The Labyrinth may be the most well-known and widespread symbol to come out of ancient Minoan spirituality, but it's a static image. What if it were to come alive, to move, to dance? We think it did so on ancient Crete, and it still does today in Greek folk dances. And the motions of this sinuous dance have many layers of meaning. Let’s explore some of them. Maybe we’ll be inspired to set our own feet moving.
The Labyrinth-in-motion I’m talking about is known as the Crane Dance or Geranos Dance (the word geranos is Greek for ‘crane’ – the bird, not the construction equipment). The Greeks immortalized it in their version of the story about the Labyrinth and the "monster" Minotaur, a story that's Greek, not Minoan, but hey, we work with what we've got. Please keep in mind as you read the following that much of the Labyrinth-and-Minotaur story is a purposely altered version of Minoan myth and that Ariadne, Minos, and the Minotaur were originally deities, not humans or monsters.
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