Amazing? What is a labyrinth?

Walking at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens this morning, my friend and I happened across the "new walking labyrith". At first we saw signs for it and were all excited, and as we followed the signs for it, we postulated about it having legs and walking away from us as fast as we were walking towards it..... and then we found it. And son, we were disappoint. :(

It was a circle with a spiral path to the centre. The turns of the spiral were separated by two-inch-high grass. We could see all the way across the twenty-foot or so labyrith. We were invited by a sign to "traverse" it (language nazi says argh!) by walking slowly and contemplating inner peace (yes, it is Ann Arbor, what made you ask?)

No dead ends, no choices, no wrong decisions to be made, no anticipation of where the path might lead.....

So I googled labyrinth when I got home and found this:

Labyrinths and mazes have often been confused. When most people hear of a labyrinth they think of a maze. A labyrinth is not a maze. A maze is like a puzzle to be solved. It has twists, turns, and blind alleys. It is a left brain task that requires logical, sequential, analytical activity to find the correct path into the maze and out.

A labyrinth has only one path. It is unicursal. The way in is the way out. There are no blind alleys. The path leads you on a circuitous path to the center and out again.

from here

So then I pulled out my Shorter Oxford, which made no mention of this alternate/original meaning:

1) A structure consisting of a complex network of tunnels, paths, etc. through which it is difficult to find one's way, a maze.....
2) A complex or confusing situation
3) (anatomical along that theme)
4) (engineering/electonical along that theme)

So I checked with the source of all that is true, Wikipedia, which has both meanings.

To my mind, they are mutually exclusive ideas. Maybe that makes labyrinth an autoantonym. Can nouns be autoantonyms? I guess this should be in the philosophy or nothing forum, but it isn't so there.

So which definition do you support -Maze, or Unicursal Path? Or Autoantonym?

Discuss. If you feel like it and/or have work to avoid...

Maze. Otherwise how could Icarus and his dad have been lost in one for so long?

And Theseus wouldn't have needed the string....

And where would the Minotaur exist except at the center of the Cretan Labyrinth?

(edit: what monster said) :)

but but but, that single path thing is ancient too.

It's a movie

Ugh, is that what you call that production, a movie?

;)

In common usage I would assume labyrinth = maze.

However, I have been to the type that you are talking about as well, also specifically called a "walking labyrinth." The path delineations were made with small rocks, the whole area was no more than about 30 feet on a side, and you were supposed to simply walk to the center and out again while meditating. We were given a little candle to hold too, and told to focus our eyes on the flame, letting our feet "find" the way on their own (not our peripheral vision, no, it was our feet sensing the energy of the path or whatever nonsense...)

Anyway, it ended up being a very nice and calming little experience. Same as any other kind of meditation activity I guess.

You call it labyrinth, we call it maze.

[YOUTUBE]cuOlD0JZhM4[/YOUTUBE]

Uni circle. I know because my days are spent walking in circles and coming out at the same place. :p:

Fun links with downloads.
virtual labyrinth.http://labyrinthsociety.org/flash/labyrinth.htm

The labyrinth societyhttp://labyrinthsociety.org/virtual-labyrinth-walk

I always equated the two, until a few months ago I saw what you described, with an explanation like you gave, of the difference. I just accepted it, probably because I hadn't experienced the anticipation and disappointment you did.

Monster, maybe you can find a corn field maze for Halloween. After seeing Jeepers Creepers, that is.;)

I thought a labyrinth was part of the female genitalia.

monster;687067 wrote:

And Theseus wouldn't have needed the string....

Exactly!!!

monster;687067 wrote:

And Theseus wouldn't have needed the string....

Isn't that a book for looking up words that are like other words?

HungLikeJesus;687183 wrote:

Isn't that a book for looking up words that are like other words?

No, that's the Republican manifesto.

It's Greek to me.

HungLikeJesus;687179 wrote:

I thought a labyrinth was part of the female genitalia.

:lol2:

Labyrinth -feminine hygiene for those with a lisp.....

A Unicursal Path- How to keep a new ager busy all day

HungLikeJesus;687179 wrote:

I thought a labyrinth was part of the female genitalia.

No, that is their minds.