The Solution to MAZE: Main Puzzle

The following is the solution to the main puzzle of Christopher Manson’s “MAZE: Solve the World’s Most Challenging Puzzle.”

This is not a solution to the book on a whole. Only some of MAZE is presently solved. This forum is for fans of the Manson’s MAZE to discuss solutions to the puzzles that have gone unsolved and to talk about how much the book creeped us out when we were ten.

On to the main solution…

The main puzzle of MAZE has three parts:

Part I = The 16 Step Path >

Part II – The Riddle of Room 45 >

Part III – The Riddle of the Path >

 View Official Rules, Hints & Solution >

55 thoughts on “The Solution to MAZE: Main Puzzle

  1. I can’t remember who suggested this — someone on the Mazecast hangouts chat I think? Maybe Owen Hammer’s niece or something? Anyway, I think it’s a reasonable idea and should be recorded here. Manson has said that there are two possible answers to the riddle of the Maze and riddle of the Path. We know the first answer is “the world.” What if the second answer is “a coffin”? It’s something that is borne on shoulders, and a “house” where everyone will eventually end up (in a figurative sense, since not everyone is buried in a coffin after they die of course). This also leads to an interesting solution for the “all or nun/none” problem — if “coffin” is the answer, then everyone eventually ends up dead, and a coffin is a house where “none” will live.

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    • I can’t find it now either, but I remember WR telling us this. I don’t think Manson was suggesting that the Riddle of the Maze had another intended solution; it was that he could think of another answer to the riddle.

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    • All I really have to say is that the pseudo-answer you get from the path states “like Atlas, you bear it upon your shoulders.” So that means Atlas had whatever the answer is upon his shoulders and so did you. But Atlas never carried a coffin or something.
      The sentence derived from the path isn’t “this is an object you carry on shoulders.” It is something Atlas carried as well.

      I mean, I guess it could mean “like Atlas, who held stuff up on his shoulders, you are doing that too.” But that would be strange in my opinion.

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    • It’s really not that strange of a phrasing. Like, if I were swinging around an umbrella and someone said, “Whoa, you’re swinging that thing like Zorro!” I don’t think it would strike anyone as an odd phrasing or suggestive that Zorro swings an umbrella around.

      It would be odd here not because it’s grammatically strange, but because the “Atlas” bit becomes irrelevant.

      The original answer has an even more problematic oddness, which is that no one bears the world on their shoulders.

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    • I know what this is. It’s “the heavens” or something like that. Atlas never actually bore the earth on his shoulders- all ancient Greek sculptures depicted him holding the celestial sphere, and every myth specified “heavens,” too. The globe thing was a misunderstanding that didn’t happen until far, far past that time. I think Manson plausibly could have known this… he seemingly enjoys Greek mythology enough that I feel like he’d have known this or researched Atlas. He made the guy the main puzzle of his book!
      Atlas bearing the globe has become so much of a cultural truth that I don’t think the “world” solution is inaccurate.

      There are only two things Atlas is said to have bore on his shoulders: the globe and the sky/heavens. Any solution to both riddles is probably going to be related to what he carries. “Coffin” was a cool idea, but I think both the earth and the heavens have a leg up on it because you don’t live in them singularly like you would for it. A coffin’s not really a communal house, just a stuffy, private room.

      There’s actually nothing in MAZE, as far as I can remember, that references Earth or the globe. Unless you want to say Room 8. But there is also imagery of the sky- like, nothing points you towards either “heaven” or “earth” as a final answer. Atlas bearing the sky is technically more correct. If the Maze contest was undertaken exclusively by greek mythology dorks and they came back with an answer, it’d probably be this.

      So let’s have some fun and extrapolate from this. There are two answers to the riddle: the world and the sky. But no matter which answer you choose, and where you think you’ll go when you die, you are still going to die one day. This is something every person has to come to terms with- a weight everybody bears!

