Daedalus is the computer algorithm I designed to produce all labyrinths that satisfy a given set of rules.  (It's named after the character in Greek mythology who designed the labyrinth that imprisoned the minotaur.)

Here, a labyrinth refers to a single winding path leading from the outside to the center of a typically circular space.  The example at right comes from the Bayeux Cathedral, in France. Unlike a maze, a labyrinth has no choice points, or places where the path forks. 

For a more complete introduction to my algorithm, please see my article,  Daedalus in the 21st Century. 

The links below are pdf files that show examples of labyrinths discovered by the algorithm. For each labyrinth, I have designated the path according to the numbering scheme described in the paper, and have included a computer-generated picture of the labyrinth.

Descriptions of the various labyrinth properties considered, as described in Daedalus in the 21st Century can also be found here. (The depth of a labyrinth is the number of concentric layers that make up its path.)

Labyrinths Created By Daedalus

Depth 3

• All 94 labyrinths.

Depth 4

• All 36 labyrinths with maxStraight = 2.

• All 12 labyrinths with minStraight = 4.

Depth 5

• All 8 Cretan-style labyrinths.

Depth 7

• All 42 Cretan-style labyrinths.

Depth 9

• All 26 Cretan-style labyrinths that are reversible. There are 262 Cretan-style labyrinths altogether.

Depth 11

• Sets of medieval labyrinths following the rules of Jacques Hebert (with different maxInset) (numCrossings = 0, numBayonets = 0, numCourses = 3, maxStraight = 2, reversibility = true ).

  • 20 'canonical' medieval labyrinths produced by Hebert with maxInset = 2.

  • maxInset = 3.

  • maxInset = 4.

  • maxInset = 5.