Editing Labrys

{{Short description|Cretan double-bladed axe}}
{{multiple issues|
{{original research|date=November 2012}}
{{unreliable sources|date=November 2012}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2018}}
{{Lead too short|date=May 2024}}
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{{use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
[[File:Minoan Labrys1.jpg|thumb|right|Minoan gold votive double axe or ''labrys'', less than 4 inches tall. On the left blade is an inscription in undeciphered Linear A; possibly an invocation to the goddess Demeter.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collections.mfa.org/objects/150472/votive-double-ax |website=Museum of Fine Arts Boston |title=Votive double ax}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=MacGillivray |first1=Joseph |url=https://www.academia.edu/2143502 |title=Athanasia. The Earthly, the Celestial and the Underworld in the Mediterranean from the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age. N. Ch. Stampolidis, A. Kanta and A. Giannikouri (eds.) |date=2012 |publisher=MEDITERRANEAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY |isbn=978-960-7143-40-2 |chapter=The Minoan Double Axe Goddess and Her Astral Realm}}</ref>|257x257px]]

'''''Labrys''''' ({{langx|el|λάβρυς|lábrys}}) is, according to [[Plutarch]] (''Quaestiones Graecae'' 2.302a), the [[Lydian language|Lydian word]] for the [[Axe#Components|double-bitted]] [[axe]]. In Greek it was called {{lang|grc|πέλεκυς}} (''pélekys''). The plural of ''labrys'' is '''''labryes''''' ({{lang|grc|λάβρυες}}).

==Etymology== 
[[File:Bronze Ax Messara Crete.jpg|thumb|upright=1|[[Bronze Age]] axe from the [[tholoi|tholos]] tombs of [[Messara Plain|Messara]] in Crete]]

[[Plutarch]] relates that the word {{lang|grc-Latn|labrys}} was a [[Lydian language|Lydian]] word for 'axe': {{lang|grc|Λυδοὶ γὰρ ‘λάβρυν’ τὸν πέλεκυν ὀνομάζουσι}}.{{efn|
"[[Heracles|Herakles]], having slain [[Hippolyta|Hippolyte]] and taken her axe away from her with the rest of her arms, gave it to [[Omphale]]. The kings of Lydia who succeeded her carried this as one of their sacred insignia of office and passed it down from father to son until it was passed to [[Candaules]], who disdained it and gave it to one of his companions to carry. When [[Gyges of Lydia|Gyges]] rebelled and was making war upon Candaules, Arselis came with a force from [[Milas|Mylasa]] to assist Gyges; Arselis then slew Candaules and his companion and took the axe to [[Caria]] with the other spoils of war. And, having set up a statue of Zeus, Arselis put the axe in his hand and invoked the god, [[Labraunda|Labrandeus]]."<ref name=Plutarch-Moralia-45>{{cite book |author=[[Plutarch]] |title=[[Moralia]] |trans-title=Greek Questions |at=45, 2.302a}}</ref>
}}<ref name=Plutarch-Moralia-45/> ("For Lydians name the double-edged axe 'Labrys{{'"}}). Many scholars including [[Arthur Evans]] assert that the word ''[[labyrinth]]'' is derived from ''labrys'' and thus implies 'house of the double axe'.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Oxford Classical Dictionary |year=2012 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |place=Oxford, UK |page=960 |edition=4th |isbn=978-0199545568 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bVWcAQAAQBAJ&q=dapurito+linear+B}}</ref> A priestly corporation in [[Delphi]] was named ''Labyades''; the original name was probably ''Labryades'', servants of the double axe. In the [[Roman era]] at [[Patrai]] and [[Messene]], a goddess [[Laphria (festival)|Laphria]] was worshipped, commonly identified with [[Artemis]]. Her name was said to be derived from the region around Delphi.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Gods, Heroes and Tyrants: Greek chronology in chaos |first=Emmet John |last=Sweeney |publisher=Algora Publishing |isbn=9780875866826 |date=2009 |page=116 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wI6zh4E06TgC&q=Labryades&pg=PA116}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |first1=Nicolas |last1=Platon |first2=Béatrice |last2=de Tournay |date=2015-05-18 |title=La Civilisation égéenne: Le Bronze récent et la civilisation mycénienne |trans-title=Aegean Civilization: The late Bronze Age and the civilization of the Mycenaeans |publisher=Albin Michel |isbn=9782226341075 |page=iii |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UJVtCQAAQBAJ&q=Labryades&pg=PA178}}</ref>

