The Labyrinth

The Labyrinth is a magical structure created to hold the Minotaur.

History[]

The Labyrinth is both a seven-dimensional maze and a curse meant to confuse and trap anyone within it. It was originally created in ancient Crete to hold the Minotaur, but may have been dismantled or destroyed by the Greek hero Theseus.

For at least three millennia, up to the modern day, the Labyrinth was controlled by the Golden Axe Food Company, using a room full of Minoan artifacts to power it, including the original thread that Theseus used to navigate it. The company sacrificed young people to the Minotaur within the Labyrinth in exchange for the company's prosperity.

When the Librarians came to investigate the company, they were trapped within the Labyrinth, but managed to unravel the thread and de-power the Labyrinth, causing it to fade away.^[1]

Appearance & Properties[]

The Labyrinth functions as both a physical space and a curse.

As a physical space, it is a huge, seven-dimensional maze, designed to both contain the Minotaur and trap the Minotaur's prey within it. The maze is made up of a series of interconnected rooms and hallways, ranging in style from an office building to old caves. The Labyrinth appears to exist outside of standard space, taking up far more room than could be found in an office basement, and portions of it defy the laws of physics. Notable areas include the "Human Resources" room, which is actually filled with stacks of skulls, likely the Minotaur's previous victims, and the Escher-esque room of stairs. The older parts of the Labyrinth feature Cretan art, including stylized paintings of bulls.

The curse of the Labyrinth is a confusion and space-warping spell that follows any victims who escape the physical Labyrinth. When the curse is active, the Labyrinth itself starts appearing in the outside world, in the form of art. Attempts to ask for directions result in the cursed person hearing gibberish. The Minotaur has the ability to follow its prey into the wider world through the curse. Even a magical escape route, such as the Back Door, can be tied into the Labyrinth's curse.

At the centre of the Labyrinth is the control room, the room full of Minoan artifacts that powers the maze and curse. Both the Labyrinth and the control room are accessible from the Golden Axe Food Company's headquarters in Boston. The Labyrinth is found in the basement, while the artifacts room is disguised as the server room, which requires a magical keycard to access.^[1]

Trivia[]

The name 'labyrinth' appears to be derived from 'labrys' (a double-headed axe), and may refer to the 'endless edge' of the blades on that weapon.
The idea of the Labyrinth as a curse came about because the writers didn't want to have the characters spending forty minutes running through hallways.^[2]
Writer Jeremy Bernstein spent a lot of time on the phone with his dad, who has a PHd in topology, trying to figure out how the Labyrinth would work and what a seven-dimensional structure might be.^[2]