Julian's Bower
Julian's Bower or
Julian Bower is a name which was 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".
The
18th century antiquary William Stukeley mentions a "Julian Bower" turf maze at
Horncastle, Lincolnshire, and in nearby
Louth there was a "Gelyan Bower", which was mentioned in accounts of 1554.
At
Goathland,
North Yorkshire there was a "July Park" or "St Julian's" maze.
Some English turf mazes are very similar in their layout to
Scandinavian
labyrinths, which usually have their paths marked with stones. At Grothornet, in
Vartdal in the Sunnmore Province of
Norway there is a stone-lined labyrinth called "Den Julianske Borg" ("Julian's Castle").
The name is believed to be derived from Julius, son of
Aeneas of
Troy, and the word place-name element
burgh, meaning "a fortified place", "fort" or "castle". The reasoning behind this
etymology is based on the fact that many
mazes and labyrinths in
Britain were called "Troy", "
Troy Town" or "The Walls of Troy"; similar names, such as "Trojaburg", "Trojburg" or "Trelleborg", were used in Scandinavia. In popular legend, the walls of the city of Troy were constructed in such a complex and confusing way that any enemy who entered them would be unable to find their way out.
*
Turf maze*
Caerdroia*
Labyrinth*Adrian Fisher & Georg Gerster,
The Art of the Maze, Weidenfeld & Nicolson (1990) ISBN 0297830279
*Jeff Saward,
Magical Paths, Mitchell Beazley (2002) ISBN 1840005734
*Janet & Colin Bord,
Mysterious Britain, Paladin Granada (1974) ISBN 0586081577
*
W.H.Matthews, Mazes and Labyrinths (1922) online version
*
Labyrinthos Jeff Saward's website
*
Labyrinth Society*
The Megalithic Portal*
Labyrinth Locator (Veriditas & Labyrinth Society)
