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What was the Gordian knot story involving Alexander the Great?

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Alexander the Great Alexander the Great, detail from Alexander and Porus, painting by Charles Le Brun, 17th century; in the Louvre, Paris, France.

In 333 BCE, while marching through Anatolia, Alexander the Great arrived in Gordium, the capital of Phrygia. There, he encountered a chariot belonging to the city's founder, Gordius, which featured a yoke lashed to a pole by an exceptionally intricate knot with its ends concealed.12

Tradition held that whoever could untie this knot would become the conqueror of Asia. While popular legend—often attributed to Alexander's impetuous nature—claims he solved the puzzle by slicing through the knot with his sword, earlier historical accounts suggest he may have instead removed the pole or pulled the ends out to undo it.21

Today, the phrase "cutting the Gordian knot" serves as a metaphor for resolving a seemingly impossible or complex problem through a single, bold, and decisive action.21