The Legend of the Gordian Knot

 

 

Today we use the metaphor “Gordian Knot” to describe any gritty problem which appears to have no solution, a knotty problem you might say, which can only be solved by a bold move!

However, did you know the term “Gordian Knot”, in Greek known as γόρδιος δεσμός (Gordios desmos), first came to light more than two thousand years ago?

The story goes that whoever could undo the knot would be destined to rule all of Asia.

According to Greek legend numerous people had tried to untie the Gordian knot but to no avail, that is until Alexander the Great arrived on the scene.

 

 

The Greek Legend of the Gordian Knot

 

 

 

 

You’ll find many versions of this tale, some state the Gordian knot was tied by King Midas of Crete, others state it was his father, Gordias, who created this knotty problem.

Gordios seems to be the most popular, so I’ll go with that.

Gordios, a poor farmer from Phrygia, (located in modern-day Turkey), as he was ploughing his fields one morning, spotted an eagle perched on the yoke of his ox-cart.

The eagle sat there all day, which got Gordios thinking it must be some sort of omen, as ornithomancy, the practice of divination or interpreting omens form birds, was popular in those days.

 

 

Gordios Visits the Oracle at Telmissus

 

 

 

 To see if the eagle sat on his ox-cart was indeed a sign, Gordios decided to visit the oracle at Telmissus.

On his arrival he was ordered by the oracle to make a sacrifice to the king of all the Greek gods, Zeus, which he did.

Now here’s a coincidence but wait, there’s no such thing as a coincidence, so Gordios arriving when he did, was meant to be; as the oracle at Telmissus had received a vision telling him that their new leader would appear in an ox cart!

 (Phrygia at that point was without a king)

Well, as soon as the people of Phrygia saw Gordios heading into their city in his ox and cart, they declared him king there and then.

They then named the city as Gordium (or Gordion).

In gratitude to Zeus for his new role as king, Gordios took his ox – cart to the great god’s temple, where he tied its yoke to a post with a complex knot.

 

 

Alexander the Great and the Gordian Knot

 

 

 

 In 333 A.D, when Alexander the Great and his army marched into Gordium, now a satrapy, or province, of the Persian Empire, the ox-cart, still tied in place with the knot, was in the palace of the former kings of Phrygia.

When Alexander heard from the locals, that an oracle had declared that any man who could unravel the elaborate knot was destined to rule over all of Asia, he was determined to give it a go.

After failing to find the ends of the rope holding the knot together, Alexander thought to himself “what the heck”, drew his sword and with one bold swipe cut through the allegedly impossible to undo Gordian Knot.

Some ancient historians disagree that Alexander cut the knot with his sword and declare that he pulled the linchpin from the pole to which the knot was fastened, exposing the two ends of the cord, enabling him to untie the knot without having to cut through it.

Whichever way he solved the knotty problem, Alexander the Great did go on to conquer Asia as far as the Indus and the Oxus, before he died in 323 B.C.E. at the age of 32.

Was it really because of the Gordian knot though?

That is the question!

 

 

Did The Legendary Knot Exist?

 

 

 

There are at least five surviving ancient records of Alexander the Great and the Gordian knot, however we can’t be absolutely sure the puzzle was real.

There are so many stories told by so many different tellers that it’s become more of a myth.

Through the centuries the tale of the Gordian knot has become rather a significant piece of Alexander the Great’s history.

Also, over time,  the term “Gordian Knot”, has become part of the modern lexicon, mostly thanks to William Shakespeare, who, in the opening scene of his 1598 play, has Henry V, the Archbishop of Canterbury, speaking of the king’s ability to handle complex politics, by saying:

“Turn him to any cause of policy, the Gordian Knot of it he will unloose, familiar as his garter”

Shakespeare, Henry V, Act 1 Scene 1. 45–47