Gordian Knot

Sham S.Misri
The Gordian Knot represents the difficult, the intracte and often the insolvable problem.
A story:

In the past, Modern Turkey was called Phrygia. The people were prosperous and happy, and were related to the Greeks. Some lived in the mountains and had mines of gold, while others lived in the valleys with grape farms and olive orchards. Some had great flocks of sheep, the wool from which was the best in the world. For a long time these people had no king.

As time passed, every man began to do what he thought was best for him. The gold diggers ate the olives of their neighbours in the valleys. The vine growers killed the sheep of the dwellers in the hills. The shepherds stole the gold which the mountaineers had dug from their mines. And then, a sad war began. The land that was so prosperous and happy was filled with distress and sorrow.

Some wise and good men in the country said, "It would be better if we had a king. He would make laws for the good of all." But they could not choose a king among themselves. Each man claimed that he himself was the best to be the ruler. Among them, there was one wise man.

"Since we do not know what to do," said this wise man, "let us ask the gods.” They sent a messenger to god Apollo, to hear the decision from him. All were pleased with this plan.

The temple of god Apollo was across the sea. When the messenger returned, all the people met to hear the messenger.

"The god Apollo did not tell me much," said the messenger. He further added:

“A king will be seen riding a cart and he will bring peace to the unhappy valley."

The people were puzzled by this answer. While all were standing around the messenger, suddenly, the loud sound of wheels was heard. They looked and saw a slow-moving ox cart moving along the road. The cart was loaded with hay, and on the hay sat a humble peasant with his wife and child. Everybody knew the peasant well. It was Gordius, the faithful workingman in all that country. His poor little hut, with its vine-covered roof, could be seen among trees at the foot of the hill.

When the cart drew near, one of the wise men cried out:—             

"Hail to our king!" They ran forward and greeted the puzzled peasant. They ran in front of his cart.  He stopped in the middle of the road.

 They bowed down before him, and said, "Long live the king!"

"My friends, what does all this uproar mean?" asked Gordius, looking down from his high seat on the hay. "I pray you not to frighten my oxen with your noise."

Then they told him what the Apollo had said, and declared that he must be their king. "Well," he finally answered, "if the god has said that I am your king, your king I must be." He unyoked the oxen and led them into the temple. Just as people did in those days, he slew them before the altar, and caught their blood in a great wooden bowl. Then, while he prayed, he poured the blood out as a thank offering to mighty God.

He drew his cart into the temple. He found a pole in the temple and fastened the cart there with a rope of bark. And so skilfully did he tie the knot about the yoke that the ends of the rope were hidden and no man could see how to undo it.

Then he went about his duties as king. He ruled so wisely that there was no more trouble among the people. The laws which he made were so just that no man dared to disobey them. The land was blessed with peace and plenty from the mountains to the plains.

Many strangers who came to the temple were shown King Gordius's cart. They admired the skill with which he had fastened the yoke to the cart pole.

It was also said,” the man who shall untie it will be much greater."

"How can that be?" asked the visitors.

"Gordius is king only of the small country of Phrygia," was the answer. "But the man who undoes this wonderful work of his shall have the world for his kingdom."

Many men came every year to see the Gordian knot. Princes and warriors from every land tried to untie it but the ends of the rope remained hidden, and they could not even make a beginning of the task.

Hundreds of years later, there came into Phrygia a young king Alexander from Macedonia. He had conquered all Greece. He had crossed over into Asia with a small army of chosen men, and had beaten the king of Persia in battle. The people of Phrygia had not the courage to oppose him.

"Where is that wonderful Gordian knot?" he asked.

They led him into the temple and showed him the little cart, with the yoke and  pole just as Gordius had left it.

"What was said about this knot?" he asked.

"It said that the man who should undo it would have the world for his kingdom."

Alexander looked at the knot.  He could not find the ends of the rope. He raised his sword and, with one stroke, cut it into so many pieces that the yoke fell to the ground.   

"It is thus," said the young king, "that I cut all Gordian knots."

Ancient Gordian Knot?

Now Gordius is remembered for the knot by which he fixed his wagon to the temple pole. So cleverly was it tied that no end could be perceived in the cord, and it came to be predicted that whoever could untie the Gordian knot would win the whole empire of Asia. Alexander the Great happened to pass that way in his conquering sweep across Asia Minor. He tried to undo the knot, but was unable to solve the puzzle. Impatiently he drew his sword and slashed the knot in two. This daring act impressed his soldiers, who already considered Alexander as the future conqueror of Asia. We now speak of any problem solved in a drastic way as a Gordian knot.