Discover Maze Myths

Myths about mazes are surprisingly similar wherever they are found in the world. They were once incantations for fertility magic and exorcism, but from the time of the Ancient Romans they have also held a deep moral symbolism.

You can find out about the essential elements which underpin all maze myths, and discover how key features of the myths vary by religion. There are tales from Ancient Greece, India, English Ballads, Teutonic Sagas and Amerindian Myths of Origin.

The Theseus Myth of the Ancient Greeks

The hero had to solve the labyrinth on Crete and escape the monstrous Minotaur. Of course, the monster never existed - it was a symbol of divine retribution. The escape of Theseus from punishment was a symbol of divine mercy - a theme which made this pagan myth uniquely acceptable to Christians. The myth has become so well-known, and was so brilliantly crafted as an adventure, that it successfully concealed the mystery of the geometry of the labyrinth for thousands of years.

The tale of Abhimanyu, from the Indian scripture Mahabharata

The story of the son of the hero Arjuna reads like a fairytale, but a second look shows that it reveals how a boy had greater spiritual maturity than his famous father, and might have achieved the ultimate goal of Brahmanism.

The Ballad of Rosamund, from England

An English folk-song was about a King's "affair of the heart", concealed in a maze. Find out the dark secret of local heroine Rosamund Clifford, and her dreadful fate.

Wayland's Saga, the teutonic myth

The story reveals the brutal crimes which led the greatest smith in the world to be condemned by monks to shoe the horses of all and sundry for a pittance on Salisbury Plain - if you ever dare approach his grave !

The tale of Iitoi, from the Myth of Origin of Pueblo Indians

The flood myth of the South-West American Indians (famous for living in their adobe villages) reveals how the ghost of the hero took his revenge on people who had ignored his moral guidance and murdered him.