What Was The Gordian Knot?

The Gordian knot was a fiendishly complex knot which bound a wagon to a pillar outside a temple in the ancient city of Gordium, which was in Phrygia, in the territory of present-day Turkey. According to prophecy, whoever managed to untie the knot would go on to rule all of Asia. When a young Alexander the Great arrived in the city in 333 B.C. at the head of his armies, he pondered the knot awhile. Rather than attempt to untie the knot, he simply drew his sword and cut it. Of course, Alexander went on to win a series of great military victories, becoming master of all of Asia, so the prophecy was, in time, fulfilled.

It is not clear if the story is true or apocryphal but, ever since, the phrase 'cutting the Gordian knot' has been used to describe a way of solving complex problems through bold, vigorous action.