      Okay, let’s get really conspiracy-ey. What if this double meaning is the reason Manson built the core puzzle around Atlas in the first place? No offense to it, but I never really found it super clever.
      “Everyone will die eventually and when you die you will go to the Earth and Atlas carried the Earth.”
      This solution follows the EXACT same logical progression as “Onions make people cry and when you cry you need a tissue and Kleenex makes tissues.” The room 45 question could be “what do people grab after cutting onions?” and the path message could be “like Kleenex, you make them.”

      And I’m not saying you can’t come up with cool stuff about what manufacturing those tissues represents! But as it is, “the earth” is kind of just an associative chain that never justifies itself as a puzzle by looping back in on itself.

      This solves that problem! The fact that there are two answers is part of the point. Maybe Manson was thinking about the common-misconception-turned-accepted-“truth” of Atlas carrying the Earth. He might’ve found it interesting how there were two correct answers to the question of “what does he bear” that were also two main stances on the afterlife for atheism and theism. So he built a puzzle around this superposition.

      The “we don’t bear” problem can be excused as a blurry Mansonality in service of the dichotomy’s cleverness. It also makes more sense because of the “inevitability regardless of what happens when you die” thing. You carry your beliefs about death with you, and their content doesn’t change the fact that… you have to carry them. Yes, it’s the weakest part of this theory, but without “the heavens” as the second answer, it has next to no point being there.

      The directionless “people die in the Earth which Atlas holds” not justifying its existence is made even worse by having a link back that does not even link back. Now the puzzle has a central conceit, with the bearing problem as a sacrifice at worst and a decent simile at best.

      I’m probably missing something, but I really think this is it. If Manson was the one to bring up the two answers, I 100% believe this. Imagine coming up with a really meaningful central puzzle during the early stages (or even before) of a book you’d devote yourself to for months and months. Then you release it and nobody can be arsed to double-check what happened in the Atlas myth! For decades! So you’re being interviewed by these guys and you just straight-up tell people for the first time that there are TWO answers. That was the point of the puzzle!!

      Good heavens.

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    • It’s awful how often we say “I know this was discussed somewhere,” but I know this was discussed somewhere. I can find a discussion of “the heavens” in Ask Manson (in which I reference discussing it on MazeCast), but not Manson’s response, although I believe WR reported that Manson denied that any of our secondary solutions were the one he thought of. (Head/brain/mind, skin, coffin, earth, the heavens…that’s all I can remember offhand.)

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    • Okay, so clearly I’m a little bit abyss-rusty. I just jumped in with the celestial sphere thing and assumed it couldn’t have been seriously considered/dissected prior, because if it was, wouldn’t everyone believe it!?
      Well, my comment from 2020 even proves I’d already read that ask manson discussion. I couldn’t find anything there about Manson‘s response. It’s not that I don’t believe them, but I’ll pause on any further “heavens” thoughts until I can confirm what he de-confirmed. Curse the charming but fragmented nature of gathering info through dead forums!
      But putting that aside, do you agree that the riddle of the path/center is kind of directionless on its own? I’m sure there’s more going on- honestly the directionlessness kind of strengthens that for me.

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    • As difficult as it is to comb through this site for specific comments, it seems absolutely bonkers that none of us has been able to find this discussion from Manson of an alternate solution to the Riddle of the Maze. It would clearly be discussed by WR, so the comment would be highlighted, and would also involve the proposed alternate solutions, with we can add to a google search. I’m finding nothing.

      It’s always possible for us to misremember things, but these statements from Manson are not only independently remembered by many of us, but mentioned in other, older comments on the site.

      Is it possible that some comments have gone away?

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    • Oh! It originates not from WR but from Gentile:

      “I asked::

      “Is this the exact intended solution or is there something slightly wrong about it?

      ———-
      MAZE CONTEST SOLUTIONS
      1-26-30-42-4-29-17-45-23-8-12-39-4-15-37-20-1
      What house will all live in?
      Like Atlas, you bear it upon your shoulders.
      (The World-Earth-The Globe)
      ———-

      “Manson kindly replied:

      “Hello David:
      The riddle as stated in the contest solutions below is correct, as is the “Atlas” hint. The answer below is correct, but there is another answer as well. I believe it is published somewhere. If that answer can’t be found, I will maintain the mystery.”

