The Minotaur.
The old story of the Minotaur, half beast half man, hidden away at the center of the labyrinth.
The bull skull is the symbol of the labyrinth: symmetrical with horns, reminiscent of the double-bladed ax (which is the old symbol for the labyrinth) - a stand in for duality, the shadow-self, the other, you get the picture.
The labyrinth is a journey inwards - spiraling down and around until you are confronted by (or confronting) the “beast within” and ultimate return to the beginning. A journey that mirrors that of the Hero’s descent through the underworld and out again (i.e. Orpheus, Jesus, Odin, Theseus…)
The labyrinth allows one to look inside, to discover and conquer fears, irrationalities, anxieties, to travel to Hell, beat it, and return better and stronger.
That is, ultimately, the story behind the story of the trip to the underworld, of the daring journey into the labyrinth - to improve, to make better, to face fear in the face, to understand who you are at the center and how to bring that to the surface in a societally acceptable way.
