Troy Town

Last updated
"The City of Troy" near Dalby, North Yorkshire, is said to be Europe's smallest turf maze. Dalby City of Troy turf maze.jpg
"The City of Troy" near Dalby, North Yorkshire, is said to be Europe's smallest turf maze.

Many turf mazes in England were named Troy Town, Troy-town or variations on that theme (such as Troy, The City of Troy, Troy's Walls, Troy's Hoy, or The Walls of Troy) presumably because, in popular legend, the walls of the city of Troy were constructed in such a confusing and complex way that any enemy who entered them would be unable to find his way out. Welsh hilltop turf mazes (none of which now exist) were called "Caerdroia", which can be translated as "City of Troy" (or perhaps "castle of turns").

Contents

W. H. Matthews, in his Mazes and Labyrinths (1922), gives the name as "Troy-town". [1] More recent writers (such as Adrian Fisher, in The Art of the Maze, 1990) prefer "Troy Town".

The name "Troy" has been associated with labyrinths from ancient times. An Etruscan terracotta wine-jar from Tragliatella, Italy, shows a seven-ring labyrinth marked with the word TRUIA (which may refer to Troy). To its left, two armed soldiers appear to be riding out of the labyrinth on horseback, while on the right two couples are shown copulating. The vase dates from about 630 BC. [2] The ancient Roman equestrian event known as the "Troy Game", which involved riding in maze-like patterns, has sometimes been linked to this vase. [3]

Historic "Troy" turf mazes in England

A seven-ring Classical labyrinth. The "Troy" mazes at Dalby and Somerton are based on this ancient design. Labyrinth 2 (from Nordisk familjebok).png
A seven-ring Classical labyrinth. The "Troy" mazes at Dalby and Somerton are based on this ancient design.
Medieval labyrinth Labyrinth 1 (from Nordisk familjebok).png
Medieval labyrinth

Of the eight surviving historic turf mazes in England, three have "Troy" names. "The City of Troy" is a small but well-maintained roadside maze near the small villages of Dalby, Brandsby, and Skewsby, not far from Sheriff Hutton in the Howardian Hills of North Yorkshire. "Troy", a beautiful maze in a private garden at Troy Farm, Somerton, Oxfordshire, is rather larger, and "Troy Town" maze on St Agnes, Isles of Scilly, is a small maze of turf and small stones and is reputed to have been laid down in 1729 by the son of a local lighthouse keeper. All three follow the classical labyrinth pattern (as found on coins from ancient Knossos) rather than the medieval variation. It is not known when the first two of these turf mazes were originally constructed; however, the turf was re-cut at Dalby in 1900 due to road damage. [4]

Surviving examples

Lost examples

(From W. H. Matthews' Mazes and Labyrinths 1922)

Parallels in Scandinavia, the Baltic and White Sea coasts

The eleven-ring "Trojaborg" labyrinth, from Visby, Sweden (Illustration from the Nordisk familjebok, 1926) Trojeborg, Nordisk familjebok.png
The eleven-ring "Trojaborg" labyrinth, from Visby, Sweden (Illustration from the Nordisk familjebok, 1926)

There are also similar labyrinths in northern continental Europe. Their paths are outlined with stones (unlike the turf-cut mazes of England, and those that formerly existed in Denmark). Stone-lined labyrinths such as these have proved slightly easier to date than turf mazes (which have to be cleaned out regularly to keep their paths clear, thus destroying any archaeological evidence). The stone labyrinths around the Baltic coast have been dated to between the 13th century and modern times, with a peak in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Troy Town in Nagu, Finland Nauvon jatulintarha.jpg
Troy Town in Nagu, Finland

There were once many hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of these labyrinths around the Baltic Sea, throughout Fennoscandia and the Baltic countries, and many of them still survive, particularly in remote areas. There are also similar stone labyrinths in the Kola Peninsula and coasts and islands of the White Sea, such as Stone labyrinths of Bolshoi Zayatsky Island. For some reason these northern labyrinths are almost all close to the sea. Some have suggested that they were markings of seafarers, perhaps even used for navigation. Many of the stone labyrinths around the Baltic coast of Sweden were built by fishermen during rough weather and were believed to entrap evil spirits, the "smågubbar" or "little people" who brought bad luck. The fishermen would walk to the centre of the labyrinth, enticing the spirits to follow them, and then run out and put to sea.

