Labyrinth: Symbol of Fear, Rebirth, and Liberation

by Helmut Jaskolski

A labyrinth is an ancient circular diagram found in cultures around the world. Since antiquity, stories of the labyrinth—closely associated with the ancient sages of the Minotaur, Theseus and Ariadne, and Daedalus and Icarus—have caught the Western imagination. In fact, the labyrinth as an object of contemplation and meditation might be considered the "mandala" of the Western world.

In its classical form, this sacred diagram consists of a single circular path with no possibility of going astray (as in the church type of labyrinth, exemplified by the labyrinth of Chartres Cathedral in France). In contrast, the modern labyrinth (more properly called a maze) is a system of misleading paths with a multitude of choices, some of which turn out to be dead ends—a metaphor for a difficult, confusing situation that may end in either good or ill fortune.

Taking an approach both reflective and playful, Helmut Jaskolski traces our fascination with this ambiguous ancient motif and shows, through stories ranging from myths and medieval tales to the labyrinthine fiction of Umberto Eco, that the labyrinth is a living symbol for our time.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[John Fredrickson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book opened well, with discussions of the differences between labyrinths and mazes, and continuing on to considerations of the myth of the Minotaur from several angles. These chapters were engaging and very informative. The author is very knowledgeable and well read, but the book exhibits what feels to me like a lack of discipline. The subtitle of the book indicates that the labyrinth is a symbol of fear, rebirth, and liberation. While these things were indeed discussed, the text does not succeed in convincing that the labyrinth is a symbol for any of these.

Once the author moves to his "Liberation" chapter (the fourth chapter), the focus becomes very diffuse and often very speculative. This and subsequent chapters use the object of a labyrinth only as a metaphor for digressive, error-prone ventures. I found these later chapters to be tiresome, and found the speculative digressions distracting at best.

[Josephine Ensign · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting ramble of a book, although annoyingly 'jokey' in places where it just didn't seem to fit.