The word labyrinth comes from
Greek Mythology. The word comes from the greek
root,
labrys, meaning double-ax. The double-ax referred to the
Minoan dynasty of ancient
Crete. The labyrinth was devised by
Daedalus to house the
minotaur.
Labyrinth also refers to an
organ found in some
species of
fish. These fish are of the
Anabantid family and include
bettas,
gouramis, and
paradise fish. The labyrinth organ is used by the fish to
breathe gaseous
air due to their natural environments of
stagnant water that contains little or no
dissolved oxygen. The labyrinth is named such because the organ is very maze-like to capture the air for
absorption into the
bloodstream.