In [[History of Crete|Crete]] the "double axe" is not a weapon, and it always accompanies female goddesses, not male gods, referring to the male bull god itself.<ref>Nilsson, vol. 1, p. 277.</ref> [[Robert S. P. Beekes]] regards the relation of ''labyrinth'' with ''labrys'' as speculative, and rather proposes a relation with {{lang|grc-Latn|laura}} ({{lang|grc|λαύρα}}), 'narrow street', or to the Carian [[theonym]] Dabraundos ({{lang|grc|Δαβραυνδος}}).<ref name=Beekes>{{cite book |last=Beekes |first=Robert |title=Etymological Dictionary of Greek |year=2009 |page=819 |publisher=Brill |location=Boston, Massachusetts |isbn=978-9004174184}}</ref>

[[File:SATRAPS of CARIA. Hidrieus. Circa 351-0 to 344-3 BC.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|Coinage of [[Idrieus]] of [[Caria]], ''Obv'': Head of [[Apollo]], wearing laurel wreath, drapery at neck; ''Rev'': legend {{lang|grc|ΙΔΡΙΕΩΣ}} ("IDRIEOS"), Zeus Labraundos standing with labrys in his right hand, {{circa|351–350 to 344–343}}&nbsp;BCE<ref>{{cite web |title=Ex von Aulock Collection |website=Classical Numismatic Group (CNG) |year=2007 |url=https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=96762 |access-date=31 January 2019}}</ref>]]

It is also possible that the word ''labyrinth'' is derived from the [[Egyptian language|Egyptian]], meaning: "the temple at the entrance of the lake". The [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] labyrinth near [[Lake Moeris]] is described by [[Herodotus]] and [[Strabo]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Tikkanen |first=Amy |date=October 14, 2008 |title=Labyrinth |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/labyrinth-architecture}}</ref> The inscription in {{nobr|[[Linear B]],}} on {{nobr|tablet ΚΝ Gg 702,}} reads {{lang|gmy-Linb|{{big|{{Script|Linb|𐀅𐁆𐀪𐀵𐀍𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊}} }} }} &thinsp; ({{lang|gmy-Latn|da-pu{{sub|2}}-ri-to-jo-po-ti-ni-ja}}). The conventional reading is {{lang|gmy-Grek|λαβυρίνθοιο πότνια}} (''labyrinthoio potnia''; 'mistress of the labyrinth'). According to some modern scholars it could read *{{lang|gmy-Grek|δαφυρίνθοιο}} (*''daphyrinthoio''), or something similar, and hence be without a certain link with either the {{lang|xld-Grek|λάβρυς}} or the labyrinth.<ref>For an overview, ''see''<br/>
{{cite book |last1=Melena |first1=José L. |year=2014 |section=Mycenaean writing |title=Companion to Linear&nbsp;B: Mycenaean Greek texts and their world |volume=3 |page=73 |editor-last=Duhoux |editor-first=Y. |last2=Morpurgo Davies |first2=A. |series=Bibliothèque des Cahiers de l'Institut de Linguistique de Louvain (BCILL&nbsp;133) |section-url=https://www.academia.edu/7078918/José_L._Melena_Mycenaean_Writing_in_A_Companion_to_Linear_B._Mycenaean_Greek_Texts_and_their_World_Eds._Duhoux_Y._Morpurgo_Davies_A._Volume_3_Series_Bibliothèque_des_Cahiers_de_lInstitut_de_Linguistique_de_Louvain_BCILL_133_2014 |via=Academia.edu}}</ref>

A link has also been posited with the double axe symbols at [[Çatalhöyük]], dating to the Neolithic age.<ref name=Schachermeyr-1964>{{cite book |last=Schachermeyr |first=Fritz |year=1964 |title=Die minoische Kultur des alten Kreta |lang=de |trans-title=The Minoan Culture of Ancient Crete |publisher=[[Kohlhammer Verlag|Kohlhammer]] |place=Stuttgart, Germany |quote=Abb. 85 |oclc=325167}}</ref>{{rp|style=ama|p= 161}} In [[Labraunda]] in [[Caria]], as well as in the coinage of the [[Hecatomnid]] rulers of Caria, the double axe accompanies the storm god [[Zeus Labraundos]]. [[Arthur Evans]] notes,