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    • and then:

      ‘OK so here is the last tidbit for this conversation. I promised to go back to silently MAZEing. But I ran the 3 suggestions by him: my “man” suggestion from 40, WR’s “weight of the world” and Vince’s recalled “mind”:

      ‘David:
      All those alternates could work, but they are not what I had in mind.
      Thank you for your interest.’

      So, the “heavens” solution was not part of the bundle run by Manson, at least as far as this goes. I’ll have to keep re-reading to see whether the other alternate solutions were run by Manson later.

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    • Ah! This is quite helpful, fantastic work!!
      “I believe it is published somewhere.” …what? Where could the alternate solution possibly be published? Unless Manson is using the word in a way I would not? You just got to the bottom of a word-of-mouth path, and Manson has directed us towards another…

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    • I take it he means “publish” in the sense of “make public,” not “print and distribute,” though who knows.

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    • Right- but it implies a sort of authority, like it was released in some lost official statement. Something so important couldn’t have just been forgotten, right?

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    • I didn’tctake Manson to mean it had been stated with authority somewhere. If that were the case, it seems like it would have to be either him or the publisher, and it seems unlikely that the publisher would have any cause to.

      It’a doubtful Manson “published” the answer anywhere, though it’s posdible that he at some point gave an interview in which it was mentioned.

      His uncertainty as to whether it was published, and where, makes it seem more likely to me that he just thinks he read it somewhere. The John Bailey site, maybe?

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    • You’re probably right. The only thing that threw me off was the weight Manson placed on the second answer being “found.” If we did come across it, would it immediately jump out to us as correct? If not, what’s the functional difference between finding one proposed answer vs any other? Or just independently coming up with it ourselves? His use of “found” makes me feel like we would know when we saw it.

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    • That’s an interesting point, in conjunction with his desire to “maintain the mystery.” It would be a little odd if “the mystery” was that someone else suggested an unintended solution that he thought was pretty good. Not unbelievably bizarre, just a little odd. But, I guess, even in that case it’s essentially a riddle to be solved, so maybe it’s not that weird for Manson to leave it as an exercise for the reader.

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  2. Something I have always found curious is the wording of the clue: “Like Atlas, you bear it on your shoulders.” Why the second person? Do I in fact bear the world on my shoulders? Sometimes people say they “feel the weight of the world is on their shoulders,” but Atlas *by definition* bears the world on his. The clue to the riddle could have said, “Atlas bears it on his shoulders,” but it curiously goes out of its way to invoke the second person.

    There is of course something that all of us DO, in fact, bear on our shoulders, just like Atlas: our own heads. Inside our heads is the whole world as we see it and represent it to ourselves. I’m well aware that the answer to the riddle (World, Earth, or Globe) was long ago revealed by the publisher, but we also know that MAZE has nuances within nuances and that Manson said cryptically that it was solved “more or less.” And our own head is indeed a “house all will live in.”

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    • Manson may have hinted upon a “moralless” dilemma (more or less) , between what he truly perceives as being rite and the abrogation of what is declared wrong.

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    • The idea that the answer to the riddle could also be “our own heads” is clever and appealing for sure. In fact it’s been suggested before. Manson when asked about it said he thought it was interesting but that it was not what he had in mind. (I’m paraphrasing; can’t find the actual quote. It’s somewhere on this site.)

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    • From the texts that I’ve read, Atlas did not actually carry “the weight of the world;” instead, he carried the celestial sphere (the sky). The Earth and celestial sphere are both spherical in shape, which may account for some confusing misinterpretations. However, I have never doubted Manson’s authenticity, which is why I think most people find solace in mystery ad infinitum.

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  3. I was just wondering how long it generally takes to solve the maze (pathwise) I spent 6 hours on it. how long does it usually take?

    Joey Scarpa
    Room 24, Abyss Road, The Maze 789953

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    • Joseph,

      Depends a lot on what information you have to start with. If you know the secret door solving the path isn’t particularly difficult depending on how you choose to go about it. If you don’t know the secret door then it is impossible until you uncover the door or look it up online.

