Gordian knot: the history of the emergence of phraseology. The meaning of "Gordian knot The most difficult knot in the world

Knot that can't be untied

Phraseologism "Gordian knot" means a situation where a certain problem or task is so complex that a non-standard, original approach is required to solve it.

The history of the origin of phraseology Gordian knot

There is an ancient legend about how the great commander Alexander the Great with one stroke of his sword eliminated such a difficulty. It all started with the fact that the priests of the temple of Zeus publicly announced that the new Phrygian king, who will distinguish himself by the most brilliant achievements, will be the first person who will just enter the city. This lucky man turned out to be a simple peasant named Gordius. Having become the ruler of the Phrygian kingdom, Gordius made a memorable gift to the temple - his cart, on which he arrived on that memorable day. But he did not just give her, but tied her to the altar with such complex and tangled knot

That no one, even the most dexterous and strong craftsmen, could untie it in order to remove the cart from the altar.

And then the Phrygian Oracle made a new prophetic statement: the whole world will submit to that person who decides tangled Gordian knot problem. He will create the greatest empire, incomparable in its power, into which all Asia will enter, and the glory of that ruler will enter the ages.

After some time, the capital of Phrygia was conquered by the army of the young conqueror Alexander the Great. Entering the temple, he looked for a long time tangled knot from thin cornelian bast. Realizing that he would not be able to untie him, just like the others who wanted to, he came up with an easy, but peculiar solution. He took out his sword and in front of his soldiers and temple priests, in one fell swoop cut the bast knot, over which the craftsmen who wanted to become famous fought for so long. The Macedonians glorified their leader, and the Phrygian servants of Zeus proclaimed the Great Emperor of Macedon, about whom the Oracle had told them.

Thus, the difficult task, famous throughout Phrygia, and then throughout the world, was solved. As the commander himself said then, if impossible to untie, then you need to cut it, that is, approach the problem not like other people, but look at it from a new angle.

If the situation is so complicated that it does not lend itself to traditional methods of getting out of it, and something needs to be done about it, all that remains is to hit the problem with the sword of bold, extraordinary measures. To get out of a difficult and seemingly hopeless difficulty with the help of some original and new solution is called " cut the Gordian knot».

Cut the Gordian knot CUT THE GORDIAN KNOT. CUT THE GORDIAN KNOT. Book. Express. Boldly, decisively and immediately resolve any very difficult task, find a way out of a difficult situation through something. This visit, he believed, would cut the Gordian knot, clarify all the ambiguity of the situation.(Furmanov. Chapaev). - From the ancient Greek legend about how Alexander the Great cut with a sword a complex knot cunningly tied by the Phrygian king Gordius. According to the oracle, the one who could unravel this knot was to become the ruler of all Asia. Lit .: Mikhelson M.I. Russian thought and speech ... - St. Petersburg, 1912. - T. 1. - S. 209; Ashukin N. S., Ashukina M. G. Winged words. - M., 1960. - S. 150.

Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language. - M.: Astrel, AST. A. I. Fedorov. 2008 .

See what "Cut the Gordian Knot" is in other dictionaries:

cut the Gordian knot- Cut (cut, etc.) go / rdiev knot. Allow what l. difficulties quickly, boldly and decisively (from the ancient Greek legend that Alexander the Great cut with his sword a complex knot tied by the Phrygian king Gordius, the oracle ... ... Dictionary of many expressions

Gordian knot- According to the legend told by ancient historians, the Phrygians, who were ordered by the oracle to choose the king of the one who first met them with a cart on the way to the temple of Zeus, met with a simple farmer Gordius and proclaimed him king. cart, ... ... Dictionary of winged words and expressions

GORDIAN KNOT Modern Encyclopedia

GORDIAN KNOT Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Gordian knot- according to ancient Greek legend, a tangled knot with which the Phrygian king Gordius tied the yoke to the drawbar of the cart. The oracle predicted that the one who 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- GORDIAN KNOT, according to Greek legend, a tangled knot with which the Phrygian king Gordius tied the yoke to the drawbar of the cart. The oracle predicted: whoever untied the knot would gain dominion over the world. Alexander the Great in 334 BC in response to ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Gordian knot- This term has other meanings, see Node (meanings). "Alexander the Great cuts the Gordian knot" The Gordian knot is a complex knot, tied according to legend by the Phrygian king Gordius, who was cut by Alexander the Great. In ... ... Wikipedia

