Who is the guide?
Manson has confirmed that the Guide is the Minotaur. There are many clues to his identity littered through out the book, including a trail of clues (perhaps involving trefoils or references to Cerberus), and the “Easter Egg” described below.
Title Page:
The Key-Stone: The key points us to the the key-shaped trap (see the map of The Trap rooms). The fact that the key is carved into a stone is perhaps a visual word riddle for “keystone” indicating that what we find in the trap is important.
The Mason Objects: The spike, compass, hammer and square are often placed together in the symbolism of the Masons, usually these items are placed flanking the Bible. Here the scroll is in the location usually occupied by the Bible, suggesting that what is on the scroll is important.
In many masonic images the Bible is flanked or overlaid by the compass and square. The hammer and spike are also common elements (in the left and center images).
Hidden Letters: The letters in the maze in the map spell out “IN SLY” this uses all the obvious letters in the map except for a “C” (it could also be an “n” or a “u”) which is off to the right separate from the others. The objects surrounding the parchment perhaps signify letters and spell out “devil” or “evil.” So the phrase is “Devil In Sly” or “Evil In Sly.” Alternately the objects leaning against the keystone could spell out “I AM” so the whole phrase reads “I am in sly.” Or the “C” could be taken as “see” so it reads “See In Sly.”
Possible phrasings:
IN SLY
devIL IN SLY
evIL IN SLY
I AM IN SLY
(see) IN SLY
Room 43:
- Images copyright 1985 by Christopher Manson
SO a bit more falls into place. Someone noted those falling signs. In 14 we have 10. In 25 we have 34,13,35 and in 34 we have room 25. That’s 10,34,13,35,25. I know or can guess the word value for these rooms. Measure, I, time,stop, film. “I measure film stop time”. Well that’s a shutter. Look to room 9 there is a falling painting. A line from the poem that goes with this room “Open here I flung the shutter”.
Abyssians,
To reiterate, clarify & expand:
The Riddle of the Guide is a multi-location puzzle which does not indicate the nature of the Guide until you reach the solution. It is more like the Riddle of the Path except you don’t pick up letters – you follow clues (which have nothing to do with the identity of the Guide). Finally, at the end of the clues, BLAM, you know the identity of the Guide.
So what are you searching for? Parts of MAZE not accounted for. This is MUCH easier to do once you have solved most of the rooms. I would suggest continuing to focus on the rooms and come back to this once MAZE is 75% solved.
White Raven
Interesting! So all the stuff where the Guide talks about his/her self does not actually give any literal information about the Guide but is rather meant to be a series of clues. So we know nothing about the Guide’s parents or his/her stature or childhood or anything. Correct?
Hello Gregor,
There are lots of pertinent hints to the identity of the Guide littered throughout MAZE but though they are suggestive of the correct conclusion the identity of the Guide would likely be debated forever it not for a separate Riddle of the Guide that settles the matter. The hints about the identity of the Guide that have been discussed thus far are not part of the Riddle of the Guide.
White Raven
Ah! Thank you for clearing that up!
So I found the answer before the riddle? Hmmmm.
Sounds like a plan. Although I’d add it probably does not hurt to have a good idea that something is part of the guide riddle or answer, because then that is one less thing to mess up the room and it will make solving the room a bit easier.
Does this mean that items in the Maze are eliminated from the clue-bucket once their meaning has been found? Are there any instances of clues being used twice, once for a door clue, and another for the Riddle of the Guide?
Raven in 33: Those books are “volumes of forgotten lore” that we are over. The dying embers wrought their ghost upon the floor”, and the room number 33 upside down is EE as room 3 shows us. EE on the MAZE clock can be noon, but then the text in room 13 reminds us that clocks cover 24 hours. EE also = Midnight.
What is the Maze clock? The watch in room 30?
Yes. look at my first page. Before The room explanations. I gave it it’s own section. http:// www .davegentile.com/stuff/maze.html
I have looked at your page, but found it confusing, because you apparently had correspondence with Manson telling you that “Christopher” isn’t part of the puzzle, but you still list all these solutions that involve finding the word “christopher” in various rooms.
