An Introduction to the Typology
of Labyrinths and Mazes

by Jeff Saward, editor of Caerdroia

In dealing with a subject as varied and complex as labyrinths and mazes, it is essential to make definitions that can be clearly explained. The first task is to clarify the difference between a labyrinth and a maze. While the terms are often used interchangeably, many historians and enthusiasts are passionate about which is which. Look up the words in a good dictionary and you will probably conclude that a maze is a labyrinth and a labyrinth is a maze.

However, in the English-speaking world it is often considered that to qualify as a maze, a design must have choices in the pathway. Clearly, this multicursal category will include many of the modern installations in entertainment parks and tourist attractions, which exist solely for the purpose of perplexing visitors, as well as the traditional hedges mazes in public parks and private gardens around the world.

To qualify as a maze, a design must have choices in the pathway

Popular consensus also indicates that labyrinths have one pathway that leads inexorably from the entrance to the goal, albeit often by the most complex and winding of routes.

To qualify as a labyrinth, a design should have but one path

These unicursal designs have been known as labyrinths for thousands of years, and to qualify as a labyrinth, a design should have but one path. However, the dividing line between what constitutes a maze or a labyrinth can sometimes become blurred, as mazes with single paths and labyrinths with more than one path can exist, although their intent is usually clear from their designs.

While this debate is easily resolved, much more heated discussion has surrounded attempts to establish a system of classification for different types of labyrinths and mazes. During the last fifty years various systems have been proposed to define the individual forms of labyrinths and mazes. They are often over-complicated and confusing to the general reader. The system given here is designed for clarity and relative simplicity, and is based largely on structural differences, classified according to cultural and developmental origins.

Follow the links below for further details.

Classification of Labyrinths

Classification of Mazes

Copies of both the UK
and USA edition of
"Labyrinths & Mazes"
Jeff Saward's definitive
guide to the history and development of labyrinths
and mazes worldwide
are now available directly
from Labyrinthos

© Labyrinthos 2003 ~ this page last updated 20/02/2004