Question by Phantom_Of3: What is the history of Roman Catholic labyrinths? Is there pagan history/relation behind them?
Why don’t most Christian protestants (like me) prefer to use labyrinths (which started with Roman Catholicism)? Why do some claim there is paganism behind labyrinths? What is the history of labyrinths?
Best answer:
Answer by Cold Truth
Something to do with the Troll King and a weired looking puppet called Hoggle.
Give your answer to this question below!
What exactly are you alluding to?
Jareth snatched toby to lure sarah into the labyrinth
Just what would you use a labyrinth for? Not sure if the word came from the Greek but it is used in association with an underground maze or lair in Greek mythology.
Labyrinths have been used by a wide variety of cultures for at least 3,500 years. Evidence of ancient labyrinths exists in Crete, Egypt, Italy, Scandinavia, and North America. Ancient labyrinths had what is usually called the “classical” design of seven rings, or circuits. They were decidedly pagan in function: many labyrinths were dedicated to a goddess and used in ritualistic dances. The Hopi Indians saw the labyrinth as a symbol of Mother Earth, and the hundreds of stone labyrinths along the Scandinavian shoreline were used as magic traps for trolls and evil winds to ensure safe fishing.
In the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church adapted the labyrinth for its own purposes within its cathedrals. The classical form gave way to a more intricate design of 11 circuits in 4 quadrants, usually called the “medieval” design. Within Catholicism, the labyrinth could symbolize several things: the hard and winding road to God, a mystical ascension to salvation and enlightenment, or even a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for those who could not make the actual journey.
There’s only one Labarynth I know of here in Pittsburgh, and it’s in a Presbyterian church.
Oy. Do you honestly think that ANYTHING actually started when Rome Christianized? They just grabbed a bunch of stuff from various surrounding traditions and shoved it together.
visit http://www.labyrinthsociety.org for lots of history on labyrinths on every continent. You will also find the Labyrinth Locator listed there (see upper right hand corner of home page)- put in your city, state, country etc and find labyrinths in your area. Currently there are over 3400 labyrinths listed on the site.