{{quote|It seems natural to interpret names of Carian sanctuaries such as Labranda in the most literal sense as the place of the sacred labrys, which was the Lydian (or Carian) name for the Greek {{lang|grc|πέλεκυς}} [pelekys], or double-edged axe<ref name=Evans-HelSt-XXI/>}}

and

{{quote|on Carian coins, indeed of quite late date, the labrys, set up on its long pillar-like handle, with two dependent fillets, has much the appearance of a [[cult image]].<ref name=Evans-HelSt-XXI>{{cite journal |last=Evans |first=A. |author-link=Arthur Evans |date=November 1900 |title=Mycenaean tree and pillar cult and its Mediterranean relations |journal=Journal of Hellenic Studies |at=§&nbsp;XXI, page&nbsp;108 ff |url=https://archive.org/details/mycenaeantreean01evangoog |via=Internet Archive (archive.org) }}</ref>}}

==Minoan double axe==
[[File:Mycenae gold ring.jpg|thumb|Drawing of a golden ring found at [[Mycenae]] depicting cult of the seated [[poppy goddess]], in which the labrys is central and prominent]]In ancient [[Crete]], the double axe was an important sacred symbol of the [[Minoan religion]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dartmouth.edu/~prehistory/aegean/?page_id=720 |title=Minoan Religion |last=Rutter |first=Jeremy |date=2017-11-29 |access-date=29 November 2017 |archive-date=23 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923230854/http://www.dartmouth.edu/~prehistory/aegean/?page_id=720 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In Crete the double axe only accompanies goddesses, never gods. It seems that it was the symbol of the [[arche]] of the creation (Mater-arche).<ref name=Schachermeyr-1964/>{{rp|style=ama|p= 161}} Small versions were used as [[votive offering]]s and have been found in considerable numbers; the [[Arkalochori Axe]] is a famous and rather larger example. Minoan double axes have also recently been found in the prehistoric town of [[Akrotiri (prehistoric city)|Akrotiri]] ([[Santorini]] Island) along with other objects of apparent religious significance.<ref>{{cite web |title=Μοναδικά νέα ευρήματα ανακαλύφθηκαν στο Ακρωτήρι Θήρας |website=Η Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών |date=30 January 2020 |lang=el-GR |url=https://www.efsyn.gr/node/229174 |access-date=2021-07-24}}</ref>

[[File:Gussform Palekastro (Xanthoudidis) 03.jpg|thumb|[[Minoan Moulds of Palaikastro|Minoan mould from Palaikastro]]]]

== Ancient Thracian Odrysian Kingdom ==
The double axe apparently carried important symbolism the ancient [[Thracians|Thracian]] [[Odrysian kingdom]] related to the [[Thracian religion]] and to royal power. It is argued that in ancient Thrace the double axe was an attribute of [[Zalmoxis]]. The double axe appears on coins from Thrace and is believed to be the symbol of the kings of the Odrysae, who believed they could trace their lineage to Zalmoxis.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Francis |editor1-first=Jane E. |editor2-last=Kouremenos |editor2-first=Anna |title=Roman Crete: New Perspectives |year=2016 |edition=1st |page=46 |publisher=[[Oxbow Books]] |location=Oxford, England, United Kingdom |isbn=978-1785700958}}</ref> A fresco from the [[Thracian tomb of Aleksandrovo|Thracian tomb near Aleksandrovo]] in south-east Bulgaria, dated to {{circa|4th c.}}&nbsp;BCE, depicts a large-size naked man wielding a double axe.