The puzzle of the guide.
This is preliminary, but it touches so many rooms that I’m going to put it out there to the masses for help. The bottom line is that a series of rooms outline Poe’s poem the Raven.
In room 14, the guide clues us to exit 10 by saying “I knew they couldn’t afford to not listen to me entirely”. This gives us license to listen to only part of what he says. We get “To go out choose ten, ten I say”. But then he also says “I knew she would bear watching” about the thoughtful one. “I know” starts both of those sentences. This gives us the license to do the same with her speech, here and elsewhere. Here we get not “We have to go out”, but “We have to go around to prove something”.
In room 9, in response to “We might be going around in circles” she says “I think we’re supposed to, that’s the trick”.
In 35 she is aware this is a “stop signal”.
In 30 “perhaps it has been done so we don’t choose this door”. It means not to choose 34, but not in this room. In room 25, we have to choose 35 not 34 to go around the loop.
13, 25, 35 form a little sequence. The directors chair and megaphone and light suggest, lights, camera, action. Then in the next room we have a film role, then ”cut” or “stop’ in the final room.
Based on our timekeeping we have a loop with all the letters “A-G” (assuming 35 is time “EG”. The musical room is one of the rooms so we can think of notes on a musical scale. The sequence starting with A is “33, 3, 9, 18, 13, 25, 35”.
Just outside of this loop we have some starter rooms to tell us to look for the poem. “bare crown” means the Raven. In room 16 we have the bear/crown” leading us into the next room. We have “Poe” running across. We have a chamber pot = a “po”. More I’m sure.
In room 7 I know enough to be sure we should get “poem”. We have a “pull toy” (A hoopoe = Who, Poe?) pull toy. And a lamp to make us think “pole”. Not sure about the “…em” part of poem. But the note on the door to the music room gives us “music” and there is “art”. Suggesting “art, music, and poetry”. We have the bare-crown guy to keep us tuned to the Raven.
The poem starts in the next room, the “Beethoven room” I call it. Those books a “volumes of forgotten lore” that we are over. The dying embers wrought their ghost upon the floor”.
“With exaggerated caution” they go to the door.
In room 3 we have “all my soul with in me burning” = Manson is over the radiator. “”and this mystery explore”
In room 9 the lack of obeisance may mean the state the pictures are in. And I think there may be something in the uncertain intent of the artist. The angel would “flutter”.
In the fireplace room – “a cushioned seat, in front of bird and bust and door”. “bird or beast above a bust”. “Whose fiery eyes now burn into my bosom’s core” “dirges” is here.
13 – cushion with lamp light gloating o’er”.
In the next section of the poem he goes from calm to wide and horrified. Look at room 25.
Now in 35 – “still sitting” might be the couch. “Tribal fetish” = Native American Raven. “A work of art” is the poem. “Alone in light and silence” = “leave my loneliness unbroken”. And the last line = “And the lamp light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor, and my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor shall be lifted, nevermore. (And the shadow could be a Raven).
The poem asks and states the name many times of course “Nevermore”. And this is unquestionably the guide’s name.
Now I might have a quibble however. All the prologue clues are false leads, so the “fiery eyes” should be a false lead too. That would point directly to the Raven in the poem. And then I still have that whole bit with the umbrella being the guide and “rain umbrella” being “I rare bull man” and the stuff about his mother being close to a king and his father low born, like the Minotuar, whose father was a bull and whose mother was a King’s wife, etc…
So for my part I think we have a “bull-man” named “Nevermore”. But I suspect other’s mileage may vary.
In room 3 we have “all my soul with in me burning” = Manson is over the radiator. There is still a Christopher here, but here we might now say “stop” is the soul of “Christopher” it is “within me” (as in the poem) since “stop” is right in the middle of the name. But obviously the stick man represents his soul as well.
Or…….the umbella is red herring. On the front cover there is not umbella, but there is a red herring. On the first page – no red herring, but there is the umbrella – clue that the umbrella is the books biggest red herring, I think. The minotaur in general then is a huge red herring. Becasue statements that point to the Minotaur, can work for Native American Raven too.
