We've got your back with eBay money-back guarantee. Enjoy gordian's knot you can trust. Free Shipping Available. Buy on eBay. Money Back Guarantee!
Popular Links:
Search results
- DictionaryGordian knot/ˈɡɔːdɪən/
noun
- 1. an extremely difficult or involved problem.
Powered by Oxford Dictionaries
People also ask
What is the story of the Gordian Knot?
Did Alexander the Great cut the Gordian Knot?
Is the Kremlin cutting the Gordian Knot?
The cutting of the Gordian Knot is an Ancient Greek legend associated with Alexander the Great in Gordium in Phrygia, regarding a complex knot that tied an oxcart. Reputedly, whoever could untie it would be destined to rule all of Asia. In 333 BC Alexander was challenged to untie the knot.
Gordian knot, knot that gave its name to a proverbial term for a problem solvable only by bold action. In 333 bc, Alexander the Great, on his march through Anatolia, reached Gordium, the capital of Phrygia. There he was shown the chariot of the ancient founder of the city, Gordius, with its yoke.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Overview
- HISTORY Vault: Colosseum
The term “Gordian knot,” commonly used to describe a complex or unsolvable problem, can be traced back to a legendary chapter in the life of Alexander the Great.
As the story goes, in 333 B.C. the Macedonian conqueror marched his army into the Phrygian capital of Gordium in modern day Turkey. Upon arriving in the city, he encountered an ancient wagon, its yoke tied with what one Roman historian later described as “several knots all so tightly entangled that it was impossible to see how they were fastened.”
Phrygian tradition held that the wagon had once belonged to Gordius, the father of the celebrated King Midas. An oracle had declared that any man who could unravel its elaborate knots was destined to become ruler of all of Asia.
According to the ancient chronicler Arrian, the impetuous Alexander was instantly “seized with an ardent desire” to untie the Gordian knot. After wrestling with it for a time and finding no success, he stepped back from the mass of gnarled ropes and proclaimed, “It makes no difference how they are loosed.” He then drew his sword and sliced the knot in half with a single stroke.
In another version of the legend, he simply pulled out a lynchpin running through the yoke, loosening the knot enough that he was able to unfasten it. Whatever method he used, the young king was immediately hailed as having outsmarted the ancient puzzle. That same night, Gordium was rocked by a thunder and lightning storm, which Alexander and his men took as a sign that he had pleased the gods. True to the prophecy, he went on to conquer Egypt and large swaths of Asia before his death at age 32.
Thanks to the enduring popularity of the Alexander fable, the phrase “Gordian knot” has entered the lexicon as shorthand for an intricate or intractable obstacle. One of its earliest appearances came in the Shakespeare play Henry V, where the titular character is praised for his ability to “unloose” the Gordian knots of politics. Likewise, the saying “cutting the Gordian knot” is now commonly used to describe a creative or decisive solution to a seemingly insurmountable problem.
The Roman Empire is vividly brought to life through the lens of the Colosseum.
WATCH NOW
Feb 7, 2024 · But was the Gordian knot real? And did it actually have anything to do with the Macedonian leader’s rise to power? What Was The Gordian Knot? There are several versions of the Gordian knot’s origin, but they all start with the same man: Gordias (or Gordios), the father of King Midas.
- Morgan Dunn
May 26, 2023 · The Gordian Knot is a legend from ancient Greek mythology that refers to a complex knot tied by King Gordius of Phrygia. The knot was said to be extremely intricate, and an oracle prophesied that whoever could untie the knot would become the ruler of Asia.
Dec 21, 2021 · The Gordian Knot was the Mount Everest of knot tying: a strap twisted and turned into such a tangle that it was impossible to see where it began and ended. It was used to tether a legendary chariot belonging to an ancient king of the city of Gordium (in modern-day Turkey) to a pole outside the palace and destined to be untied only by a great ruler.
According to the Phrygian myth, the knot was an intricate and convoluted mass of rope that secured an ox cart to a post. It was tied by Gordius, a peasant who became king after an oracle prophesied that the next person to enter the city driving an ox cart would be crowned ruler.
