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Some 3400 years ago, an unknown scribe employed at Knossos, site of the fabled labyrinth and prison for the unfortunate Minotaur, recorded on a clay tablet the offering of a pitcher of honey to "Potnia of the Labyrinth." The first evidence for the use of Labyrinthos - the original Greek word we now know as Labyrinth. Two hundred years later, another scribe, this time at Pylos in southern Greece, from where the ships were dispatched a generation earlier for the siege of Troy, whiled away a few spare moments by inscribing a symbol on the back of another clay tablet. This tablet provides us with the first securely datable example of the classical labyrinth symbol. It is said that after the fall of Troy, the only Trojan prince to escape was the great hero Aeneas, who fled to Italy with his son in his arms and his father on his back. Many years later his great-grandson, Brutus, was sent into exile, and, after liberating the decendents of Trojan captives, supposedly brought them to a fair island in the Northern seas to found a new kingdom - Britain. Thousands of years later, nineteenth century antiquarians noted a curious custom - Welsh shepherd boys sometimes cut a labyrinth pattern into the turf as they tended their sheep on the mountains. They called these figures Caerdroia - meaning either City of Troy or City of Turnings - and said that it represented a plan of the city of Troy, defended by seven walls. Today, there is a renaissance of interest in the labyrinth as a spiritual tool amongst many diverse communities around the world. It is resurfacing as a powerful symbol in both fine art and the public conciousness. Archaeologists, historians, ethnologists and antiquarians are finding, analysing and publishing more information about their origins, distribution, purpose and construction. Puzzle mazes, themselves direct decendants from these ancient labyrinth designs, are also experiencing a remarkable revival in popularity and their creators have made many advances and innovations in their design For the past twenty four years, Caerdroia - the Journal of Mazes and Labyrinths - has been a forum for all those interested in the history, development and potential of labyrinths and mazes. It is the premier source of information for research, news, views and theories and is published annually by Jeff Saward, founder and editor of Caerdroia. Caerdroia is published by Labyrinthos - the Labyrinth Resource Centre, Photo Library and Archive. Founded in 2000 by Jeff & Kimberly Saward, it provides an information resource for those working with labyrinths and mazes, with extensive photographic and illustration libraries and professional consultation services for owners, designers, publishers and producers. Labyrinthos publishes and stocks a wide range of maze and labyrinth related books, publications and products from around the world and also provides lectures, slideshows, events and tour services for enthusiasts and pilgrims on the labyrinthine path. "This is as strange a maze as e'er man trod: |
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