      White Raven

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    • It’s worth noting that trying only to crack the 16-step path is not the most enjoyable way to read MAZE. Now that you’re aware of a secret door, you have all the information you need to explore the entire Maze, but I’d suggest you do so “naturally,” actually following the rules and reading through each new room you find and trying to remember where you’ve been before, etc. This will be your last chance to enjoy MAZE as it was intended! Soon you’ll be like us, jaded and empty.

      That’s what everyone’s like, right? Jaded and empty?

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    • I figured out the hidden room on my own by mapping it out and finding out that it was impossible without a hidden door. I like quantitive puzzles and solving the riddle is maybe something I will complete when I am bored.

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    • Joey,

      Telling us what you have solved which we already know is pointless, it will be assumed by everyone here you have just looked up some solutions and claimed them. If you do “solve” something already posted here, there is no reason to inform us.

      Vewatkin’s mournful tale of woe has a point, the joy of MAZE isn’t mainly in the solving, it is in the mystery. That said, if you do have new solutions feel free to offer them – there is plenty left to solve, precious little of what we believe to be true is beyond question, and nothing is beyond being potentially improved upon.

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    • Haha, I’d probably accept that someone found the secret door based solely on their say-so. But if you come back here claiming you solved the Riddle of the Maze in a moment of boredom (or after ten years of intense study and effort, for that matter) without looking up the answers I will probably just roll my eyes and then remember that we haven’t heard anything from Thail Krider in a while.

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  4. Here is my final solution to MAZE as condensed as I can get it-you will have to research the rest on the net for more details:

    EYE = the 30 foot wide open OCULUS at the top of the DOME of the Roman Pantheon.
    LANTERNS = the openings around the top of the DOME of the Paris Pantheon.
    BIRD = Christopher Wren, the architect of the DOME of London’s Saint Paul’s Cathedral.
    These are the 3’s (tri) we have been clued to find:

    1. ROMAN PANTHEON …
    Hadrian the final architect of the DOME and a nasty fellow. When you approach the Rome Pantheon there is an obelisk in the plaza area in front of the building. You walk under the portico with its outdoor roof that is supported by “16” columns. Enter thru the large bronze double doors into the rotunda. Look at the picture for the Prologue. Here is what you see: there are only two light sources for the Pantheon-light coming in from the front door and light coming in from the open OCULUS at the top of the dome (it’s just beautiful). You will also see this demonstrated in Room 1. Before you enter the building you are on the portico…when it rains, the rain comes pouring down through the OCULUS (actual drains are in the floor). The visitors step outside onto the portico that is affectionately called “the UMBRELLA”. We see the “UMBRELLA” at the door in the picture for the Prologue. Inside around the DOME the windows do not have glass/PANES-they are covered up. The area around the OCULUS is called the CROWN. The sun beams down through the OCULUS lighting the interior and causing a round bright sun spot to rotate as a “reversed sun dial” around the inside of the DOME. The Narrative of the Prologue: “my crown, my pain, the fire in my EYE(s)” now makes metaphorical sense. Hadrian was also a poet: especially interesting to us is his dying poem that begins with “ANIMULA” (“we are all part animal” see Room 32). Hadrian was tall and vain (“hard to see over his shoulder”). He had his hair done every day-Room 22 is a “salon” Rapunsal/hair. Hadrian helped to defeat the JEWs also in Room 22. We are dealing with 3 DOMES here, hence the Cerberus clue. “The monstrous walls rise up and run away”, is of course Hadrian’s walls-horizontal wall of separation from the Barbarians and his vertical walls “rise up and run away as far as the human EYE/OCULUS can see (prologue metaphor). “Construction never stops” the Roman Pantheon has been rebuilt several times and sits on marsh land (shaky-Shake-spear/Elvis’ leg-too much fun here-Elvis has left the building, that would be the AstroDOME). Before Hadrian the Roman Pantheon was called “The Santa Maria Church” see Room 2. Raphael said this building was built by the angels-he requested and is entombed here:”Bones and Ashes of the Great Raphael” is his inscription see Room 31. The DOME was built of non reinforced concrete with pieces of pottery inserted into the cement see Room 17. It is well noted that it is very, very quiet/silent in the Roman Pantheon and there are two bell towers.