==Double axes in the Near East==
In the [[Near East]] and other parts of the region, eventually, axes of this sort often are wielded by male divinities and appear to become symbols of the thunderbolt, a symbol often found associated with the axe symbol.<ref>{{cite web |title=Minoan Religion |publisher=[[Dartmouth College]] |url=http://projectsx.dartmouth.edu/history/bronze_age/lessons/les/15.html |url-status=dead <!-- presumed --> |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718124320/http://projectsx.dartmouth.edu/history/bronze_age/lessons/les/15.html |archive-date=2012-07-18}}</ref> In [[Labraunda]] of [[Caria]] the double-axe accompanies the storm-god [[Zeus Labraundos]]. Similar symbols have been found on plates of [[Linear pottery culture]] in [[Romania]].<ref name=Schachermeyr-1964/>{{rp|style=ama|p= 162}} The double-axe is associated with the [[Hurrian]] god of sky and storm [[Teshub]]. His [[Hittites|Hittite]] and [[Luwian language|Luwian]] name was [[Tarhun (god)|Tarhun]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Tarhun |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tarhun |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |date=July 20, 1998}}</ref> Both are depicted holding a triple [[thunderbolt]] in one hand and a double axe in the other hand. Similarly, [[Zeus]] throws his thunderbolt to bring a storm. The ''labrys'', or ''pelekys'', is the double axe Zeus uses to invoke storm and, the relatively modern Greek word for lightning is "star-axe" ({{lang|grc|ἀστροπελέκι}} {{lang|grc-Latn|astropeleki}})<ref>{{cite book |first=M. |last=Nilsson |year=1967 |title=Die Geschichte der griechischen Religion |lang=de |trans-title=The History of Greek Religion |volume=I |page=267 ff |publisher=C.F. Beck Verlag |place=Munich, DE}}</ref> The worship of the double axe was kept up in the Greek island of [[Tenedos]] and in several cities in the south-west of [[Asia Minor]], and it appears in later historical times in the cult of the thunder god of Asia Minor (Zeus Labrayndeus).

==Ancient Greece==
In the context of the mythical Attic king [[Theseus]], the labyrinth of [[Greek mythology]] is frequently associated with the [[Minoan palace]] of [[Knossos]]. This is based on the reading of Linear B ''da-pu<sub>2</sub>-ri-to-jo-po-ti-ni-ja'' as λαβυρίνθοιο πότνια ("mistress of the labyrinth").{{efn|Cf. the parallel construction of ''a-ta-na-po-ti-ni-ja,'' perhaps referring to the “Mistress of Athens”, i.&nbsp;e. Athena, on a different tablet (KN V 52) from Knossos.}} It is uncertain, however, that ''labyrinth'' can be interpreted as "place of the double axes" and moreover that this should be Knossos; many more have been found, for example, at the Arkalachori Cave, where the famous [[Arkalochori Axe]] was found.{{Original research inline |date=February 2020}}

On Greek coins of the classical period (e.g. Pixodauros) a type of Zeus venerated at [[Labraunda]] in [[Caria]] that numismatists call ''Zeus Labrandeus'' ({{lang|grc|Ζεὺς Λαβρανδεύς}}) stands with a sceptre upright in his left hand and the double-headed axe over his shoulder.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J4DUAAAAMAAJ&q=zeus+labrandeus+&pg=PA105 |title=English Coins and Tokens |last=Jewitt |first=Llewellynn Frederick William |year=1890 |publisher=Swan Sonnenschein & Company |lang=en}}</ref>

==Roman Crete==
[[File:Orient méditerranéen de l'Empire romain - Mosaïque byzantine -5.JPG|thumb|right|upright=1.2|Ancient [[Roman mosaic]] in the [[Louvre]] depicting an [[Amazons|Amazon]] warrior with labrys in combat with a [[Hippeis#Citizen cavalry|hippeus]], fourth century A.D., from Daphne, a suburb of [[Antioch]] (modern [[Antakya]], Turkey)]]

In [[Roman Crete]], the labrys was often associated with the mythological [[Amazons]].<ref name="RomanCrete">{{cite book |editor1-last=Francis |editor1-first=Jane E. |editor2-last=Kouremenos |editor2-first=Anna |title=Roman Crete: New Perspectives |year=2016 |publisher=[[Oxbow Books]] |place=Oxford, UK / Havertown, PA |edition=1st |chapter=Chapter&nbsp;5. The double axe (λάβρυς) in Roman Crete and beyond: the iconography of a multi-faceted symbol |pages=43–57 |isbn=978-1-78570-095-8 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=srvNDQAAQBAJ&q=labrys+minoan&pg=PA44 }}</ref>

