In Gordium, by the temple of Zeus Basileus, he found what he sought. This was an ancient wagon – supposedly dedicated by Gordius’ son Midas when he became King of Phrygia – which still stood, a much-revered relic, on the acropolis. It had one very odd feature: its yoke was fastened to the pole with numerous thongs of cornel-bark, in a complex multiple knot of the kind known by sailors as a Turk’s-head. An ancient oracle had foretold that anyone who contrived to loose this knot would become lord of all Asia. This was a challenge which Alexander found irresistible. Indeed, to leave Gordium without attempting the Gordian Knot was out of the question. Hostile propaganda would not be slow to suggest that he had doubts about the eventual outcome of his crusade.
So when he and his attendants made their way up to the acropolis, a large crowd of Phrygians and Macedonians followed him, impelled by something more than mere casual curiosity. The atmosphere was taut and expectant; many of the king’s courtiers were alarmed by his rash self-assurance, and, on the face of it, with good reason. One characteristic of a Turk’s-head knot is that it leaves no loose ends visible.
For a long while Alexander struggled with this labyrinthine tangle, but to little effect. At last he gave up, ‘at a loss how to proceed’. A failure would have been the worst possible propaganda: something drastic had to be done. Aristobulus says that Alexander drew out the dowel-peg which ran through pole and yoke, thus releasing the thongs. This sounds like ex post facto rationalization.
According to our other sources (far more in character psychologically) Alexander, exclaiming, ‘What difference does it make how I loose it?’ drew his sword and slashed through the tangle at a single stroke, thus revealing the ends carefully tucked away inside.
Author’s Note:
It could be argued – no doubt this was the line Alexander took – that the wording of the oracle was ambiguous, since Luein in Greek can mean not only ‘untie’, ‘unfasten’, but also ‘sunder’, ‘break up’, ‘resolve’. In any case his use of a sword was symbolically appropriate, since if he was to become lord of Asia, it would be by force of arms.
Source:
Green, Peter. “The Road to Issus.” Alexander of Macedon: 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography. Univ. of California Press, 2005. 213-14. Print.
Further Reading:
Alexander III of Macedon / Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μέγας (Alexander the Great)
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