Circling Crete for protective reasons is nothing new. Ancient Minoan legends preserved by Greek writers tell of Talos, the "man of bronze" who made a circuit of the island of Crete three times a year. He carried with him the tablets on which were inscribed the sacred laws, taking them to each town on his route. When needed, he threw giant boulders at any enemy ships daring to approach the shores of Crete. In up-close combat, he would leap into a fire, become red-hot, and then rush to embrace his enemy.
Alas, Talos met his match in the sorceress Medea, who knew the secret of stopping him: pull the nail sealing in the divine ichor (an oily fluid) that enabled his metal limbs to move. Once the seal was removed, Talos collapsed to the ground and died.
Nor was Talos the only one who circled the island. Some believe that the ancient Minoan seal stones showing a goddess or priestess paddling a boat to seaside shrines indicates a similar divine circumnavigation of the island.
So while the spiral is definitely a symbol of ancient Minoan culture, it appears that they may have also spent some of their time going around in circles - at least around their island homeland.