David Gentile,
Yes! The difference between the cover and the first page in meant to give us our first red herring – the umbrella. And this revelation is meant to give us a clue to how red herrings work in the book on a whole.
White Raven
Compiled List:
The Minotaur
Minos
Daedelus
Hades
Atlas
Zeus
Chronos/Cronos
Cerebus
Charon
Prometheus
Orpheus
Rheia
Persephone
Theseus
Sisyphus
Aeneas
Virgil
Christopher Manson/the author
Satan
Jesus
God
St. Christopher
Umbrella
Spatula
Elvis
C.S. Lewis
Westin
Philip Pullman
The top-hatted man
The ballerina
Edger Allen Poe
The Wooden Pull Toy
The Missing Statue
The demon who put up a wooden replica of himself so he wouldn’t be missed.
Dr. Who
Beelzebibble’s Evil Confused Clone
A Real Estate Agent
Like the rooms, it is the why that’s important, not the which. Like the rooms, however, knowing the which helps lead us to the why.
Thanks. I was going to do that. lol. OK so this does not go to Raven’s Uber puzzle but here is a bit. Raven has mentioned his “odd one in” method. The prologue is full of rather obvious clues. So what we have there is a big list of false leads. Jesus, Virgil, Daedulus, Hades/Satan. The commonly mentioned people that are not clued here are King Minos and the Minotaur. I’m moving forward by looking for a BIG puzzle pointing at the Minotaur at this point.
The “I am the lesson” maybe adds Atlas to the false clue list. Also and other Hades related folks because of the Cerberus mention.
Manson pretty much eliminated himself in his note to me.
So if it was not the Minotaur, let’s do a “short list” of 1% chancers.
Minos.
Poe.
C.S. Lewis.
This list I’ve not researched:
Prometheus
Orpheus
Rheia
Persephone
Theseus
Sisyphus
Any reason we should take them seriously?
Any I missed, seriously?
It’s a big puzzle, and multi-room. I wonder…
Is there a way to trace the movement of the moving statue that broke out of Room 32 through the Maze, such that it finds, for example, the suit in room 35, and the top hat in 18, and eventually becomes the fleeing figure we see in Room 16?
I’ve traced the top-hatted man a bit. There seems to be a path, but I’m missing something.
The room with the statue doesn’t figure in to what I had because I believe it enters a trap room (again, my book is loaned out currently). The top-hatted man is all loop and path, if I recall correctly.)
No Hermes on this list?
Hey, congratulations on reading a list and asking a dumb question about it.
Is Sissiphus the correct answer
:)
White Raven has a website to run and a book to sell, but he (I think “he”) has been pretty quick to confirm puzzle solutions when we get them. He claims to have confirmed the identity of the narrator with Manson himself, and describes deducing the identity of the narrator as one of the most difficult riddles in the book.
For that reason I do not believe that the narrator is Minos, or Daedelus, or the Minotaur. Everyone who takes a stab at this ends up suspecting Minos or Daedelus or the Minotaur, and you get some Jesus and Satan mixed in there sometimes. There are lots of clues that point to Minos, lots that point to Daedelus, lots that point to the Minotaur. But White Raven remains silent.
Even if one of those answers were correct, but more complicated clues supported it, I suspect White Raven would have spoken up to say that the puzzle had been partially solved. After all, if these clues aren’t red herrings, then they are real clues that we picked up on and properly pieced together.
I repeatedly WANT to say that it’s one of the three, but fitting some of the clues perfectly and some of the clues somewhat and some of the clues not at all is not good support for an answer. The hard work in solving a puzzle should be finding an answer that explains all the clues, not searching for a strained interpretation of the clues that fits an answer you chose for other reasons.
Uh, my apologies in advance if the answer turns out to be Minos or Daedelus or the Minotaur.
Ok, in repentance for my sins up there I compiled a list of everyone who had been mentioned on this page at the time White Raven said the narrator had been mentioned. I included every person/thing mentioned, however facetious, and whether they were intended as solutions or not. The only nakes I excluded were those of the people posting here.
