labyrinth

(noun)

A maze, especially underground or covered.

Related Terms

Examples of labyrinth in the following topics:

  • Geometric Symbolism

    • Similar to the mandala, the labyrinth is a geometric pattern often used to symbolize a journey to the center or to the divine.
    • A labyrinth, though similar in appearance to a child's maze, consists of a single, non-branching path which leads to the center.
    • Labyrinths can be thought of as symbolic forms of pilgrimage.
    • Many people could not afford to travel to holy sites and lands so labyrinths and prayer substituted for such travel.
    • In prehistoric times, labyrinths may have also served as traps for malevolent spirits or as defined paths for ritual dances.

  • Development of Hearing and Balance

    • The auditory vesicle will give rise to the utricluar and saccular components of the membranous labyrinth.
    • Beginning in the fifth week of development, the auditory vesicle also gives rise to the cochlear duct, which contains the spiral organ of Corti and the endolymph that accumulates in the membranous labyrinth.
    • The basilar membrane separates the cochlear duct from the scala tympani, a cavity within the cochlear labyrinth.

  • The Minoans

    • The many rooms of the "palace" at Knossos were so oddly shaped and disordered to Evans that they reminded him of the labyrinth of the Minotaur.
    • King Minos had his court artist and inventor, Daedalus, build an inescapable labyrinth for the Minotaur to live in.

  • Overview of the Axial Skeleton

    • They are contained within the middle ear space and serve to transmit sounds from the air to the fluid-filled labyrinth (cochlea) .

  • The Vestibular System

    • Together, they make up what is known as the vestibular labyrinth .
    • The structure of the vestibular labyrinth is made up of five vestibular receptor organs in the inner ear: the utricle, the saccule, and three semicircular canals.

  • Additional Sensory Systems

    • Together with the cochlea (a part of the auditory system) it constitutes the labyrinth of the inner ear in most mammals, situated within the vestibulum in the inner ear.

  • Sculpture in the Greek Orientalizing Period

    • This style is known as Daedalic sculpture, named for the mythical creator of King Minos's labyrinth, Daedalus.

  • Minoan Architecture

    • When Sir Arthur Evans first excavated at Knossos, not only did he mistakenly believe he was looking at the legendary labyrinth of King Minos, he also thought he was excavating a palace.

  • Tombs of the Middle Kingdom

    • Among the tombs built during this time are Amenemhat I's funerary monument at El-Lisht; Sesostris I's funerary monument; Amenemhat III's pyramid at Hawara, which includes an elaborate labyrinth complex; and Sesostris II's pyramid at Illahun.

  • The Minoans

    • Minos was associated in Greek myth with the labyrinth, which is identified with the site at Knossos.