Alpha rhythms. Oscillations from 7 to 13 Hz. They usually occur when a person is at peace, relaxed, and sometimes accompanied by a state of pleasant flow in which the person’s consciousness is located. Alpha rhythms arise in the brain when engaged in creative activity. Before going to bed, when we close our eyes, alpha waves spread through the cerebral cortex, which leads to sleep.
Research has also noted increased alpha brain activity during meditation sessions, especially in people who experienced a state of calm and focused breathing. At these moments, alpha rhythms dominated in the cerebral cortex.
In the course of numerous studies conducted by Japanese and Korean scientists, electroencephalography of the brain was taken from people engaged in various spiritual practices and meditation. About 19 such studies were conducted, each of which involved dozens of practitioners. Scientists noted increased alpha brain activity in almost all subjects; people who engaged in practices such as transcendental meditation, Zen meditation, yoga, Buddhism and others showed increased alpha brain activity.
4. Beta rhythms. Frequencies from 13 to 30 Hz. This is normal human brain activity in a conscious state. It is critical to thinking. Lack of this activity can lead to absent-mindedness syndrome, depression, and emotional disorders.
5.Gamma rhythms. Oscillations from 30 to 120 Hz. These are the highest brain frequencies that occur during active thought processes and are associated with cognitive processes occurring in the human brain. The higher the frequency of these vibrations, the faster a person can remember this or that information.
Looking again at the "extended" version of the Cretan labyrinth
Then, knowing the frequency range of the human brain in the operating modes of altered consciousness, one can see the coincidence of the number of paths of the labyrinth (12) and the frequency range from the theta rhythm to the alpha rhythm - 1-13 Hz. And given the fact that such structures could be intended for something like meditation, or synchronization (entering into resonance) of the human brain with a certain information field, the conclusion suggests itself that passing along each path of the maze could contribute to the activation of certain frequencies - from higher ones at the beginning passage, to lower ones closer to the center of the structure. And the source of low-temperature plasma in this antenna – fire, as an active part of such a plasma antenna, could exchange these frequencies between the “operator” in the labyrinth and the information field with which he is trying to resonate.
Thus, more complex labyrinths could be designed to resonate deeply, down to delta frequencies, and labyrinths with fewer paths could be antennas for shallower diving, say, to alpha and theta frequencies.
Above were examples of the experimentally established connection between the full development of the organism and the influence of wave phenomena on this. Not the least role in this process is played by light, as an information carrier of a wave nature. In complete isolation from all rhythms (including from light waves), the organism does not develop into a viable sample; its DNA, without access to light processing, does not receive an important part of information (the mechanism of interaction of DNA with light was described above by other experiments). Accordingly, if the Sun is the closest and main source of radiation in our system, then the presence of its light plays a very important role in the full development of organisms, including humans. And if this is so, then the labyrinths could have been oriented by their creators towards our star. And then the “rite” of walking through the labyrinth had to take place in sunlight, not at night - simply because at night the source of radiation carrying information goes beyond the horizon. But the orientation of the labyrinths to the Sun does not explain the fact that the labyrinths are not oriented in space according to a single system, especially since during the day the Sun changes its location in the sky.
It is well known that, for example, for meditations that are accompanied by alpha and theta rhythms, the most optimal time is at sunrise early in the morning - approximately from 4 to 6 am. It is at this time that the brain can quite easily switch to working at low frequencies, resonate with the information field, and exhibit superpowers.
If we assume that the labyrinth is a plasma antenna designed for the interaction of a human operator with the light information flow of the Sun through the amplification of alpha, theta and, perhaps, delta activity of brain waves - then in the matter of its orientation, it could occupy an important place time optimal for the required brain activity , and, accordingly, the labyrinth was synchronized with the position of the Sun at the required time, in the area where the labyrinth was planned to be laid out. Often labyrinths are located at so-called geopathogenic points - areas with a high energy background. Probably, this arrangement of the labyrinth antenna provided an additional enhancement of its properties as a plasma antenna due to the ascending vibrations of the Earth, known as resonance Schumann and, as a result, the “rite” of walking through the labyrinth could be more effective.
