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Eli Hunt - Thelostgames.com - Podcasts

Contents 1 Eli Hunt - Thelostgames.com - Podcasts 1.1 The Labyrinth 1.2 Slide details 1.2.1 Arrow 1.3 Quiz

The Labyrinth

• Watch the podcast at thelostgames.com
• Watch the podcast at dotSUB
• Downloadable slides are included in the transcript below

Picture for a moment the Greek hero Theseus, in the heart of the great labyrinth of Crete -- [onscreen] The Labyrinth With Historian Eli Hunt -- He's just killed the fearsome Minotaur. He turns and slowly, carfully, retraces his steps following the ball of strings he has laid out along the path through the labyrinth.

It's one of the oldest and best-known Greek myths. But I believe the story of the Cretan labyrinth has been misunderstood for centuries. It may be the most famous story about a labyrinth, but it is by no means a complete or necessarily accurate account of the labyrinth's true design or purpose in ancient Greek culture.

I'm Eli Hunt, and this is the true story of the labyrinth.

www.TheLostGames.com

Slide details

Arrow

Quote... (translation by j5) From Delphi Thebai (Thebes) 40 and 500 stadia, Artemis 0 degrees (540 stadia) Thermopylai (Thermopylae) two and sixty and one hundred stadia, wheat delta degrees (162 stadia, 10 degrees)

Quiz

How much do you know about the Omphalos Code?

Try the quiz.

1.What is the main difference between a maze and a classical labyrinth?

   * A maze is at least twice as big as a classical labyrinth.
   * A maze never ends in the center, while a labyrinth always ends in the center.
   * A maze has dead ends and wrong turns, but a labyrinth has only one path.
   * A maze always has walls, while a labyrinth is usually drawn on the ground.

2. What is a clew?

   * A small stone inscribed with a map of the labyrinth.
   * A ball of string used to mark the path of a labyrinth.
   * A coin engraved with a labyrinth design.
   * A statue at the center of the labyrinth.

3. What were labyrinths sometimes used to symbolize in ancient Greece?

   * an omphalos
   * a marriage site
   * a grave
   * a battleground

4. What did the walk to the center of a labyrinth and back out again symbolize?

   * The path to wisdom and enlightenment.
   * A quest to retrieve valuable treasure.
   * The journey of life, from birth to death to afterlife.
   * A dangerous trip to the underworld and back again.

5. How would sick people use the labyrinth at Epidaurus?

   * They would sing and dance in it.
   * They would hold hands and walk through it in large groups.
   * They would take medicine at the center of it.
   * They would crawl through it in the dark, and sleep in it.