PART 4 Questions 31–40 Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Labyrinths
Definition
• a winding spiral path leading to a central area
Labyrinths compared with mazes
• Mazes are a type of 31
− 32 is needed to navigate through a maze
− the word ‘maze’ is derived from a word meaning a
feeling of
33
• Labyrinths represent a journey through life
− they have frequently been used in 34 and prayer
Early examples of the labyrinth spiral
• Ancient carvings on 35 have been found across
many cultures
• The Pima, a Native American tribe, wove the symbol on
baskets
• Ancient Greeks used the symbol on 36
Walking labyrinths
• The largest surviving example of a turf labyrinth once
had a big 37 at its centre
Labyrinths nowadays
• Believed to have a beneficial impact on mental and
physical health, e.g., walking a maze can reduce a
person’s 38 rate
• Used in medical and health and fitness settings and also
prisons
• Popular with patients, visitors and staff in hospitals
− patients who can’t walk can use ‘finger labyrinths’ made
from
39
− research has shown that Alzheimer’s sufferers
experience
less 40
Audioscripts PART 4
Labyrinths have existed for well over 4,000 years. Labyrinths and
labyrinthine symbols have been found in regions as diverse as
modern-day Turkey, Ireland, Greece, and India. There
are various designs of labyrinth but what they all have in common
is a winding spiral path which leads to a central area. There is one
starting point at the entrance and the goal is to reach the central
area. Finding your way through a labyrinth involves many twists
and turns, but it’s not possible to get lost as there is only one
single path.
In modern times, the word labyrinth has taken on a different
meaning and is often used as a synonym for a maze. A maze is
quite different as it is a kind of puzzle with an intricate network of
paths. Mazes became fashionable in the 15th and 16th centuries
in Europe, and can still be found in the gardens of great houses
and palaces. The paths are usually
surrounded by thick, high hedges so that it’s not possible to see
over them. Entering a maze usually involves getting lost a few
times before using logic to work out the pattern and find your way
to the centre and then out again. There are lots of dead ends and
paths which lead
you back to where you started. The word ‘maze’ is believed to
come from a Scandinavian word for a state of confusion. This is
where the word ‘amazing’ comes from. Labyrinths, on the other
hand, have a very different function. Although people now often
refer to things they find complicated as labyrinths, this is not how
they were seen in the past. The winding spiral of the labyrinth has
been used for centuries as a metaphor for life’s journey. It served
as a spiritual reminder that there is purpose and meaning to our
lives and helped to give people a sense of direction. Labyrinths
are thought to encourage a feeling of calm and
have been used as a meditation and prayer tool in many cultures
over many centuries.
The earliest examples of the labyrinth spiral pattern have been
found carved into stone, from Sardinia to Scandinavia, from
Arizona to India to Africa. In Europe, these spiral carvings date
from the late Bronze Age. The Native American Pima tribe wove
baskets with a circular
labyrinth design that depicted their own cosmology. In Ancient
Greece, the labyrinth spiral was used on coins around four
thousand years ago. Labyrinths made of mosaics were commonly
found in bathhouses, villas and tombs throughout the Roman
Empire.
In Northern Europe, there were actual physical labyrinths
designed for walking on. These were cut into the turf or grass,
usually in a circular pattern. The origin of these walking labyrinths
remains unclear, but they were probably used for fertility rites
which may date back
thousands of years. Eleven examples of turf labyrinths survive
today, including the largest one at Saffron Walden, England,
which used to have a large tree in the middle of it.
More recently labyrinths have experienced something of a revival.
Some believe that walking a labyrinth promotes healing and
mindfulness, and there are those who believe in its emotional and
physical benefits, which include slower breathing and a restored
sense of balance and perspective. This idea has become so
popular that labyrinths have been laid into the floors of spas,
wellness centres and even prisons in recent years.
A pamphlet at Colorado Children’s Hospital informs patients that
‘walking a labyrinth can often calm people in the midst of a crisis’.
And apparently, it’s not only patients who benefit. Many visitors
find walking a labyrinth less stressful than sitting in a corridor or
waiting room.
Some doctors even walk the labyrinth during their breaks. In
some hospitals, patients who can’t walk can have a paper ‘finger
labyrinth’ brought to their bed. The science behind the theory is a
little sketchy, but there are dozens of small-scale studies which
support claims
about the benefits of labyrinths. For example, one study found
that walking a labyrinth provided ‘short-term calming, relaxation,
and relief from anxiety’ for Alzheimer’s patients.
So, what is it about labyrinths that makes their appeal so
universal? Well …
