The Labyrinth is at best a tangled maze, full of information and truths which not everyone wishes to see. As yet, a great deal of it remains unmapped and the information contained in those parts is as yet inaccessible to the casual visitor. To assist those who are interested in the maze, the exploration team created the Room of Doors. More paths will be added as the work progresses.
According to Greek legend, the Labryinth was constructed by the king of Crete after he refused to sacrafice a bull to Poseidon. Posedion, angered by the king's refusal, caused the queen to fall in love with the bull and she eventually bore a half-man/half-bull creature known as the Minotaur. The king, horrified at the monster, constructed a maze which could contain the creature and routinely sent tribute (in the form of young humans into the maze to feed the Minotaur. The Minotaur was finally destroyed by Theseus, who used a skein of thread to tell him the way out of the maze.
The maze was known as the Labryinth due to the inscription above the door, which dedicated the structure to Labrys, a Cretan diety of which little is known. Legend aside, however, there is no archaelogical indication that this edifice actually existed as reviewed. Current scholars specualte that the maze arose from the intricacy of the pillared corridors at Knossoss, where the king of Crete has his palace. There is also speculation that the maze-like structure may have actually been similar to the Elizabethan hedge-mazes still seen throughout England and that its shape is lost because of multiple years of unrestrained growth in shrubbery. Whatever the case, the Labyrinth now exists only in stories, and this website is named in its honor.
This website is the creation of John Stradling and is protected by copyright laws in the United States and abroad. Except where noted, the material is property of John Stradling, and is copyrighted effective whatever date is noted as being the most recent update. Any further disclaimers or legal information which is found further into the Labyrinth takes precedence for that portion; this notice serves the remainder of the site.
Any person or group which wishes to utilize this material is free to do so, either by link or quotation, providing that any such use is credited appropriately. All inquiries as to any use may be directed to John Stradling at selric13@yahoo.com.
Unless otherwise noted, all pictures, animated GIF files and backgrounds were created by John Stradling or his assistants. Animation of GIF files was accomplished through the use of GIF Construction Set Professional, a shareware program available from Alchemy Mindworks. Registration of the program is only $20 and an evaluation copy is available to try before laying out any money. If you are in the market for a good GIF animator, check these guys out!
The WebCounter found in a number of the rooms is the work of Digits.com. Our sincere thanks to these people who have built the counters and added some 200 counter styles to choose from.
This page last updated on 25 March 2003 by John Stradling. All rights reserved.