    2. PARIS PANTHEON…
    The top area over the Paris Pantheon is surrounded by vertical open OCULUS’-the area is called the Lantern unlike the open top OCULUS of the Roman Pantheon. FOUCAULT first demonstrated that the Earth spins around its axis by setting up his pendulum in the Paris Pantheon. He suspended the large ball from the ceiling (see internet pics) Room 33. Room 14 represents VOLTAIRE. His full standing statue is prominent in the Paris Pantheon and stands in front of his sarcophagus upon which sits a large round ball. Like Confucius, he is known for his aphorisms. He is remembered and honored in France as a courageous polemicist who tenaciously fought for civil rights. Room 29 represents Louis Braille who is also entombed in the Paris Pantheon.

    3. London’s Saint Paul’s Cathedral…
    The architect here is Christopher “WREN”. The floor in the Cathedral is a stone checkerboard. The DOME of the Cathedral is a “triple” construction DOME so that the DOME you see inside is not the DOME on the outside and there is a support DOME in between. It is lit by windows in groups of 3’s surrounding the top of the DOME. Christopher WREN is buried beneath the floor/no sarcophagus for him, however, in floor directly under the middle of the dome there is a large black marble circle/spot with partial inscription “Reader, if you are seeking his memorial-look around you”…see Room 15 black spot on floor under tripod. There is a window in the wall located over the floor burial site that is square paned and allows light to filter onto his burial place, again see Room 15 ceiling. WREN was an Astronomer and is thought to have attended Dr. Busby’s school where Poe (William Wilson & Doppelganger) attended.

    NOTE: I have found the answer to “Like Atlas, He bears it upon his shoulder”. The DOME of the Roman Pantheon is a full half circle-if you connect another exact DOME to this one at its equatorial line, you have a full round geometric circle that touches the top of the inside dome and the floor under the dome. It is called the “HEAVENLY SPHERE”.

    NOTE: The large bronze “Atlas” is located directly across the street from St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan.

    NOTE: Pantheon means “A temple to all gods”/”All the Gods”/”Every God” depending on the Latin or Greek interpretation. There are 7 Apse around the rotunda that were dedicated to the Gods (I suspect we may have rooms relating to this). “MAGRIPPA L F COS TERTIVM FECIT” is inscribed on the front triangular pediment and just reminds me of “Magpies” which is maybe why the fish on the front cover of MAZE is blocking any writing underneath. Christopher Wren/the wrench & bird, etc etc.

    NOTE:
    Oh, and Dave, you were right on the concept with a teepee with a hole in the top-bet no one ever called the Roman Pantheon a “teepee”! lol. Well I may be nuts but I think the big concept is all here.

    NOTE: I will post the following in each individual room but kept these together to make my case for the above solution.

    Room 1
    re: see Solution to MAZE posting:
    This is an introductory tease to the Roman Pantheon Oculus (EYE) letting in a circular beam of sunlight that moves around the dome.

    Room 2.
    re: see Solution to MAZE posting:
    The name of the Roman Pantheon before Hadrian was the “Santa Maria Church”.

    Room 14
    re: see Solution to Maze posting:
    -Electric wire & plug/string & paperclip (Franklin kite & key experiment) = VOLT.
    Eagle claw + eagle’s nest = AIRE. Stature of VOLTAIRE in Paris Pantheon in front of his sarcophagus that has a large round ball on top in the middle.

    Room 15
    re: see Solution to MAZE posting:
    -Dark round spot on floor under tripod = round black marble insert on the center floor under the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral London-Inscription ends with: “Reader, if you are seeking his memorial-look around you.” Referring to Christopher Wren, the architect of St Paul’s. The ceiling in the room with light pouring in is the window located in the crypt on the wall pouring light onto Wren’s burial slab.

    Room 17
    re: see Solution to MAZE posting:
    -Pieces of pottery jars were used to mix into the dome structure unreinforced cement construction for a lighter weight dome-The dome with Oculus of the ancient Roman Pantheon.