==Modern uses==
===Weapon===
While double axes are common in modern [[high fantasy]] settings, in reality they were not commonly used in combat.<ref>{{cite web |title=Axes: Hephaestus's labrys |date=March 17, 2020 |website=Sword Temple |url=https://swordtemple.org/axes-hephaestuss-labrys/ |access-date=21 September 2020 |archive-date=23 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923193416/https://swordtemple.org/axes-hephaestuss-labrys/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Sport===
Double-bit axes were common in North American forestry: One blade would be sharp and used for felling, whilst the other was a little blunter for limbing. As the forest workers (lumberjacks) were often away from civilization for long periods of time they needed a way to amuse themselves. Thus the sport of double-bit axe throwing was born. In recent decades the sport has been formalised with Swedish company [[Gränsfors Bruk]] writing the rules most widely accepted. There are now multiple clubs across Europe that throw double-bit. The sport of double-bit was formalised in the 1990s, whereas [[hatchet]] throwing was formalised in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title=Yxanvändning |trans-title=Axe Throwing |website=Gränsfors Bruks AB |date=2 February 2019 |place=Sweden |url=https://www.gransforsbruk.com/en/info/axe_throwing/}}</ref>

==Symbol==
===Religion and spirituality===
The labrys is sometimes used as a symbol of [[Hellenism (religion)|Hellenic polytheism]].{{citation needed |date=July 2018}} As a symbol of the [[Modern Paganism|neopagan]] [[Goddess movement]], the labrys represents the memory of pre-[[patriarchal]] matristic societies.{{efn|"Women fought, as war leaders and in the ranks; women fought in troops, as regular soldiers; and the principal symbol of the Great Goddess, appearing widely throughout the Mediterranean and Asia Minor, was the double-headed battle axe or ''labrys''."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Miles |first1=Rosalind |title=The Women's History of the World |year=1989 |chapter=The Great Goddess |page=33 |publisher=Salem House |location=Topsfield, MA |isbn=0-88162-348-2 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/womenshistoryofw0000mile/page/33/mode/2up}}</ref>}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Keller |first=Mara |year=1988 |title=Eleusinian Mysteries |url=http://www.ciis.edu/Documents/Keller%20Eleusinian%20Mysteries%201988%20part2_1.pdf |journal=Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion |volume=4 |issue=1 |page=42 |access-date=2016-06-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908111212/https://www.ciis.edu/Documents/Keller%20Eleusinian%20Mysteries%201988%20part2_1.pdf |archive-date=September 8, 2015}}</ref>
===Political===
In Greece, the labrys was employed as a symbol of [[Metaxism]].<ref name=Metaxas>{{cite web |last=Markessinis |first=Andreas |date=August 22, 2006 |title=The labrys / pelekys: The symbol of thundergod Zeus and of the EON |website=Metaxas Project |url=http://metaxas-project.com/metaxas-symbols/ |access-date=August 31, 2014}}</ref> During the [[Totalitarianism|totalitarian]] period of the [[4th of August Regime]] (1936–1941), it represented the regime-sponsored [[National Organization of Youth]] (EON), as its leader, [[Ioannis Metaxas]], believed it to be the first symbol of all Hellenic civilizations.<ref name=Metaxas/>

The labrys symbol was also used prominently by the [[Vichy France]] regime, being featured on the personal flag of Chief of State [[Philippe Pétain]], on coins, and in various propaganda posters.<ref name=karlsgodt>{{cite book |first=Elizabeth |last=Karlsgodt |year=2011 |title=Defending National Treasures: French art and heritage under Vichy |publisher=Stanford University Press |pages=126–128 |isbn=978-0804770187}}</ref>

In the 1960s the labrys was also used by the Italian [[Neo-fascism|neo-fascist]] and [[Far-right politics|far-right]] movement [[Ordine Nuovo]], most prominently on their flag.<ref name="Ordine Nuovo">{{cite book |last1=Giannuli |first1=Aldo |last2=Rosati |first2=Elia | date=October 5, 2017 |title=Storia di Ordine Nuovo: La Piú Pericolosa Organizzazione Neo-Fascista Degli Anni Settanta |lang=it |trans-title=History of Ordine Nuovo: The most dangerous neo-fascist organization of the seventies |url=http://mimesisedizioni.it/passato-prossimo.html |place=Milan, IT |publisher=Mimesis Edizioni |isbn=978-8857538433}}</ref>