It is also a well-known fact that water can enhance electromagnetic vibrations (and therefore, hypothetically, any vibration). The point is, “on the surface of the water there is a contact zone between two media; the water reflects a radio signal that is “collected” by a large area of the water mirror” . The key condition here is that the water surface must be large enough in area. That is, the lake (with the exception of Baikal) is not enough for the effect. Weather conditions also play an important role in strengthening. And most of the stone labyrinths, by a “strange” coincidence, are laid out near the seas, which is why the version of labyrinths-fish traps, for example, arose.
Is it not because of the peculiarity of a large area of water that wave vibrations are amplified, that the labyrinths were laid out precisely on the sea coasts?
Conclusions.
1. Experiments by scientists with silicon as the basis for devices that transmit and receive information carried by the optical (light) method indicate that silicon is capable of not only being a semiconductor, or converting light energy into electrical energy, but also having the properties of a device that receives and transmits vibrations (light), capable of instantly “switching” from one mode to another.
2. There is an actively developing type of stable and reliable antennas - solid-state plasma antennas, the active transmitting component of which is a plasma beam formed by activation of diodes in the silicon circuits of the antenna.
3. The omnidirectional antenna has a round shape, similar to the shape of most mazes.
4. Rhythms and vibrations are the most important component of the integrity of the Universe. Oscillations in the objects of the Universe (from the atom to the Galaxy) have both their own amplitude and at the same time are harmoniously consistent with the general rhythm of the Universe. Man, as a part of the Universe, also falls under this rule.
5. Experiments by scientists have shown that the DNA of a living creature does not carry absolutely all the information about the construction and development of the organism. DNA receives a significant part of its information from... Light. Thus, being a kind of “antenna” of the body.
6. The DNA of each organism has its own original range of vibrations, therefore it “accepts” exactly those frequencies for which it is designed. In the complete absence (screening) of vibrations and radiation, the organism does not develop, but degenerates into a non-viable form.
7. The closest source of information for the Earth can only be the Sun.
8. There is a theory about a single information field that controls the development of at least biological cells (research and observations by Dreich, Gurvich, Burr and Becker).
9. The stone labyrinth was most likely made of material containing silicon in certain compounds, since, according to geological data, the silicon content in lithospheric rocks is over 50% of the total mineral content.
10. In the central “mounds” of some labyrinths, researchers found traces of the effects of fire. Fire is considered a low-temperature plasma.
11. In combination with the silicon base of the labyrinth, fire was its plasma component, which made the labyrinth an analogue of a solid-state plasma antenna.
12. Among the rhythms of the human brain, only delta-, theta-, alpha - oscillations accompany the supraconscious state - the source of expanded capabilities of the brain and the person as a whole.
13. The “enhanced” version of the “classic” Cretan labyrinth consists of 12 tracks, which fits into the range of supraconscious frequencies of the human brain - from 1 to 13 Hz.
14. Labyrinths were created by people and for people. Their features involve walking along paths to the center and back.
15. As a plasma antenna, the labyrinth could be a receiving and transmitting device that enhances both the synchronization of the rhythms of the supraconscious work of the human with the rhythms of the Universe, and a device for “exchanging” information with the information field of our system through enhancing the resonance of the supraconscious frequencies of the brain and the frequencies of the information field.
16. There is no single orientation of the labyrinths relative to the cardinal directions, because they could be oriented according to time (and, accordingly, the position of the Sun in the sky at that time in the place of display), favorable for the development of certain rhythms of the human brain.
17. The development of different levels of the human superconscious can determine the variety of labyrinths that exist at the moment.
18. A large area of water, such as the sea, can be an amplifier of wave vibrations due to the reflection of the signal “collected” by a large area of the water surface.
19. Labyrinths are often located in geopathogenic areas, which are almost always characterized by the Schumann resonance - the phenomenon of formation