Gordian phraseology. The expression “Gordian knot”: meaning and history of origin

The origins of the phraseological unit “Gordian knot” should be sought in ancient times. A little background.

At the end of the second millennium BC. The Phrygian kingdom was founded in western Asia (present-day Turkey). Agriculture and cattle breeding were well developed in the state, and crafts and folk art were actively developing. Thanks to a wise foreign policy and successful wars, Phrygia became one of the most powerful and prosperous states of that time.

The capital of Phrygia was the city of Gordion. He will become the center of our history. In the ninth century BC. Gordion was overwhelmed by a wave of internecine wars, and the kingdom was left without a ruler. According to legend, the Phrygians turned to the priests of the Temple of Zeus for advice on who to elect as king. The temple oracle said that the new king would be the first person to enter the city on a cart. The ordinary farmer Gordius turned out to be such a lucky person. Having become the new ruler of Phrygia, Gordius, as a sign of deep gratitude, presented Zeus with his cart, which was installed near the temple. The knot with which Gordius tied the yoke of the cart was so intricate and complex that the Oracle of the Temple made another prediction: the person who unravels the “Gordian Knot” will become the ruler of the entire East.

For many centuries, no one managed to solve the problem of the “Gordian Knot” until 333 BC. Phrygia was not conquered by the greatest commander Alexander the Great (July 20 (21), 356 - June 10, 323 BC). Of course, Alexander heard about the legendary “Gordian knot” and, as an inquisitive person, did not fail to visit the ancient temple of Zeus. Approaching the cart, he looked for some time at the knot made of dogwood bast. Realizing that he was unlikely to be able to untie this tricky knot, Macedonsky pulled out his sword and cut it with one blow. The Phrygian priests praised Alexander the Great and named him the same conqueror of the East that the Oracle predicted. This famous “puzzle” was solved in this simple way.

If the task at hand seems unsolvable, then a possible solution should be sought in an original and non-standard approach, so to speak, look at the problem from the “other side”.

By the expression “cutting the Gordian knot” we mean a way out of a difficult situation, taking a new and bold step in resolving a complicated issue.

Consider ancient Greek phraseological unit "Gordian knot" .

The whole story with this node has some weirdness.

Let's consider the meaning, origin and sources of phraseological units, as well as examples from the works of writers.

The meaning of phraseology

The Gordian Knot is an extremely complicated matter.

Synonyms: intricacy, complex problem

In foreign languages ​​there are direct analogues of the phraseological unit “Gordian knot”:

• Gordian knot (English)
• gordischer Knoten (German)
• nœud gordien (French)

Gordian knot: the origin of phraseological units

As noted, the history of this intricate knot is also strangely intricate. It all starts with the fact that after long civil strife in the kingdom of Phrygia, the oracle announced that the king would be the one whom the Phrygians first met riding on a cart on the road to the temple of Zeus. This man turned out to be the peasant Gordy.

• Gordius himself brought his cart into the temple of Zeus as a gift to the gods for the unexpectedly acquired royal title and tied it with his “signature” knot, which no one managed to untie for many centuries.
• The cart that brought good luck to Gordius was installed by him in the citadel of the capital of Phrygia he founded - the city of Gordion, and was also tied with a complex knot.
• The cart was brought as a gift to Zeus in Gordion by Midas (who was credited with “donkey ears”), the son of Gordius, and he also tied the Gordian knot.

One way or another, the node appeared. It was so skillfully made that one could not even detect its ends.

And this knot would have remained a local curiosity, but the oracle predicted that the one who untied the Gordian knot would become the ruler of Asia. Many have tried, but to no avail. Asia lived quietly.

Until, in 334, young Alexander the Great entered Gordion with his army. Naturally, the ambitious commander could not pass by the promising node, especially since he was busy with the conquest of Asia at that time.

But even here there are different versions of events:

• According to the most common version, Alexander simply took and cut the knot with his sword (where the phraseology “cut the Gordian knot” came from).
• According to another version, in accordance with the story of Aristobulus, “Alexander easily managed to solve the problem and free the yoke by removing a hook from the front end of the drawbar - the so-called “gestor”, which secures the jugular belt.”

Whatever it really was, the version with a sword ultimately became more spectacular and suitable for a great warrior.

What looks most strange in this whole story? It is believed that the knot was made from dogwood bast. How long did he have to wait for the sword of Alexander the Great? From the middle of the 8th century BC. (during the reign of King Gordius I) more than a thousand years passed until 334 AD. It is highly doubtful whether a dogwood bast knot could have survived for so long.

