Greek Meander Key...of life

[Lakonian]

Many believe this just to be a very simple geometric design....some say its the outline of the Meander river which is now belonging to the Turks....others that it means internity....infinite creative energy.....genetic code....take your pick....

[Lakonian]

What I am talking about here is "hidden" knowledge, i tried avoiding the above thoughts of what the jey ment due to their frequently hubristic and unpious connotations, not to mention hotly debated definition of the key and many other ancients greek symbols.....alas, i have given it a shot.

[Orphic_Hymn]

What you've posted isn't a pic of a meandros but of a labyrinth.

[Lakonian]

Originally Posted by Orphic_Hymn

What you've posted isn't a pic of a meandros but of a labyrinth.

Your wrong, there many forms of teh meander key, outvert, invert, andthe maze of minos.....the swastika is also a form of the meander key.....

[Orphic_Hymn]

True, but all I mean is that the labyrinth while based on the principles of the maiandros isn't actually one itself.

[olvios]

The maze of Minos was probably inspired after the cracked some guys head and they saw the human brain.Its identical and the Minotaur's symbolism with Theseus is excellent.

[Lakonian]

Originally Posted by olvios

The maze of Minos was probably inspired after the cracked some guys head and they saw the human brain.Its identical and the Minotaur's symbolism with Theseus is excellent.

Excellent observation olvios, i see you study. I have read many analogies of Greek symbolism, and i agree with one only so far. It seems, Theseus represents the human soul..he ventures to the depths of the human psyche ( the brain as you call it) or the labrynth, and faces his darkest thoughts or fears...once he has conqoured this monster , (who realy is himself) he has cleaned himslef of mortal sins and so learns the secret of life itself, a step closer to the meaning of life? I dont know.

It seems this process was then transfered to the Eulesian mysteries etc....

Madusa, who is alwas depicted with the meander thread aswell has been intepreted as a dark soul, Medusa is beautiful, but her psyche is ugly, Perseus reveals this to her ( the mirror/shield) an she cant bear the truth.....

Again, there are many version and meanings...i think some by logic can be left aside for the dreamers....but mystiscm is nothing new for the ancient Greeks...it was only held in secrecy because not all can take the truth...as many myths reveal.

[Lakonian]

I think these qoutes are fitting for this subject.

The Universe is built on a plan, the profound symmetry of which is somehow present in the inner structure of our intellect.-Paul Valéry



The story of the stars, that of life, of human beings, and of thought, are one and the same story.
Yves Coppens

[Alita]

Originally Posted by Lakonian

Your wrong, there many forms of teh meander key, outvert, invert, andthe maze of minos.....the swastika is also a form of the meander key.....

And the one on Philip's Macedonian shield in Pella actually shows the swastika on it clearly.

[Andrew]

Guys I don't know about all that because I'm rational to the bone . So somethings I see them like this :
1) MEANDER , well we have it in geometrical period in which the rectangular geomerty is more easier than the curle one for a sculptor to make it.Or if you like a rough , protogeomentric rapresentation of the sea waves ...and we know what sea ment for the Ancient Greeks ..no ??


2) LABYRINTH , well if I'm not mistaken it only means "room of the Labrys (minoic double axes). Knowing that Minoic architecture was far more complex from the proto-Mycenean one ..when the first Myceneans entered in the Minoic Palace with it's multi-rooms and the tube drainage system they thought that they were in a maze.

All though I loved the correlation with tha human brain ...that was brilliant

3) The myth of the Minotaur that eats people , I think is correlated to the deaths that could be caused in the minoic tauromachies . And the mythological Athenean-Minoic conflict I think was a symbolic memory of a remoted conflict among proto-Greeks (IE settlers) and the pre-Greeks (Aegean people ...Minoic,Cycladitic,Carian ... all that)

4) About MEDUSA , Paola Philipson said that was original one godess with PERSEPHONE (letteraly "killed by Perseus ("the conqueror")") and that is another mythological symbol left to remind the cultural conflict between pre-Greeks and Proto-Greeks. The last killed "bad Medusa" and gave birth to the virgin "Kore"/"Persephone".

5) Generally , I believe that MYTH was the very first attempt of the human mind to desribe the World , pack the conclusions in symbolic easy and worthy to remember stories so that they can be transfered to the next generations.