Labyrinths Trivia Quiz

Answer: a labyrinth only has one path that winds around

Labyrinths are thousands of years older than mazes and although historians and anthropologists debate their original purpose, most cultures share the same basic design and layout for labyrinths. The first recognizable labyrinths date to 2500 BC, though some historians say that cave drawings in Australia and Greece, of spirals and labyrinthine structures, predate that time by 1000 years or so.

Answer: circle and spiral

The earliest recognizable pictures of labyrinths appear on caves in Sardinia dated to 2500 BC. Older spirals that hint of labyrinths appear in Australian aboriginal pictographs and in caves in the American southwest.

Answer: 7

This seven-circuit labyrinth appears in drawings and ruins in cultures as widely disparate as Hopi Indian, Welsh, Hindu Indian, and ancient Greek. There are turf-type labyrinths in Welsh ruins and hillsides, while Greek temples circa 1000 BC show labyrinths as part of cult worship rituals.

Answer: to trap evil winds and ensure good fishing

Most of these "turf-maze" labyrinths are about 40-50 feet in diameter, date from the 15th century and are plainly visible, though many are now in overgrown fields or on private property. Norwegians thought that evil sea trolls could also be trapped at the center of these labyrinths.

Answer: David Bowie

I loved this movie! It was little puppety-cheesy, but David Bowie can overcome anything. Along with "The Neverending Story" and "The Dark Crystal", it composes the trio of fantasy movies that were a hallmark of the mid-80s.

Answer: staircases

Escher designed his drawing to have three centers of gravity, each with a garden as a foundation. The figures that follow the staircases are faceless, suggesting that Everyman is in a labyrinth, no matter which Garden we come from. If you're stressed, just follow the staircases with your finger until you're relaxed.

Answer: A village maiden who represented a king's daughter trapped by trolls

Many ancient European and Mediterranean cultures had labyrinthine rituals that were sexual in nature. The Maiden's Ring was one of several examples. The ice and snow were probably symbolic of the alleged virginity of the "prize." It could also have been the fact that it was cold in these climates!

Answer: Daedalus

Daedalus, father of the ill-fated Icarus (he who flew too close to the sun and created a famous metaphor when his wings melted and he plunged to a watery death), was an unparallelled inventor in Greek mythology. He also invented or designed carpentry, compasses, and the wooden bull that allowed Minos' wife, Pasiphae, to mate with the bull that spawned the Minotaur in the first place. Good times!

Answer: privet hedges and other hedge types

One of the ways mazes are different from labyrinths in that the purpose of a maze is to delight and confuse, while some of a labyrinth's purposes are for meditation, prayer, games, and religious rituals. Nowadays, most of us use the two terms as synonyms.

Answer: Chartres

The Chartres labyrinth (circa 1200) takes up much of the space within the cathedral's main floor. The pews are arranged over it, though it is open to the public once a week for walking.