Gordian knot- wing. sl. According to the legend told by ancient historians, the Phrygians, who were ordered by the oracle to choose the king of the one who first met them with a cart on the way to the temple of Zeus, met with a simple farmer Gordius and proclaimed him king. ... ... Universal additional practical explanatory dictionary by I. Mostitsky

Gordian knot- a tangled web of circumstances. Cut the Gordian knot - make a quick and bold decision to a confusing and complex issue. According to ancient Greek legend, the Gordian knot was an extremely tangled knot with which the Phragian king Gordius ... ... Phraseology Handbook

Books

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

General information about the Phrygians

The culture of this people is directly connected with Ancient Greece, and in some of its places it is completely the "progenitor" of all future trends. Phrygian was a famous scientist who lived in a barrel - Diogenes, the first fabulist Aesop, the eccentric satyr Marsyas, and also Tantalus - one of the few mortals who dined at the table of the Olympian gods, who later experienced terrible torments from thirst and hunger. And the cult of Cybele, revered in Rome and Greece, is considered nothing more than the Phrygian worship of the Great Mother. But one of the most ancient and unforgettable legends to this day is the successful attempt of Alexander the Great to cut the Gordian knot that tied the king of this disappeared nation.

Gordius

The Gordian knot was tied by a Phrygian tiller, later proclaimed the king of the people for his sparkling mind and quick wits. Not so many facts are known about his life, the only confirmed one is the idea of forming his own state in Asia Minor, which would become the new homeland of a nomadic tribe. Much more famous was his son Midas. He was an enterprising and rather energetic ruler. For this, the Phrygian king was honored to get into the myth of turning any thing into gold. This tale is sad, as Midas starved to death turning food into gold bars. But back to his father. He tied a Gordian knot from a bast tree and challenged all the craftsmen of the nearby lands. Entire generations have been solving this puzzle, for several centuries in a row they have been unable to unravel the most complex tangle created by just one person. According to legend, the one who untied the Gordian knot was supposed to become the conqueror of the world, so there was never a end to those who wished.

Attempt of Alexander the Great

Almost everyone knows how Alexander the Great's acquaintance with this mystery ended. According to the "official" versions of many legends, myths and biographies of the king, he simply cut the Gordian knot, the meaning of which is still described as a decisive action of a person in the most difficult and difficult circumstances. Plutarch, in his notes, said that the ruler of Greece conquered Phrygia and, having heard the story of the puzzle, caught fire to solve it. He found the famous yoke on the chariot and, after several unsuccessful attempts, took the sword and cut the ball with one blow. At the point of impact, a large number of ends were found, with the help of which the entire structure was unraveled. One of the contemporaries of Alexander the Great was of a different opinion. In his notes, it was said that the king easily solved the problem without using the sword, removing the hook from the drawbar holding the yoke.

Conclusion

In any case, whether the Gordian knot was cut or untied in the usual way, the essence of the riddle invented by the Phrygian ruler remains unchanged: only a quick-witted and patient person has the dignity and moral ability to rule the whole world. This was not only an instructive lesson of Gordias, but also a covenant to his descendants to set for themselves only those goals that they can successfully fulfill and imprint their own name for centuries, as he himself did with just one act.

According to legend, there really was such a knot that it was impossible to unravel.

And the legend goes like this:

Somehow the priests of the Phrygian temple of Zeus uttered such a prediction - whoever first steps outside the gates of the city must definitely become a ruler, and he will be a king of kings.

The unsuspecting and unknown poor Gordius rode into the city on his cart and was recognized as the king of Phrygia.

The cart was presented as a gift to the temple in which the prediction was made and tied to the altar.

But this knot was so intricate and cunning that no one could cope with it.

And then a second prediction arose that the one who unties this knot will become an even more powerful ruler and conquer the whole world.

And one day, the great Macedonian appeared in front of the knot and everyone froze in anticipation of submitting the knot to him or not, how he would untie it. And looking at the tangled bast, Alexander drew his sword and cut it.

Expression value:

Phraseologism "Gordian knot" is a description of some confusing situation that is difficult to understand. And the more you solve it, the more it gets confused.