===Social movement===
[[File:Labrys Kettenanhänger.jpg|upright=0.7|thumb|Labrys jewelry of modern pagan and feminist movements]]
In [[feminist]] interpretations, the labrys is a [[symbol]] of [[matriarchy]].<ref name="Mavriyannaki">{{cite journal |last1=Mavriyannaki|first1=Caterina|title=La double hache dans le monde hellénique à l'âge de bronze|journal=Revue Archéologique |issue=2 |year=1983 |pages=195–228 |series=Nouvelle Série, Fasc.&nbsp;2 |lang=fr |trans-title=The Double Axe in the Hellenic World at the Bronze Age |jstor=41737054}}</ref>{{efn|
The forms taken by the labrys were classified by Caterina Mavriyannaki.
}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Biedermann |first1=Hans |title=Dictionary of Symbolism: Cultural icons and the meanings behind them [Knaurs Lexikon der Symbole] |year=1992 |page=24 |publisher=[[Facts on File]] |location=New York, NY |isbn=0-8160-2593-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofsymb00bied_0/page/24/mode/2up |url-access=limited}}</ref> 

====Lesbian symbol====
[[File:Labrys Lesbian Flag.svg|thumb|150px|right|Labrys lesbian flag]]
In the 1970s, the labrys was adopted by the [[lesbian]] community, as a [[Lesbian feminism|lesbian feminist]] symbol, representing strength and self-sufficiency.<ref>Lesbian symbol:<br/>
{{cite book |editor1-last=Zimmerman |editor1-first=Bonnie |title=Lesbian Histories and Cultures: An Encyclopedia |year=2000 |edition=1st |page=748 |chapter=Symbols, Christy Stevens |publisher=[[Garland Publishing]] |isbn=0-8153-1920-7 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofle00bzim/page/748/mode/2up |chapter-url-access=limited }}
:
{{cite book |last1=Myers |first1=JoAnne |title=Historical Dictionary of the Lesbian Liberation Movement: Still the Rage |year=2003 |edition=1st |page=156 |publisher=[[The Scarecrow Press]] |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=978-0810845060 |url=https://archive.org/details/tozlesbianlibera00myer/page/156/mode/2up |url-access=limited }}
:
{{cite book |title=The Alyson Almanac: A treasury of information for the gay and lesbian community |year=1989 |publisher=[[Alyson Publications]] |location=Boston, MA |chapter=Gay symbols through the ages |pages=[https://archive.org/details/alysonalmanactr00bost/page/99 99–100] |isbn=0-932870-19-8 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/alysonalmanactr00bost/page/99 |chapter-url-access=limited }}
:
{{cite book |editor-last1=Murphy |editor-first1=Timothy F. |title=Reader's Guide to Lesbian and Gay Studies |year=2000 |edition=1st |page=44 |publisher=[[Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers]] |location=Chicago, IL |isbn=1-57958-142-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FeWMAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA44 }}
:
{{cite web |last1=Pea |first1=Georgie |title=LABRYS Tool of Lesbian Feminism |url=http://findinglesbians.blogspot.com/2013/08/labrys-tool-of-lesbian-feminism.html |website=Finding Lesbians |date=9 August 2013 |access-date=10 July 2018 |archive-date=12 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112023141/http://findinglesbians.blogspot.com/2013/08/labrys-tool-of-lesbian-feminism.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The labrys [[lesbian flag]], created in 1999,<ref name=Bendix>{{cite news |last=Bendix |first=Trish |date=September 8, 2015 |title=Why don't lesbians have a pride flag of our own? |website=[[AfterEllen]] |url=https://www.afterellen.com/people/452039-dont-lesbians-pride-flag |access-date=24 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909150736/https://www.afterellen.com/people/452039-dont-lesbians-pride-flag |archive-date=September 9, 2015}}</ref> involves a labrys superimposed on an inverted [[Black triangle (badge)|black triangle]] and set against a [[Violet (color)#Social movement|violet]] background.