The Minotaur
Minos
Daedelus
Hades
Atlas
Zeus
Chronos/Cronos
Cerebus
Charon
Prometheus
Orpheus
Rheia
Persephone
Theseus
Sisyphus
Aeneas
Virgil
Christopher Manson/the author
Satan
Jesus
God
St. Christopher
Umbrella
Spatula
Elvis
C.S. Lewis
Westin
Philip Pullman
Oh, and, I guess:
The top-hatted man
The ballerina
Out of my long write up, the below is pretty much enough, I think to clinch the Minotaur. My only hesitation is that Raven capitalized VERY. Maybe there is yet another puzzle I’ve not seen? On the other hand – it has been 30 years and so far only Raven is making a public claim to know it, and anyone reading the book searched for it – so not simple for sure, even if I’m spot on.
==========
What we have is a “rain umbrella”. This is an anagram of “I rare bull man”. The guide is the Minotaur. Thanks to Abyssian “umbrella” for the initial thought here, that the umbrella is the guide.
Notice in the prologue he says that he met them outside the gate and the umbrella is leaning outside the gate. Also the umbrella is something you should bring with you, like a guide.
David Gentile,
The challenge is not in guessing the correct answer or having some debatable evidence for an answer. The prize of the VERY difficult multi-room previous unnoticed insanity puzzle is irrefutable proof.
Like I said the correct answer is on this page somewhere, no one is going to be shocked by the answer, it’s not like it’s Curious George or anything.
Happy hunting!
White Raven
Raven – I think “rain umbrella” as an anagram of “I rare bullman” is fairly “proof making” (uglies/prettiest) series reference. That’s more than a “guess” But you are saying there is a more complex puzzle I take it?
Wow! That is one hell of a list! Don’t forget:
Edger Allen Poe
The Wooden Pull Toy
The Missing Statue
The demon who put up a wooden replica of himself so he wouldn’t be missed.
Dr. Who
Beelzebibble’s Evil Confused Clone
A Real Estate Agent
Are those names mentioned on THIS page, or elsewhere on the site? I don’t see Poe mentioned on this page (before your mention) and neither does my browser’s text-finder.
Don’t tell me my list should include every stupid thing ever mentioned on the entire site!
My attempt at humor appears to have gone astray…
vewatkin,
Who’s Westin? Did I miss that post?
White Raven
Sorry, “Weston.” It was your own mention, but as it is apparently an obscure C.S. Lewis reference. I can’t tell you who Weston is or why I ought to hit Weston with a rock.
vewatkin,
In regards to “White Raven has a website to run and a book to sell, but he (I think “he”) has been pretty quick to confirm puzzle solutions when we get them.”
Thanks! I am trying to keep on top of this, I work full time, and I am trying to complete my dissertation. It won’t be like this forever, but for now I can only read comments (and delete spam that slipped past the filter) about every third day.
I believe MAZE is one of the greatest literary inventions in history – a whole new genre – and I am thrilled to find so many people out there who love it as much as I do. I may not have time to write much but I love reading everyone’s comments. Managing this site is pure joy.
Oh, and yeah, I’m a guy. What gave it away? It was the twisted bone tree background wasn’t it?
White Raven
New thoughts:
Prologue
There is an umbrella standing outside the door in the beginning.
On the shortest path we encounter it first in room 42. It is not mentioned in the text at this point. But it is mentioned that they could hang their coats here, and a “savage animal” is mentioned.
However, in room 23, the first room after the center of the maze, the text tells us that “Now they realized it could rain where they were going”. And one guest says, “We should have brought that bumbershoot with us from the coat room”, and then “You remember, the one with the animal.” This is a clue that, in the correct sequence, room 42 comes before room 23.
The next room on the path is room 8, and there is an umbrella here. The text says, “Make sure you take that with you, you never can tell when you might need it”, and then when questioned “Take what?” the narrator says, “Isn’t it obvious?”
We don’t encounter it again on the shortest path, but a path one room longer would take us to room 10, which is an “almost out” room. To get back to the entrance from most rooms in the maze from which escape is possible, you must pass through here, and in the very next room, room 41, it will be clear that you have made it back to the entrance, since there is a door to room 1 from there. The text says that one of them picked up the umbrella saying, “It may rain where we are going.”, and the narrator nods approval. Apparently they have learned from their trek through the maze, so this is supposed to be one of the last rooms encountered.
