knot

[rollsrite]

hi i just e-mailed you about the knot but i wanted to give you just a little more info...i feel sure you are referring to the famous gordian knot. legend behind the ancient knot was that the man who could untie it was destined to rule the entire world. alexander slashed the knot with his sword and it unraveled. the web site THE GREAT HOMEPAGE OF ALEXANDER, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT HOPE THIS HELPS tina dunlap

[maciek]

Well I don't know to whoom You adressing those words but if I can interrupt I'd like to add that there are two versions of this. First is like You've mentioned that he slashed the knot - but second is that he pulled out the ...(damn I forgot the word)thing which kept the knot tighten.
Maciek

[yiannis]

Contonuing Maciek's post, you can call it the "pin" or "wedge" that kept the cart connected to the oxes.So (according to this version of the legent), Alexander, instead of cutting the knot with his sword, he instead removed the wedge, the knot loosen and he untied it easily...

[smittysmitty]

I was just thinking! and some possible answers!Why had Darius or his predecessors not attempted to unravel the Knot and live up to the prophecy that 'he who unties the knot shall rule Asia'A/ They did not know of its existance?B/They did know of its existance but couldn't be bothered?... or perhaps feared potential failure therefore avoided it.C/They knew of its existance, had tried to unravel the knot, but failed?D/The Phrygians kept this oracle a secret from their Persian rulers? E/Gordium was too far from the palace and meant more than a day trip would be involved?F/The Gordiun knot never existed ?Can't think of any more!Cheers

[beausefaless]

For two hundred years all of Asia Minor and the Orient was under Persian rule they could care less and they had nothing to prove to any peoples plus they had just about all the money in the world.Alexander did care about common man as long as they recognized him as the king of kings (the new sheriff in town). He loved peoples customs and religions, this was new adventures and there was history to be made and he wasn't going to let it slip away. He had something to prove and he did it profoundly. (well)

[marcus]

Hi Andrew,You're probably dead right - as the Persians already ruled all of Asia, they didn't really need to fulfil a prophecy that wouldn't give them anything more. At the same time, there might have been a certain amount of political spin that 'created' the prophecy in time for Alexander. If I recall correctly there is no mention of it in Herodotus, and he's the sort of person who would have included it if it existed. Also, I have an article somewhere (I think it's called "Alexander and Gordium") which shows that there were some common historical roots linking Gordius and Midas with Macedonia (Alexander was educated at the Gardens of Midas, of course). It is conceivable that the 'prophecy' was constructed out of this common history - and therefore it might not have been known in a wider context. Otherwise, it would surely have been expedient for the Persians to 'fulfil' the prophecy, despite their hegemony over Asia, in order to help legitimise their rule - after all, that's basically what Alexander did.All the bestMarcus

[smittysmitty]

I suspect Arstander of Telmissus, Alexander's favourite 'seer' may have had some input into this scenario.
cheers!