In [[Kyrgyzstan]], "Labrys" is an LGBT rights organization. The group's goal is to improve the quality of life for all [[LGBT]] individuals in their country as well as Central Asia.<ref>{{cite web |title=Labrys|url=http://www.labrys.kg/en/ |website=Labrys Kyrgyzstan |date=2004–2014 |access-date=11 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522073114/https://labrys.kg/ |archive-date=May 22, 2013}}</ref> Similarly, "[[Labrisz Lesbian Association|Labrisz]]" is an association in [[Hungary]] for lesbian and bisexual women.
===Culture===
The double axe is used by Cretan folklore preservation societies and associations both in Greece and abroad, on occasion with the spelling "lavrys" reflecting modern Greek pronunciation.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}

==== Film ====
In the 2025 film Lesbian Space Princess, the labrys is the "most powerful weapon known to lesbian kind" and the Straight White Maliens demand it as ransom, driving the plot. It serves as both a powerful weapon and a symbol of lesbian power, propelling Princess Saira's journey.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Hobbs |first1=Emma Hough |title=Lesbian Space Princess |date=2024-10-27 |type=Animation, Comedy, Fantasy |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29781139/ |access-date=2025-02-19 |others=Shabana Azeez, Mark Samual Bonanno, Gemma Chua-Tran |publisher=We Made A Thing Studios |last2=Varghese |first2=Leela}}</ref>

==See also==
{{div col begin |colwidth=35em}}
* [[Arkalochori Axe]]
* [[Axe (tool)]]
* [[Battle axe]]
* [[Bronze Age sword]]
* [[Fasces]]
* [[Francisca]]
* [[Labrys religious community]]
* [[Sagaris]]
{{div col end}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|25em}}

==Further reading==
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* {{cite book |editor1-last=Cooper |editor1-first=J.C. |title=An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols |date=1978 |publisher=[[Thames & Hudson]]|location=London|edition=1st |isbn=978-0-500-01201-7 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc00coop}}
* {{cite web |last1=Cuhulain |first1=Kerr |title=Symbols (G-N) |url=http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=cabc&c=whs&id=8557 |website=Pagan Protection Center |publisher=The Witches' Voice |date=2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050508100154/http://witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=cabc&c=whs&id=8557 |archive-date= May 8, 2005}}
* {{cite magazine |last1=Enszer |first1=Julie |date=June 26, 2017 |title=My labrys, my self |magazine=Argot Magazine |url=https://www.argotmagazine.com/first-person-and-perspectives/julie-enszer |access-date=July 31, 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731153517/https://www.argotmagazine.com/first-person-and-perspectives/julie-enszer |archive-date=July 31, 2018 }}
* {{cite web |title=Hellenic nativistic collective LABRYS |url=https://hellenismos.org/category/english-articles/labrys-english-articles/ |website=Hellēnismôs|date=2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711095226/https://hellenismos.org/category/english-articles/labrys-english-articles/ |archive-date=July 11, 2018}}
* {{cite web |last1=Rapp |first1=Linda |date=2003 |title=Symbols |website=[[glbtq.com]] |url=http://www.glbtqarchive.com/arts/symbols_A.pdf}}
* {{cite web |title=Λατρευτική Κοινότητα ΛΑΒΡΥΣ |lang=el |trans-title=Worship community LAVRYS |url=http://www.labrys.gr/gr/ |website=labrys.gr }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Labrys}}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100046562 |title=Labrys |website=[[Oxford Reference]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.ancient-symbols.com/symbols-directory/labrys.html |title=Labrys |website=Ancient-Symbols.com}}

{{Greek religion|state=collapsed}}
{{Forestry tools}}

[[Category:4th of August Regime]]
[[Category:Amazons (Greek mythology)]]
[[Category:Ancient Greece]]
[[Category:Ancient weapons]]
[[Category:Axes]]
[[Category:Çatalhöyük]]
[[Category:Fascist symbols]]
[[Category:Feminism and spirituality]]
[[Category:Forestry tools]]
[[Category:Heraldic charges]]
[[Category:Lesbian culture]]
[[Category:LGBTQ symbols]]
[[Category:Minoan art]]
[[Category:Minoan culture]]
[[Category:Objects in Greek mythology]]