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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.
Feb 7, 2024 · Some versions of the story claim that the knot was tied by the legendary King Midas himself, while others say Midas’ father, Gordias, created the unsolvable puzzle. Regardless, the myth has lasted through the millennia as a major part of Alexander the Great’s history.
- Morgan Dunn
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.
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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.
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How Alexander the Great solved the Gordian Knot. In the winter of 333 BC, Alexander arrived in Gordium, a city in Phrygia, as part of his quest to expand his empire. The young Macedonian king was drawn to the challenge of the Gordian Knot.
May 1, 2024 · In the annals of ancient lore, the Gordian Knot stands as a symbol of both enigma and resolution, its legend intricately woven into the tapestry of history. Rooted in the heart of Phrygia, this fabled knot tethered not just an oxcart, but the aspirations of those who dared to conquer it.
Dec 21, 2021 · 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. In fact, an oracle said that anyone who loosened the knot would rule all of Asia.