This should also link in our thoughts back to room 23 where it was called a “bumbershoot” since as I discuss in the walkthrough of room 10, we are supposed to think of it as beginning with a “B” there.
Room 6 is a trap room, but here the text notes that a guest held out his hand and says, “I think it may be raining out there”
So, where are they going where they may need an umbrella? Outside, into the world! (And, maybe this is a subtle clue to the answer to the whole puzzle).
But this is also the most important clue to the identity of the guide. What we have is a “rain umbrella”. This is an anagram of “I rare bull man”. The guide is the Minotaur. Thanks to Abyssian “umbrella” for the initial thought here, that the umbrella is the guide.
Notice in the prologue he says that he met them outside the gate and the umbrella is leaning outside the gate. Also the umbrella is something you should bring with you, like a guide.
The prologue also gives a lot of other clues to the identity of the narrator, but I think most of these are designed to steer us in the wrong direction. “My crown, my pain, the fire in my eyes” points to Jesus who returns in revelations with fire in his eyes. But also I think the guide is comparing himself to Jesus. He calls himself the architect of the Maze, and from other analysis we know that Maze=House=World. And that “baring the world on your shoulders” is the main clue to the answer to the riddle of the Maze”. In a sense the Minotaur bares the weight of the Maze on his shoulders, like Jesus bares the weight of the world on his.
There are other clues in the maze the point to Daedalus, the architect of the maze of the Minotaur who was eventually imprisoned within it, but given the umbrella, we have to take those as red herrings.
Room 19 points to Daedalus, as the person who laid the flowers at the tomb of Icarus. But there is no reason this could not be the Minotaur too. But then room 7 indicates the Minotaur via the mirror or picture with horns that the guests find not to be a good likeness of him.
Room 6 talks of deceptions by his family, particularly on his father. His father was a bull tricked into mating with a human woman by use of a wicker cow.
Room 16 – Nothing here contradicts the Minotaur. We still tell stories of his family even if most are exaggerations.
In room 25 – one of his parents is low born and the other close to a king. One was a bull, the other a king’s wife.
Oh, look at that, I missed the very post from White Raven that made the one I just made wrong. Never mind, wrong wrong wrong, nothing to see here.
I also replied to the wrong comment. Just, just, just keep moving on.
Maybe the guide is not one single person exactly but an amalgamation of all who carry the weight of the world/mzae on their shoulders. Clues to Deadalus, the Minotour, Jesus, St. Christopher, Atlas, etc… could all be correct.
That could be, but it’s not as satisfying. There are some painfully specific clues, as well- about his/her parentage, for example.
Although I’ve thought about the possibility that Manson’s referring to himself, I don’t know enough about him to say. I think it’s meant to be solvable.
Any thoughts as to the identity of the top-hatted dancer?
No good idea. She is a Ballarina I think which goes with many other b words here to indicate door b.
Abyssians,
Manson confirmed my solution as to the identity of the Guide and clues that lead to this conclusion. I will say four things: 1. The Guide is a single individual. 2. The correct answer has been mentioned on this page. 3. The proof of the solution is in the book, it is a VERY difficult and elaborate puzzle and the puzzle itself has not yet been mentioned here or elsewhere online. 4. The solution to this puzzle leaves no doubt as to its correctness.
White Raven
Is Sissiphus the correct answer
:)
I’ve enjoyed reading the previous theories as to the identity of the Guide. A few thoughts I’d like to add:
1. Why is it assumed that The Guide is male? I don’t think it’s conclusive, but there’s a vague romance touched upon involving a female and The Guide. Considering the year of publication, I doubt homosexuality is involved. Further, the vast majority of the book’s figures are all male.
2. Why is it assumed that The Guide is a figure from Greek Mythology? I find this assumption less convincing. There is a lot of Greek imagery and words, but so too is there a lot of imagery from other times, cultures, and places. There are devils, monks, angels, and nuns, but it has been established that the author did not intend the book to be particularly Christian. I think the book reflects the Western tradition the author grew up in. This doesn’t preclude a Greek identity, but I don’t think it is by any means a given, either.