    Room 22
    re: see Solution to MAZE posting:
    Hadrian has his hair done every day. He was tall and vain (hard to see over his shoulder Room 23). Hadrian’s hair/Rapunsal’s hair-this room is a salon.

    Room 29
    re: see Solution to MAZE posting:
    As I previously posted here, the blind man is Louis Braille who is entombed in the Paris Pantheon.

    Room 31
    re: see Solution to MAZE posting:
    The “tomb” here belongs to “Raphael” in the Roman Pantheon. Inscription reads: BONES AND ASHES of the Great Raphael.”

    Room 32
    re: see Solution to MAZE posting:
    Narrative:”in a very real way we are all of US ANIMALS” metaphor to Hadrian’s Farewell to Life poem: “ANIMULA Vagula Blandula”

    Room 33
    re: see Solution to MAZE posting:
    As I previously stated here, this room is about Foucault’s Pendulum that was first demonstrated in the Paris Pantheon suspended from the ceiling.

    Room 34
    re: see Solution to MAZE posting
    Note the “EYE” on the ship and the ‘OBELISK” in picture. OBELISK is located right outside the front portico in the plaza in front of the Roman Pantheon.

    Room 41
    re: see Solution to MAZE posting:
    The floor of St. Paul’s Cathedral is a beautiful large checkered floor.

    Room 45
    re: see Solution to MAZE posting:
    We have here a “SHOEMAKER’ s awl with a shoe and a horseshoe present along with the name WILLIAM…= WILLIE SHOEMAKER the world famous racing jockey…the jockey/horse ultimate goal is to win the “Triple Crown” a metaphor for 1. Roman Pantheon-DOME. 2. Paris Pantheon-DOME. 3. St Paul’s Cathedral-DOME.

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    • I’m reminded of the fact that one can spell Christopher using the letters from atrophied branches in room 5. Well ok they are more truncated than atrophied. I still thought that was pretty cool.

      I don’t think you are on to something there. Sorry. But it would not be productive if I didn’t comment at all.

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  5. I EXAMINED THE ROOM PATH FROM 45 TO 1:
    I totally got something different for the message of the maze from 45 to 1. I list the locations where we differ.
    45) M a ‘w’ when upside down, U 23) Blank 8) S 12) U, D, C at top of ladder 39) R, O 4) E 15) C at the moon, E the shadow on the wall above and between 30-37. 37)O-the shadow of the net, C the side of table and legs 20) S, S
    There is a question mark in 45 and if I have to make something of the shadows in 23, it would be an !
    Arranging the letters, it reads thus; “SUCCESS! DO U C MORE?”

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    • Text speak was not a thing then and we know the real answer. It’s almost certainly not intentionally placed. However, it’s clever enough to keep a record of it. Imo

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  6. Revising my page regarding the letters of “Shoulders”. I think he gives the letters one of two ways. He gives then super obvious once, or he gives them in hidden way twice. H in 37 and in 15. E in 37 and in 8. O in 39 and 23. L in 4 but maybe ? All other given once directly. He seems well aware that the more something is hidden the more times it needs to be given to show it is real.

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  7. Proposal regarding the letters to spell “Shoulders”. I believe that the letters are given 1 of 2 ways: Theye are either simply given is a very unambigous obvious way, OR they are hidden but then given twice.

    The tire in 39 vs. the “nothing” in 23 has bee a dispute for some time. Suppose they are both intended.

    “H20″ in my opinion is the only way in room 37 to resolve the multiple conflicting indicators. But that means there is a VERY intentional “H” here. But then in 15, the H’s are puzzle parts as well. They are intentional too. The H is given twice so that one confirms the other.

    In 37 I am sure the ending E’s are intended, but then we also have that table in room 8 looking like an E. Again, I think this letter is given in a concealed way, but given twice.

    Manson seems quite aware that the more hidden something is the more times he has to give it to prove it is a real thing.

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    • David Gentile,

      Finally someone made the Room 8 and the Riddle of the Path “E” connection! I have never been comfortable with “E” being in Room 37 when such an obvious “E” is available in Room 8.

      This means room 8 has two letters and Room 37 none. Perhaps one of the purposes of the “EXTRA S” in Room 20 is to indicate that some of the letters can be found in multiple ways?