Sources

The story of the Gordian knot is narrated in the works of Roman authors Quintus Curtius Rufus, Mark Junianus Justin, Plutarch, and others.

Examples from the works of writers

It's also easy to remove,
Like a Gordian knot it is difficult to unravel. (W. Shakespeare, “Cymbeline”)

Parted... Some kind of Gordian knot got tight - I had to cut it, but it hurt! (I.S. Turgenev, “Rudin”)

When the bell tower struck seven and only one star remained in the pinkish sky, lonely and clear, and some ship, having set sail, sounded an inconsolable farewell whistle, I felt the Gordian knot on my throat of all those Loves that could have happened, but did not happen. (G.G. Marquez, “Remembering My Sad Whores”)

Not everything in life always goes smoothly, the way we want it; often obstacles and certain circumstances appear on the way, in the interweaving of which a person can get confused, never achieving his goal. This state of affairs has long been called "Gordian knot", why are difficulties compared to a “knot” and why is it “Gordian”? Answers to the questions asked can be found below.

The meaning of phraseology

The phrase “Gordian Knot” denotes a complex web of circumstances, an insidious plan, an overly difficult task, the solution of which will require a lot of effort, time, and a non-standard approach to achieving the desired result.

A stable phrase appears in fiction and historical literature; it is synonymous with the word “intricacy” and has analogues in foreign languages. Thus, the “Gordian knot” in English is represented as “gordian knot”, the French say “nud gordien”, and the Germans “gordischer Knoten”.

Examples of use in Shakespeare’s “Cymbeline” and Turgenev’s “Rudin”, respectively:

1. “... it is easy to remove, just as it is difficult to unravel a Gordian knot.”
2. “...Some kind of Gordian knot got tight - I had to cut it...!”

The phrase “cutting the Gordian knot” is popular in use, which is interpreted as resolving a confusing, complex, in its original understanding, matter in a direct way. It is generally accepted that if the circumstances turn out to be so contradictory and confusing, and the problem is not solved, at first glance, in a logical way, all that remains is to go head-on, to solve it in an instant, i.e. thus, “cutting the Gordian knot.”

Origin of phraseology

The legend originated in ancient times, from the beginning of the existence of the state of Phrygia (west of modern Turkey), when the capital Gordion became the center of internecine wars. Everyone believed in the oracle's prediction, which predicted the appearance of a new ruler who would appear on an open cart, and supposedly he would concentrate power in his hands.

The first to cross the threshold was the poor man Gordius, and it was his inhabitants who declared him their new king. In honor of such an event, as a symbol of gratitude, the peasant gave his cart to Zeus, and he did this by tying it with a kind of knot to a pillar near the temple.

Later, a new prediction appeared that the one who unties this knot will become the ruler of Phrygia and the entire East, and will conquer all of Asia. For many centuries, the inhabitants waited for the craftsman and the future greatest ruler, but no one yielded to the knot, no one ever untied the cart of the Phrygian king.

As a result, centuries later, a situation that could not be resolved by the standard method began to be called the “Gordian Knot.”

The story continues. In the 3rd century BC. Alexander the Great, Emperor of Macedonia, sets out to conquer the Persian state. Approaching Gordion, he wished to visit the temple of Zeus and verify for himself the existence of the legendary “knot”. Seeing a knot that no one could untangle for several centuries, the emperor took out a sword and, with the words “This is how the problem is solved,” cut it off.

After this, an accompanying phraseological unit arose "cutting the Gordian knot", which is interpreted as solving any impossible task with the help of physical force.

It is impossible to say with certainty that the “Gordian knot” took place; there is no scientific confirmation of this. There is an opinion among historians that this legend is just a fiction and an original interpretation of a stable circulation. Today there are only ruins of cities on the territory of modern Turkey, as small evidence of the existence of the country of Phrygia.

The history of the expression "Gordian knot"

Then the Phrygian oracle, seeing that there was no way to untie the knots created by the cunning peasant guy, publicly announced a new prophecy. It said that the man who untied the tangled Gordian knots would create the greatest empire on the planet, which would unite all of Asia. His name would be glorified throughout the centuries.