3. In the prologue, the Guide is the Lesson. In the Maze’s center it is stated that “as far as you are concerned, what the Maze teaches can be learned in every room.” The fact that the lesson and learning bookends the maze seems unlikely to be a coincidence. To understand the guide, you have to understand the maze and vis-a-versa, I believe.
4. Given some of the alchemical touches here and there, it seems possible that the journey of the reader is allegorical to the journey through life. It will be interesting to follow The Path with this in mind.
5. What’s the relationship between the Guide and the man with the top-hat? That needs to figure into any hypothesis as to the Guide’s identity.
6. Why is it assumed The Guide is evil? He seems more testing and judging than particularly malicious. Re: Judging, see pages 8, 22, 27, and 32.
Hello Gregor!
Great comments, not just here but all over!
I follow all your points but number 5. Do you mean the guy in the painting, or the guy running away, or both?And why do you think there is a relationship?
I am assuming every interest of a top-hat references the same individual- the person who spots The Guide in the room that reminds The Guide of his old Neighbors and then runs away. There is too much attention explicitly given this individual in the fireplace room and next to the door with the sun on it to make me think it’s a coincidence that there happens to be another picture of a different top-hatted man that has nothing to do with the one that is existent in the maze proper.
I am basing the notion that they are related to each other (this relation is not to be read as kin specifically) because they seemed to both know each other in the reminds-me-of-my-old-neighbors room.
Anyone considered Elvis as a possibility?
I think the guide is sisyphus. Because In Greek mythology Sisyphus (/ˈsɪsɪfəs/;[1] Greek: Σίσυφος, Sísyphos) was a king of Ephyra (now known as Corinth) punished for chronic deceitfulness by being compelled to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down, and to repeat this action forever.
This was taken from Wikipedia.
I personally have to go with the theory that he is King Minos of Crete. First of all, he talks about being a king, and he was the king of Crete. Second of all, he says the room with the machine and the picture of the giant and the machine reminds him of his “old neighbors”. I believe the picture of the giant represents the Minotaur and the machine represents Daedulus, who both lived within the labyrinth. With the reference to the horns, I think this is a reference to his demonic nature. He also talks about being a judge of character, and he is a Judge of the Dead in Greek Mythology. Also, I think that maybe him leading this group of people into the Maze is a reference to how he demanded people to be lead into the Labyrinth as a tribute to the Minotaur. Also, in the room based on threes, the name Theseus is listed with the other names. However, I personally take this as a list of souls to be judged in the Underworld. Also, the torn poster that says to beware of the guide was written by Daedalus himself, because it would easy to pick out the Minotaur as a threat.
A well researched theory. While a great many options for the guide have been put forth I believe only three are worthy of consideration, Daedalus, King Minos and the Minotaur…there is too little evidence for Satan, Hades, or one of the titans.
I don’t think the narrator talks about being king, though in room 30, the room with the crown on the wall, he does mention feeling at home and that one of his parents was lowly born and the other was “close to a king” (does this mean not actually a king?).
Good observation about room 16, if the machine is meant to represent a person it would surely be Daedalus! Also the crown on the floor backs up your King Minos conclusion.
The judging references in room 22 are the main reason I keep King Minos on my list of potential narrator identities. I agree, it is a strong argument.
Could you clarify what you mean by this sentence, “Also, the torn poster that says to beware of the guide was written by Daedalus himself, because it would easy to pick out the Minotaur as a threat.”?
Many things are explicitly stated about the guide, such as,
1. One of my parents was low born, the other close to a king,
2. I am by nature extremely critical, I do not spare any of my guests the rigor of my judgement,
3. One of them looked over my shoulder, which is not an easy thing to do,
4. My life is a lonely one,
5. room 16 reminds him of his old neighbors,
6. Stories are still told of him by the descendants of these people
7. Much deception was practiced in his family, particularly on his father.
8. He had a wild childhood
He claims these all as facts, so if any theory does not fit with one of them, It cannot be true.
