The labyrinth is what? Meaning of the word

Since childhood, many remember the legend of the terrible monotonous Minotaur, whose mother, in order to hide from her human eyes her unusual child, settled in the Knossos labyrinth. This structure was so confusing that no one, except his master, could find a way out of it. The construction of labyrinths was popular not only in ancient times, but also in the Middle Ages and subsequent epochs. What is the history of the appearance of the very notion of "labyrinth" and whether it has other meanings?

The etymology of the term "labyrinth"

Before you know the meaning of this word, it is worth paying attention to its origin. Like the myth of the Minotaur, so this noun came into Russian from the ancient Greeks.

Two versions of the origin of this name are common. According to one of them, on the island of Crete the word "labyrinth" was the place where the ritual hatchet, called the Labrys, was kept. In another, the labyrinth is a fortress. In favor of this theory is the fact that in Greek there is a one-root word with it, which translates as "street" or "lane".

To the Slavs the Greek term labyrinthos came through the mediation of the German language and the word labyrinth used in it. This happened in the time of Peter I, who was very fond of this fashionable European fun. He is credited with building about ten labyrinths throughout the empire, but this is not entirely true.

In reality, only the "Garden at the Temple Pavilion" was built in Peterhof. He represented an intricate park with a swimming pool in the center with a total area of 2 hectares. It was built according to the project of Jean Baptiste Leblon and was a great place for walking on a hot summer day.

As with any innovation, a variety of rumors circulated about this. Some believed that some travelers disappeared without a trace in this strange place. Others sincerely believed that Peter's labyrinth was a secret meeting place for Freemasons. How true these assumptions were is unknown.

But among the common people the very word "labyrinth" (its meaning - below) took root for a very long time, because instead of it the name "Babylon" was used for a long time. The Babylonians were always treated with caution, believing that they have some magical properties.

For example, the famous icon of the XVIII century. - "The Labyrinth of the Spirit" - symbolized by itself how difficult it is to find the way to the Kingdom of Heaven. It was believed that if you look at it without first confessing, you can go crazy.

The term "labyrinth": lexical meaning

Thanks to the popularity of the Greek legend today, this word is still actively used in speech. And in addition to the main value, it also acquired a few additional ones. Since the XIX century. You can already meet the "labyrinth" (the meaning of the word) in the explanatory dictionary of Dahl, and later in Ozhegov, Ushakov and others.

Vladimir Dal in his work calls a maze a place from which it is difficult to find a way out because of a system of intricate paths and transitions. It seems that the lexical meaning of the word "labyrinth" and other Russian linguists are interpreted.

Today this word is called a two- or three-dimensional structure with an intricate system of paths to the exit. It can be of both stone and vegetable origin.

Other meanings of the word

In addition to the basic meaning of this noun, Vladimir Dal in his book leads and secondary. So, he calls the labyrinth of the inner part of the human ear.

But Ushakov lists in his explanatory dictionary more definitions for this term. So, in addition to the above, he mentions the figurative meaning of the word: the tangled interweaving of something (a labyrinth of thoughts, a labyrinth of feelings). As an example, a quotation from Saltykov-Shchedrin is quoted: "If I do not break off at once, I'll probably get confused in the labyrinth of self-challenges and self-expression."

Today, the labyrinth is also a protective device for a computer hard drive, as well as the name of a board game by a Russian publishing house and a bookstore.

In addition, the popularity of this term has served to the fact that over the past 30 years, five movies have been shot, in the title of which this word appears. There are also several books with this title and music albums.

Fayum labyrinth

One of the first mentions of the structure-labyrinth belongs to the father of history - Herodotus. He described the temple of the Egyptian deity with the head of a crocodile, who was worshiped in Shedite (Herodotus called this city "Krokodilopol"). The purpose of constructing the Fayum labyrinth is not exactly known, it is commonly believed that it was intended for carrying out various religious rituals, as well as for storing treasures. According to the stories of the ancients, the system of moves, columns and niches allowed a person who does not know his device to wander in this place for several days, or even weeks.

Of the ruins left in its place today, it is difficult to understand how difficult this building was in fact, but, judging by the description of the father of history, it looked truly luxurious. By the way, this maze is described in the novel of Boleslaw Prus "Pharaoh".

Greek, Roman, Indian labyrinths

The famous Knossos labyrinth was made in the image of Fayumsky, but much inferior to it in size. He also served as a cult structure, but the deity was not a crocodile, like the Egyptians, but a bull (probably from here and the legend of the Minotaur). His creation is attributed to Daedalus himself. Unlike the Egyptian location of this is still unknown.

In addition to Cretan, there was another famous Greek labyrinth. However, where he was exactly, is unknown. Various historians called the location of the island of the Aegean: Samos or Lemnos. In connection with these there is a version that the labyrinth of the Minotaur could not be on Crete at all. But until the ruins of at least one of them have been found, all these are just naked theories.

Of course, the Romans, who adopted from the Greeks their culture, could not resist and not build their own labyrinths. Most of them have not reached our days, however, in the ghost town of Pompeii, where time seemed to be frozen, two small houses-a labyrinth with amazing mosaics, illustrating the myth of the Minotaur remained intact. It is believed that the Romans maze - it was also popular children's fun. Just like the Greeks, they sometimes used this structure for religious purposes, as evidenced by the royal burial mound in Clusium, consisting of an intricate system of funerary rooms.

By the way, in India, too, the cult of this structure was spread. Hindus believed that evil demons can only move straight, so when entering the temples and houses, they made small labyrinths to protect themselves.

Labyrinths in the Middle Ages

With the transformation of Christianity into the dominant religion of Europe, the love of intricate structures survived its new rise. Initially, labyrinths were decorated with the floors of churches and cathedrals, symbolizing human sinfulness. A little later, religious labyrinths began to be used for various productions, in particular for staging trips to Jerusalem.

Labyrinths in Great Britain and France

Since the XIII century. These buildings began to be used as exotic decor in the world. Since it was impractical to build and maintain stone structures of this type, labyrinths-gardens gradually became fashionable. They were particularly popular in France, Great Britain, and also in Italy. The creation of such entertainment has become a real art, popular to this day.