Several similar classical-type labyrinths in Scandinavia have names such as Trojaborg, Trojaburg, Trojborg, Tröborg and Trojienborg, which can all be translated as "City of Troy". (The place-name Trelleborg , which means "ring fort", has also been linked with labyrinths.) In Finland such labyrinths are called Jatulintarha ("giant's garden" or "giant's corral") or jättiläisen tie ("giant's road"). In Finland they have also been called by the names of notable biblical places, such as Jerusalem, and walking through the maze was regarded as a symbolic pilgrimage to the place it was named after. In Finland's Swedish speaking coastal areas the labyrinths are called jungfrudans or "maiden's dance". [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Labyrinth</span> Elaborate, confusing structure in Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at the Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the hero Theseus. Daedalus had so cunningly made the Labyrinth that he could barely escape it after he built it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maze</span> Puzzle game

A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns that lead unambiguously through a convoluted layout to a goal. The term "labyrinth" is generally synonymous with "maze", but can also connote specifically a unicursal pattern. The pathways and walls in a maze are typically fixed, but puzzles in which the walls and paths can change during the game are also categorised as mazes or tour puzzles.

Lyonesse is a kingdom which, according to legend, consisted of a long strand of land stretching from Land's End at the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England, to what is now the Isles of Scilly in the Celtic Sea portion of the Atlantic Ocean. It was considered lost after being swallowed by the ocean in a single night. The people of Lyonesse were said to live in fair towns, with over 140 churches, and work in fertile, low-lying plains. Lyonesse's most significant attraction was a castle-like cathedral that was presumably built on top of what is now the Seven Stones Reef between Land's End and the Isles of Scilly, some 18 miles (29 km) west of Land's End and 8 miles (13 km) north-east of the Isles of Scilly. It is sometimes spelled Lionesse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adel, Leeds</span> Suburb of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England

Adel is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. To its immediate south is Weetwood, to the west are Cookridge and Holt Park, to the east are Alwoodley and Moortown, and to the north are Bramhope, Arthington and Eccup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wing, Rutland</span> Village in the county of Rutland, England

Wing is a village and civil parish in the East Midlands county of Rutland, England. The population was 315 at the 2001 census and 314 at that of 2011. It features a fine church and a labyrinth made of turf. Rutland Water reservoir is nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caerdroia</span> Welsh turf maze

A caerdroia is a Welsh turf maze, usually in the sevenfold Cretan labyrinth design. They were created by shepherds on hilltops and were apparently the setting for ritual dances, the nature of which has been lost. At the centre of each caerdroia was a small hillock—in Welsh, twmpath. A gathering for folk dancing in Wales is still called a twmpath dawns. It is a typical labyrinth of Welsh but there is a specimen in Italy to Petrella Tifernina discovered by the historian Mario Ziccardi. This specimen is the only one in the Mediterranean area for now.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Agnes, Isles of Scilly</span> Island in the Isles of Scilly, UK

St Agnes is the southernmost populated island of the Isles of Scilly. Thus the island's Troy Town Farm is the southernmost settlement in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilton, Cambridgeshire</span> Human settlement in England

Hilton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Hilton lies approximately 11 miles (18 km) north-west of Cambridge. Hilton is situated within Huntingdonshire, which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being a historic county of England. The parish adjoins those of Elsworth, Fenstanton, Hemingford Abbots, Hemingford Grey, Papworth Everard and Papworth St Agnes. The Church of England parish church is dedicated to St Mary Magdalene and is a Grade I listed building; it has a peal of six bells. Historically, the village was in Huntingdonshire for over 1,000 years until 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turf maze</span> Labyrinth made by cutting a path into turf