Some time passed and under the walls of Phrygia stood the army of a young but very ambitious ruler Alexander the Great.Having heard about that prophecy, Alexander immediately went to the temple, where he saw the same picture that his unsuccessful predecessors had seen, a cart tied with a thin rope to the altar. Having carefully examined all the knots and plexuses of this Gordian puzzle, Alexander realized that he was not in able to solve this problem. Then another, but no less brilliant solution to this problem came to his mind.
Alexander pulled out his short sword and slashed it along the rope holding the cart. The knots fell apart and Alexander, in such a non-trivial way, solved the problem. The Macedonian army greeted the victory of their commander with loud shouts, and the priests of Zeus announced to the whole world that it was Alexander who would become the conqueror they were talking about said the oracle.

Thus, this complex and unusual problem was solved; rumors about it quickly spread throughout Phrygia, and then throughout the world.
As Alexander the Great himself remarked then: “ if you can’t untie it, then you need to cut it"This means that if the problem cannot be solved, then it is worth looking at it from a completely different angle.
If the problem does not have a solution by traditional methods, but it needs to be solved, there is only one thing left - to take an extraordinary step and slash with a sword with all its might. This means getting out of a difficult and difficult situation with the help of some new original solution. This is what the phrase now means " cut the Gordian knot".

Read more.

Gordian knot

Gordian knot
According to the legend told by ancient historians, the Phrygians, who were ordered by an oracle to elect as king the one who first met them with a cart on the way to the temple of Zeus, met a simple farmer Gordi and proclaimed him king. Gordius placed the cart that changed his fate in the temple of Zeus and attached a yoke to its shaft, tying a very complex knot. According to the oracle, the one who can unravel this knot will be the ruler of all Asia.
As the ancient writers Curtius Rufus and Plutarch, biographers of Alexander the Great, report, this commander did not unravel the knot - he simply cut it with a sword.
Allegorically: some extremely complicated matter, a tangle of circumstances, a complex problem.
Hence another, derivative of this, popular expression “to cut the Gordian knot”, that is, to resolve any complex, confusing matter very simply, by a strong-willed decision, without much thought -> etc.

Encyclopedic Dictionary of winged words and expressions. - M.: “Locked-Press”. Vadim Serov. 2003.

Gordian knot

According to the legend told by ancient historians, the Phrygians, who were ordered by an oracle to elect as king the one who first met them with a cart on the way to the temple of Zeus, met a simple farmer Gordius and proclaimed him king. Gordius placed the cart that changed his fate in the temple of Zeus and attached a yoke to its shaft, tying an extremely intricate knot. According to the oracle, the one who manages to unravel the knot should become the ruler of all Asia. Alexander the Great cut it with his sword. This is where the expression “Gordian knot” arose, meaning any intricate tangle of circumstances; “to cut the Gordian knot” - to resolve any complex, confusing matter or difficulty in a violent, straightforward way.

Dictionary of catch words. Plutex. 2004.

See what the “Gordian knot” is in other dictionaries:

A knot tied by the Phrygian Gordius on a chariot in a temple that was dedicated to Jupiter; the knot was tangled so skillfully that the oracle predicted that whoever unraveled it would have dominion over all of Asia: Alexander the Great cut the knot with a sword. Therefore, Gordian... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Modern encyclopedia

Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

According to ancient Greek legend, an intricate knot was used by the Phrygian king Gordius to tie a yoke to the pole of a cart. The oracle's prediction said that whoever untied the knot would gain dominion over the world. According to legend, Alexander the Great in 334 BC. e. V… … Political science. Dictionary.

Gordian knot- THE GORDIAN KNOT, according to Greek legend, is an intricate knot with which the Phrygian king Gordius tied a yoke to the pole of a cart. The oracle predicted: whoever unties the knot will gain dominion over the world. Alexander the Great in 334 BC in response to... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Intricacy Dictionary of Russian synonyms. Gordian knot noun, number of synonyms: 2 question (21) ... Synonym dictionary

Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

GORDIAN KNOT. see node. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 … Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

Gordian knot- ■ Relates to the ancient world... Lexicon of common truths

According to ancient Greek legend, an intricate knot was used by the Phrygian king Gordius to tie a yoke to the pole of a cart. The oracle's prediction said that whoever untied the knot would gain dominion over the world. According to legend, Alexander the Great in 334 BC. e. V… … encyclopedic Dictionary

Books

• Gordian Knot, Schlink B.. Former lawyer Georg Polger agrees to head a translation agency in a small town in the south of France, whose former boss died under mysterious circumstances. At first everything...