About LABRYS

LABRYS Publishing was founded in Berkeley, California in 1997, with the publication of The Coming of a New Millennium. In 2000, LABRYS acquired the rights to the screenplay, Knossos: Return to the Labyrinth, and added a new film production division. Our main office moved to Sarasota, Florida the same year. 2004: An Olympic Odyssey is our second title.

The symbol of the labrys appears in many cultures throughout prehistory, but is most often associated with the great Temple at Knossós on the island of Kríti. The ancient Minoans carved it on walls throughout the stone corridors of Knossós, and as a result, this remarkable structure became known as the Labyrinth – the dwelling of the labrys. Since the word “labrys” is of pre-Indo European origin, we don’t know exactly what it meant to the Minoans, but there is little doubt that it was of great importance to them. Archeologists have recovered hundreds of small bronze labryses, as well as numerous artifacts which bear the image, including exquisite gold jewelry and tiny sealstones.

In Neolithic art, the Great Goddess of prehistory was sometimes represented as a double triangle, in an hourglass configuration, which when tipped on its side bears a close resemblance to a labrys. The symbol itself could therefore recall the time when the Civilization of Old Europe thrived.

The labrys has often been referred to as a “double ax.” However, during Minoan times, there is no evidence that it was used as a weapon, or to perform ritual sacrifices. On the contrary, nearly all of the labryses found at Minoan sites are decorative in nature, and many were discovered in rooms where sacred rituals are believed to have taken place. Perhaps the symbol was a reminder of the double edged nature of technology. In their time, bronze was the technology of the day, and most warrior cultures were using it to make stronger and more deadly weapons with which they could carry out their conquests. The Minoans, however, chose to use the metal to make ritual objects and more durable tools, in order to further the common goals of the entire community. Did they understand that technology in and of itself was neither good nor bad, but rather could be used to create or destroy? By making the labrys a central part of their rituals, it’s possible they were reaffirming their conscious choice to use the new technology for altruistic purposes.

The symmetry of the labrys also suggests the idea of yin-yang, the balance between the masculine and feminine energies, which together, make up the whole within each of us.

The Interpretive Guide to 2004 goes into much more detail about this symbol, and it also includes the mythological characters and places referenced in the novel.