How do you use Gordian knot in a sentence?
To solve a notoriously difficult problem in a quick and decisive manner: “The president hoped that his bold new anti-inflation plan would cut the Gordian knot.” (See Gordian knot under “Mythology and Folklore.”)
Where is the Gordian knot?
Gordium
In Greek and Roman mythology, the Gordian knot was an extremely complicated knot tied by Gordius, the king of Phrygia in Asia Minor*. Located in the city of Gordium, the knot came to symbolize a difficult problem that was almost impossible to solve.
What is the metaphor of the Gordian knot?
The “Gordian Knot” is a metaphor for an intractable problem eventually solved by the ability to “think outside the box” to achieve success.
How did Alexander defeat the Gordian knot?
He then reasoned that it would make no difference how the knot was loosed, so he drew his sword and sliced it in half with a single stroke. In an alternative version of the story, Alexander the Great loosed the knot by pulling the linchpin from the yoke.
Can you untie a Gordian knot?
Today we know that the circle-squaring problem as posed by the Greeks is indeed unsolvable. Using ruler and compass you cannot construct a square with the same area as a given circle. Perhaps Alexander was able to see that the Gordian knot could not be untied simply by manipulating the rope.
Is the Gordian knot real?
We now use the phrase “Gordian knot” to refer to any problem that seems too complicated to resolve. According to ancient Greek legend, however, it was a real knot. The problem of untying the Gordian knot resisted all solutions until the year 333 BC, when Alexander the Great cut through it with a sword.
What is the myth of the Gordian knot?
In gratitude, Gordius dedicated his ox cart to Zeus, tying it up with a highly intricate knot – – the Gordian knot. Another oracle — or maybe the same one, the legend is not specific, but oracles are plentiful in Greek mythology — foretold that the person who untied the knot would rule all of Asia.
Did the Gordian knot exist?
What was the Gordian knot What was the legend behind it?
Greek Legend of the Gordian Knot A poor peasant named Gordius arrived in the public square with his wife, an ox-cart and, indeed, he was declared King. In gratitude to the gods, he dedicated his ox-cart to Zeus, tying it to a post with a highly intricate knot, later known as a Gordian Knot.
Who created the Gordian knot?
A peasant farmer named Gordias drove into town on an ox-cart and was immediately declared king. Out of gratitude, his son Midas dedicated the ox-cart to the Phrygian god Sabazios (whom the Greeks identified with Zeus) and tied it to a post with an intricate knot of cornel bark (Cornus mas).
Did the Gordian knot really exist?
What does Gordian Knot stand for?
The Gordian Knot is a legend of Phrygian Gordium associated with Alexander the Great. It is often used as a metaphor for an intractable problem (disentangling an “impossible” knot) solved easily by cheating or “thinking outside the box” (“cutting the Gordian knot”). The myth it refers to is associated in legend with Alexander the Great.
What does the term ‘Gordian Knot’ mean?
Definition of Gordian knot. 1: an intricate problem; especially: a problem insoluble in its own terms-often used in the phrase cut the Gordian knot. 2: a knot tied by Gordius , king of Phrygia , held to be capable of being untied only by the future ruler of Asia, and cut by Alexander the Great with his sword.
What was the legend of the Gordian Knot all about?
The GORDIAN Knot. The legend of the Gordian Knot dates back to the time of Alexander the Great . The phrase “Gordian Knot” is often used as a metaphor for a difficult, seemingly unsolvable problem . In 333 B.C. Alexander the Great encountered an oxcart tied to a post with a complicated knot that seemed to have no beginning and no end. Legend had it that whoever solved the problem of the knot would rule all of Asia.
What was the riddle of the Gordian Knot?
Abstract. The Self-Incrimination Clause of the Fifth Amendment is an unsolved riddle of vast proportions, a Gordian knot in the middle of our Bill of Rights. From the beginning it lacked an easily identifiable rationale; in 1789, the words of the clause were more a slogan than a clearly defined legal rule, and in the preceding four centuries the slogan had stood for at least four different ideas.