The Gordian knot and Alexander the Great
- By:Ron Mark
There are many legends around the world with descriptions of great men resolving unsolvable problems. One of these legends consist of the way Alexander the Great solved the problem of the Gordian knot, something that is used today as a mathematical metaphor for solving difficult problems.
The legend of the Gordian knot starts with king Midas. He was the son of Gordias, a poor peasant who lived in Phrygia. Before the birth of Midas, an eagle landed on Gordias’ ox-cart, which was believed to be a sign from the gods.
There was a time when the Phrygians did not have a legitimate king. Because of this, an oracle in the ancient capital of Phrygia, Telmissus, decreed that the next man that will enter the city riding in an ox-cart should become their king. Midas, with his father and his mother, happened to be the first who enter the city like this and thus Midas was proclaimed king.
In order to show his gratitude, Midas dedicated his father’s ox-cart to the god Sabazios, the Phrygian equivalent of the Greek god Zeus. The ox-cart was tied either to a post or its shaft was tied in such a manner that no one could untie the knot. Thus the Gordian knot was formed and is was later prophesized that the one who could untie the knot would become king of Asia.
Alexander the Great, the son of king Philip, is one of the most resonating military figures in history. He succeeded, in his short life, to conquer most of the world known to the Greeks, including the Persian empire, Syria, Egypt, Mesopotamia and others. He planned to conquer to whole world to reach the outer sea, where it was believed the land ended and the sea began.
He succeeded all of these things in just twelve years of military campaigning, until he died. The causes of his death are uncertain and may be heavy drinking, malaria, typhoid or others. Throughout his military campaign, he never lost a single battle.
The relation between Alexander the Great and the Gordian knot has been pointed out afore. In the winter of 333 BC, Alexander found himself in the city of Gordium. While he was examining the knot, he couldn’t any ends in order to unbind it.
The solution he found was simple. He pulled out his sword and sliced the knot, thus obtaining the required ends for untying the Gordian knot and fulfilling the prophecy. This has been known ever since as the Alexandrian solution, applying a bold strike to solve intractable problems.
The Gordian knot is considered to be one of the symbols of sacred geometry. Other symbols considered to be sacred include the Seed of Life, the Flower of Life, the Tree of Life and many others. These are often worn as talismans.
Jewelry representations of these symbols can be found over the internet available for purchase. If you are interested in a pendant shaped like a Gordian knot, you can visit ka-gold-jewelry.com. Here you will find lots of interesting cosmic jewelry designs with different powers and meanings.
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This is the legend according to which the Gordian knot was untied. A pendant shaped like this can be worn as a symbol of unity and can be offered as a gift on many occasions. Be sure to visit the website mentioned afore and check out all the designs.