598 words
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When my school days were coming to an end, while wondering what the hell I was going to do for a living, I would often to go into Walter Mitty/Billy Liar mode and fantasise about what would be my dream job. Maze designer/builder was one job always on the short list, if not on the “Positions Vacant” notice board at the local employment agency. I did say fantasy vocation because the practice of designing mazes would undoubtedly find me falling well short what I imagine to be the Everest-like barrier of mathematical competence required to actually do the job. Nonetheless the mystery of mazes, their unseen, René Magritte-like quality, has always held an attraction for me. The intellectual challenge of creating an amusing frivolity of a physical puzzle to test navigation skills which was at the same time aesthetically highly pleasing to look at, was a deep appeal.
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| Hampton Court Palace Hedge Maze: one of the world’s most famous mazes |
Labyrinth v Maze: Unicursal and Multicursal
Whenever the topic is broached there’s a tendency to lump the maze and the labyrinth together as synonyms. It’s more accurate to see the maze as we think of it today—a network of paths and (typically) high hedges designed as a puzzle for those venturing inside it to find a way out—as something that evolved from the labyrinth, a single winding path not meant to confuse or puzzle. Labyrinths are redolent of symbolism, the journey is intended to be a spiritual one, guiding the visitor along a single, twisting yet serene path (‘The Winding History of the Maze’, Natasha Geiling, Smithsonian Magazine, 31-Jul-2014, www.smithsonianmag.com).
The maze’s antecedent has a long history. The earliest surviving record of a labyrinth in history is the result of a visit to 5th century BC Egypt by the ”Ur-historian” of Ancient Greece, Heredotus. The most famous labyrinth in antiquity is associated with the mythic Minotaur of Ancient Crete.
A maze to entertain
During the Middle Ages the maze‘s religious-spiritual element takes a backseat to the secular and recreational. European royalty starts to create garden mazes in palaces for the entertainment of themselves and their VIP guests. The intricate and deceptive twists and turns of the maze made for a new and amusing pastime.
Some types of mazes
Hedge maze: this evolved from the formally designed, square-framed Renaissance Knot Garden. The early hedge mazes were very low garden walls or dividers planted with herbal shrubs…a notable example is the labyrinth feature of Louis XIV’s Palace of Versailles.
Corn maze: (known as maize maze in the UK) corn mazes constricted from corn fields are a fairly recent rural phenomena originating in the US, circa early 1980s. Farmers have created them with a view to attracting the tourist dollar. The designs of corn maizes are varied and include artistic designs based on themes embodying film and popular culture.
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| A themed German corn maze |
The evolution of mazes has not meant labyrinths have gone the way of the dinosaur. In todays’s complicated and stressful world they are again in growing demand—in public parks, ashrams, hospitals, prisons, etc—where they provide a setting for therapeutic and meditative pursuits.
Footnote: Various strategies get circulated purporting to identify the best (quickest) method for escaping the maze. These include just keep turning left and this will eventually lead to an exit. A similar theory postulated advocates keeping one hand on the wall at all times while moving forward (the flaw with this is that in more complex mazes not all the walls are contiguous with the outer perimeter wall of the maze).
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