Devoir de Philosophie

Gordian knot - Mythology.

Publié le 26/01/2014

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Gordian knot - Mythology. Greek A puzzling and intricate knot tied by Gordius, king of Phrygia, in Asia Minor, in a rope linking the yoke and the pole of the ox-cart that had carried him to the temple of Zeus. Zeus, obeying the words of an oracle, made the peasant Gordius the new king of Phrygia. It is said that the ox-cart remained for centuries at Gordium, the capital city of Phrygia founded by Gordius. A superstition grew up around the knot: whoever could untie the knot would become the ruler of Asia. No one ever untied the knot, but in legend, Alexander the Great slashed through the knot with his mighty sword and did indeed become the ruler of Asia. The legend of the Gordian knot seems to demonstrate that, in some cases, the power of the sword is greater than that of superstition. "To cut the Gordian knot" has come to mean resolving a difficult problem with one decisive, forceful step.

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