I personally think he is Hades, because,
1. Low born parent is Rheia, whereas Cronos was king of the gods
2. Judges people when they enter the underworld
3. He is a god, so probably big and muscular
4. He lives alone, except for Persephone 3 or 6 months a year. (I forgot)
5. Old neighbors titans maybe? The guy with a club and beard could be a titan.
6.Humans are descendants of Prometheus? Right? He was a titan. That fits
7. His father was deceived by Rheia into eating a stone thinking it was Zeus.
8. He kinda rebelled against his parents for control of all creation… if that isn’t a wild and irresponsible childhood, I don’t know what is.
I like the strict parameters you are using to deduce the answer. Cerberus whom he mentions explicitly is Hades’ dog.
I think such description much better suits the minotaur rather than Hades.
I like all the theories mentioned here, specifically Daedalus and Hades, lots of clues there.
I know this is probably wrong because there are so many other references that could be right and more worthy people before me have already come up with some awesome solutions, but here I go anyway. My theory is Charon, the boatman of the river Styx.
- “my crown, my pain, the fire in my eyes” — In the 1st century BC., the Roman poet Virgil describes Charon in Aeneas’s descent to the underworld:
There Chairon stands, who rules the dreary coast -
A sordid god: down from his hairy chin
A length of beard descends, uncombed, unclean;
His eyes, like hollow furnaces on fire;
A girdle, foul with grease, binds his obscene attire
So in this quote alone Virgil has mentioned that he is a ruler, has fiery eyes, and is probably full of pain by the other adjectives used.
In the trap room (Room 24) the gloom is Stygian (the word coming from the darkness of the River Styx).
In room 16 the guy on the wall with the beard, the foul clothes…and there IS a pole in this room too, Charon’s main prop, the “paddle” of the river Styx. I know this may sound far fetched and I would even stop myself from this extrapolation but IF Christopher Manson had put the pole in the beardy guy’s hands, it might have been too obvious that it was Charon…? Am I imagining things too “far” or is this good work? Let me know!
Okay, I don’t think there is enough support for your theory to be true. But honestly I don’t think it matters. It is the coolest theory about the identity of the guide I have ever heard and I want it to be true so bad.
I can totally see it. Chairon leads the doomed souls to the styxian gloom and leaves them there. Chilling!
Haha for sure Carl, my only fear is that there are not enough clues for any other theory mentioned either. I strongly believe that Greek/Roman mythology is very warm though. In the prologue there is possible mention of Orpheus (“They think I am some poet who will lead them through the symbols and spaces of this Underworld”). I’m not suggesting anything here, just thought it worth mentioning.
Here’s another theory of mine:
Prometheus. I am going to assume you all know who he is. However the facts about him that are pertinent to the Maze:
- His Titan brother is Atlas (duh..the Maze riddle)
- He stole fire for humans (the fire in my eyes)
- His liver was ripped out every day as punishment for stealing fire (“my pain”)
- One parent is high born the other low born (I forget their names but one was “close to a king”)
Yep, the question is which Greek/Roman or Cretian via Greek character he is.
While some the elements fit, Prometheus’ story really doesn’t fit. Unlike the Charion ferrys the dead.
What if the visitors are dead souls being ferried into hades but they have one chance of escape, solving the riddle in room 45. If they correctly answer “world” they can return to it.
Hmmm… I rate my idea above as too far fetched.
Good work on the Virgil tie in. We know already that Manson used Virgil in room 27 with the “FATA VIAM INVENIENT” quote, maybe you are on to something, but we would need to find something more solid to make it golden. My money is still on the Minotaur or Daedalus but the Virgil tie in is pretty stong – you may very well have cracked it.
Good work!
He says we should call him Cerebrus, maybe he is Cerebrus. Did the big three headed dog also have horns?
Am I the only one who thinks the guide might be Jesus? Stories told that were apparently “Greatly exaggerated”, lowly-born/kingly parent…
Welcome Darth (and hello also to your train). Jesus seems like a stretch, but then again so does the suggestion that it is Satan. Something White Raven (the guy who made this site) wrote suggests that the answer to who the guide is, is not just in the text but more in the illustrations. There are plenty of crowns in the illustrations so maybe you are right. We should look for something concrete.