      White Raven

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  8. Thanks to both of you. I pretty much just put the book down and forgot about it back in 2012. And I only picked it up again this week while doing some other website work. And I’m a lot more satisfied with some parts of what is on my page than other parts too.

    One note about the “Manson”s. My thought was not that he placed them their to be found as part of a solution. But rather he just made sure the text always included two words that worked. The fact that 24 was the only place I could NOT find one at all made me even more suspicious. But as I said , other than the best 3 I think I removed them. I suspect room 3 is the authentic author “signature” however. And room 4 could be a Manson with no Christopher. Some of the Christopher’s still remaining could be wrong too. But the best are to point to St, Christopher I think. The best are the ones that almost fall out of anagrams of Christopher like Short Perch I.

    But that’s history. Now I’m looking forward to seeing what ravens book has to say and taking a fresh look at the puzzle.

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  9. White Raven writes:
    “Like Atlas, you (the reader) bear the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

    I agree. As you may remember from past discussions, I thought there were many examples of “Christopher Manson” hidden in the maze, but he infomed me that was not the case.
    “…while I dislike to go into much detail about what is or isn’t there, I do want to say that I have really only put my name in once on purpose, and 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. My first name is entirely coincidental to the book, and was not my doing in the first place.
    I hesitate to say anything about the book usually…”
    And other that at most 3 “Manson”s, I feel I simply invented them. But most of the “Christopher”s I still feel are there. But they are not there to point to the author. Rather to St. Christopher. In the story where he bears Christ across the river, Jesus is impossibly heavy, and we learn that this is becasue he bears the weight of the world on his shoulders. So the “Christopher”s are there, I belive, to point to St. Christopher, and then to the overall Maze solution.

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    • Wow, I had my doubts as to whether this was the real David Gentie, but then I noticed that his page now has a link to this site…
      http://www.davegentile.com/stuff/maze.html
      …which wasn’t there in 2012.
      http://web.archive.org/web/20120730224731/http://www.davegentile.com/stuff/maze.html

      So I think this is the real deal. My goodness. Hi, Mr. Gentile! I’m sure White Raven or someone else would like to extend a formal welcome, but let me just try to sneak an apology in there. You’ve probably already seen us, to be blunt, make fun of some of your maze-solving habits in a few pages on this site. I shared in that, and would like to say I’m sorry. It’s easy to be snide when you don’t think the person taking the jab is actually going to see what you’re saying.

      Really, though, I don’t think there’s anyone here who doesn’t respect the sheer diligence it took for you to put together such a detailed analysis. And we’re pretty much all in love with your solution to room #26, as you’ve probably seen. (Also, I think your solution to room #45 is vastly more elegant and persuasive than White Raven’s Woodrow Wilson interpretation, but don’t… don’t tell anyone I said that)

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    • Beelzebibble,

      Don’t worry I will store it in my subconscious for fodder in later therapy. :}

      I have been emailing Mr. Gentile but you are correct, a formal public welcome is called for – I will post one on the main page. Thanks!

      The “will” phrasing of the riddle was discovered by Scott Purdy in 1986 and has been assumed correct almost universally since then.

      While my best guess is that the Woodrow Wilson phrasing is correct but I am not certain and I personally like Scott’s “will” phrasing more from an aesthetics point of view. Though aesthetically my first choice would be ”All inhabit what evil house?” which we know to be wrong…damn it.

      The question is if the Woodrow Wilson quote ”Without God, the world would be a maze without a clue” is part of the puzzle (also discovered by Scott). If it is than “All Live In What Woodrow Wilson House?” is a better phrasing pointing us to the quote, if not then “All Live In What House?” is a better phrasing. I would not at all be surprised if Scott’s original phrasing proved correct and the quote from Woodrow Wilson is just a coincidence.

      White Raven

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    • Opps, I left out the “will.” “Will all live in what house?” is actually what I meant. Thanks!

      It should be noted that this is my rephrasing of Scott’s original phrasing “What house will all live in?” I changed it to reflect the order of items in the room and somewhat better grammar.

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