Historically, a turf maze is a labyrinth made by cutting a convoluted path into a level area of short grass, turf or lawn. Some had names such as Mizmaze, Troy Town, The Walls of Troy, Julian's Bower, or Shepherd's Race. This is the type of maze referred to by William Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night's Dream when Titania says:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julian's Bower</span>

Julian's Bower or Julian Bower is a name given to turf mazes in several different parts of England. Only one of this name still exists, at Alkborough in North Lincolnshire. It has also been known by corrupted forms of the name, such as "Gillian's Bore" and "Gilling Bore".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mizmaze</span>

Mizmaze is the name given to two of England's eight surviving historic turf mazes, and also to a third, presumably once similar site that is now merely a relic. Of the two which survive, one is at Breamore, in Hampshire; the other is on top of St Catherine's Hill, overlooking the city of Winchester, Hampshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalby-cum-Skewsby</span> Civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Dalby-cum-Skewsby is a civil parish in the former Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 Census was less than 100. Details are included in the civil parish of Brandsby-cum-Stearsby. It is situated around 14 miles (23 km) north of York and comprises the hamlets of Dalby, Skewsby and Witherholm. It is part of the group of spring line villages to the south of the Howardian Hills.

Gilbert Randoll Coate was a British diplomat, maze designer and "labyrinthologist".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trent Falls</span> Watercourse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

Trent Falls is the confluence of the River Ouse and the River Trent which forms the Humber between Lincolnshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hedge maze</span> Outdoor garden maze or labyrinth

A hedge maze is an outdoor garden maze or labyrinth in which the "walls" or dividers between passages are made of vertical hedges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corpse road</span> Aspect of burial practices

Corpse roads provided a practical means for transporting corpses, often from remote communities, to cemeteries that had burial rights, such as parish churches and chapels of ease. In Britain, such routes can also be known by a number of other names, e.g.: bier road, burial road, coffin line, coffin road, corpse way, funeral road, lych way, lyke way, or procession way. etc. Such "church-ways" have developed a great deal of associated folklore regarding ghosts, spirits, wraiths, etc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone labyrinths of Bolshoi Zayatsky Island</span>

The stone labyrinths of Bolshoi Zayatsky Island are a group of 13 or 14 labyrinths on Bolshoy Zayatsky Island, one of the Solovetsky Islands in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Lacking standard archaeological study, a research group from St. Petersberg theorize that the labyrinths are about 2500 years old, according to their orientation, their supposed ritual use, and changes in the direction of the zenith on the solstice throughout history. Most researchers doubt that they are that old; the vast majority of labyrinths in this area date at the earliest to the Middle Ages.

William Henry Mounsey was a British army officer and antiquarian with an interest in Persia and Jewish culture. He visited Egypt, the Middle East and other regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maiden Bower hillfort</span>

Maiden Bower is an Iron Age hillfort near Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England. The site, which also has traces of a Neolithic causewayed enclosure, is a scheduled monument.

The Labyrinth of Egypt was the name given to a complex labyrinthine structure that once stood near the foot of the Pyramid of Amenemhat III at Hawara.

References

  1. Matthews, W. H (1922). Mazes and labyrinths, a general account of their history and developments. London: Longmans, Green and Co. OCLC   457464540.
  2. Kern, Hermann (2001). Through the Labyrinth. Prestel. pp. 78–80. ISBN   9783791321448. Kern's discussion of the vase points out that there are other interpretations of the inscription TRUIA and of the figures.
  3. Harmon, Daniel P. (1988). "The Religious Significance of Games in the Roman Age". In Raschke, Wendy J. (ed.). The Archaeology of the Olympics: Olympics and Other Festivals in Antiquity. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 250. ISBN   0299113345.
  4. 1 2 Hudson, Martyn (2017). Centaurs, Rioting in Thessaly: Memory and the Classical World (1st ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Punctum Books. ISBN   978-1-947447-40-0. OCLC   1111353322.
  5. Myrberg, Nanouschka (2006). "The Imperative Way". In Andrén, Anders (ed.). Old Norse Religion in Long-term Perspectives: Origins, Changes, and Interactions . Nordic Academic Press. p.  48. ISBN   9789189116818.

Further reading