Wait a second.
Wait another second.
You can stop waiting now. At the gate, the guide says, and I quote, “They never noticed my crown, my pain, the fire in my eyes.” He also is explicitly stated to be the architect. Remember, the “Maze-house” is said to be the world, in the riddle. Now, I am not an expert in christianity, but I know two things from this for certain:
1: Jesus Christ is directly associated with the crown (Of thorns)
2: He is, I believe, an “Aspect” of sorts for God, creator of the world.
I can see how you got to that conclusion, however the guide is pretty evil. He leads the guests to room 24 and leaves them trapped while he runs away laughing. No matter what position you take on the Christian faith, that eliminates Jesus as a canidate.
But most of all the author Christopher Manson himself said, “…besides a couple of references (nun, pair-o’-dice) used for their word value, I did not intend to incorporate any particularly Christian ideas, messages or doctrines.”
It is all but certain that the guide is not a Christian character but a pagan one. Specifically a Greek pagan character from the many allusions to Greek mythology. The question is, which one? Most people think it is either the Minotaur, Daedalus (who built the Minotaur’s maze), or King Minos step-dad to the Minotaur who ordered the Maze built. But other strong possibilities are Hades (god of the underworld and the dead) or one of the Titans (the gods that the Zeus overthrows) such as Atlas (who holds up the world) and Chronos (king of the Titans and god of time).
To date I don’t know of anyone who has made a real attempt to figure out who the guide is by looking at all the evidence in the book.
Ooh, LOTS of evidence for atlas in that theatre room.
I am contradicting myself.
Daedalus, Minos, and the Minotaur. Quite a holy trinity.
I think the narrator is the minotaur. I think the mirror with the horns on it gives that away.
I’m telling you, the guide is the umbrella, shown on the prologue page waiting patiently for the guests / suckers to arrive.
His low born parent is a walking stick and his high born parent is a parasol.
Beware the umbrella! : )
When I was younger, I always thought the guide was Satan, but now that seems too… theological?… or something?
I thought the same thing. Room 24 is a prison of sorts, like hell. And the guide is tricky and sinister. Also in Room 7 is the mirror with horns on it. But then I noticed that on one of the pages the guide was thinking about the tricks played on his parents, and in Room 16 he says one was lowly born and the other king-like. So I guess that rules out Satan. I think most theories revolve around Greek mythological characters. White Raven says he knows the identify of the guide, perhaps this is why Raven added the Maze Mythology section? Hmmm…
Yep, Satan, exactly what I thought as well. We have several pieces of proof that it is not, the strongest of which are:
1. The comments about the parents.
2. A quote from Manson himself:
“…besides a couple of references (nun, pair-o’-dice) used for their word value, I did not intend to incorporate any particularly Christian ideas, messages or doctrines.”
Personally I think it is either the Minotaur or Daedalus (the builder of the Minotaur’s labyrinth). If you are not aware of the myth you can read about it in the Maze Myth section. However I know of no conclusive argument for one or the other.
Another possibility just occurred to me. What if the guide is the Greek god of the underworld? That way he could have parents and be, basically, Satan as well?
Ah, yes! The an underworld god would definitely make sense, but the Minotaur is a great theory too! Interesting to hear Manson’s comment re: Christian doctrines. Because that was always what held me back from thinking it was Satan… it just didn’t seem very “Manson-ish” to loop it in with religion that way. Of course, you can’t blame me, I was someone who read far too much C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman as a kid… isn’t EVERYTHING a Christian allegory? :)
I believe you all may have hit on a universal trait of humankind. Everyone’s first impulse is to think the guide is Satan. That is what I thought when I was kid, then again, like Alyssa I read a lot of C.S. Lewis. Two obscure Lewis references: Never ring a bell just for the heck of it, and if you meet someone named Weston, hit them with a rock.
The guide is the narrator.
Heh, cute.
The guide is the spatula.
The Guide may be the author. See Room 6.
The guide is the umbrella.