Labyrinth is the name given by the Greeks to the legendary palace of the Minotaur, which was built by Daedalus. The Minotaur was a fearsome mythical creature, half man and half bull, who was locked up in the Cretan labyrinth by King Minos.
The story goes that, out of grief for the death of his son, King Minos ordered seven boys and seven girls to be sacrified each year to the Minotaur. This continued until Theseus conquered the Minotaur and, guided by a golden thread, emerged victorious from the labyrinth.
What is the difference between a labyrinth and a maze? There is no difference, the two names are synonymous. The word maze is used more often, probably because of the popular hedge mazes.
Whenever you find yourself lost in a maze, there are a few things you should know. For instance, if in a unicursal maze, you know you have only one path to follow, and while it may feel like you are getting lost as you twist and turn, you will eventually reach the exit. However, a multicursal maze has branches and forks that require you to guess the best path. If lost, you can apply the "right-hand rule": keep your right hand against the maze wall as you walk. This way you will definitely get out, although it may be through the entrance instead of the exit!
The mazes I mentioned above are the life-size mazes. Mazes come in all sizes and shapes. The ones you can see on this site are very small, but you can still virtually walk through them.
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