Sokkeloista

Sokkeloista is the Finnish plural elative form of sokkelo, the word for maze or labyrinth. In Finnish, sokkelo refers to a constructed network of passages designed to confuse or challenge someone walking through it, though the term can also be used metaphorically for situations of complexity. Sokkeloista specifically expresses “from the mazes” or “of the mazes” when talking about multiple mazes.

A sokkelo is a maze: a branching, usually enclosed arrangement of passages intended to mislead or entertain, often with dead ends. A labyrinth, by contrast, is typically unicursal, containing a single winding path without branches. Mazes come in various forms, including hedges, walls, or ground markings, and can serve as play areas, puzzle challenges, or ornamental features in gardens and parks.

Historically, mazes appear in many cultures. The Greek myth of the Minotaur describes a labyrinth built by Daedalus. In medieval and early modern Europe, garden mazes became fashionable, especially in aristocratic estates. In the modern era, hedge mazes, corn mazes, and floor labyrinths continue to be used for recreation, tourism, art, and meditation.

In Finnish, sokkeloista is a grammatical form used when referring to several mazes (from the mazes, of the mazes). The base sokkelo conveys the general concept of a maze, while sokkeloista provides a specific case form.