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On the island of Krutoyar, literally just a few kilometers from the border of the Leningrad region with Finland, one of the strangest structures has been preserved, whose history remains unknown to this day – a labyrinth. The labyrinth, measuring 9.5 by 7.6 meters, is located near the summit of the island at an altitude of 20 meters, has stone paths 20–50 centimeters wide, is oriented according to the cardinal points, and has an entrance to the north from the shoreline of the Gulf of Finland. Only the part of the outer arc adjacent to the entrance on the right is collapsed.
In the Northwest territory, creations of the ancient inhabitants of these places have hardly been preserved: small narrow labyrinths made of stone. But the island of Krutoyar was incredibly lucky. Firstly, near the labyrinth, the remains of an ancient Finnish village of the same name have been preserved. Secondly, the labyrinth itself looks almost the same as it did when it was built.
However, researchers face great difficulties with dating. Either they were built back in the Neolithic period, or they were brought to these places by Vikings. Researchers have several theories. Some consider labyrinths to be cult structures – since spiral labyrinth images are found on the floors of some medieval churches in Sweden. It is thought that believers encoded their Christian ideas in this way. Other scholars associate labyrinths more with paganism. They suggest that our ancestors built and used labyrinths as altars. Such a intricate shape and the complexity of passage are not accidental. The souls of the dead were supposed to get lost during rituals and never disturb the world of the living again. According to legends, labyrinths were also entrances to the underworld or the otherworld. This world could open only to those who know the spell or who happened to be nearby at the moment when the entrance was open.
Others believe that fishermen and sailors had to pass through this labyrinth before going out to sea. It was believed to bring them luck and protect their health. Moreover, there is information that some Finnish and Karelian fishermen walked through similar labyrinths even in the early 20th century. There were two types in total. The first had only one exit: basically, you had to go in and back out. The second was through-passage: fishermen passed through these “from the sea to the shore.” Additionally, some researchers believed that the main point was not to thoughtfully navigate all the turns, but to do it “on autopilot.” This way, a person could focus, concentrate, and calm down.
The structure of the labyrinth on the island of Krutoyar belongs, according to the classification of scientist Kuratov, to the bi-spiral type. Like many others, the labyrinth is located near the shore with an entrance from the sea side. The labyrinth is oriented according to the cardinal points, with the entrance to the north, facing the shoreline of the Gulf of Finland. The stone-laid paths are very narrow, and it will be quite difficult for anyone wishing to walk through it. Passing through the labyrinth, one must move alternately in all directions, constantly changing direction and the radius of movement, sometimes smoothly, sometimes sharply, trying not to misstep on the narrow path, all within a small area of land. How do you like such a workout for attention and coordination? The load on the vestibular apparatus is also quite good. Those who have already tried to pass the labyrinth noted that it is better to do so without thinking. In any case, passing through the labyrinth is a very engaging activity. It is said that those who did it more than once even report some change in their perception of the world.
Strangely enough, almost no one tried to study these strange structures. It was first described in 1913 by Finnish archaeologist Arne Tälgren. There are several mentions and data according to which there are from 5 to 10 such landmarks in this area. Two islands are mentioned in connection with this – Krutoyar and Yuzhny Virgin. Russian researchers only took up the labyrinths in the 2000s, by which time most of them had disappeared.
Sources:
https://www.fiesta.ru/spb/places/labirint-na-ostrove-krutoyar/
