Was the Gordian knot merely a very tight overhand knot?
I belive that the Gordian knot was merely a very tight simple
knot.
The tale goes somewhat like this.
Gordius , a poor peasant,tied a knot in his leather harness traces
and presented it to the temple of Zeus. An oracle proclained that
whoever could untie it would become emporor of Asia. Alexander
the Great tried his hand at this knot puzzle and lost his patience,
cutting it in half with a stroke of his sword.
Now the evidence that this was a jamed simple knot is this: a complicated
thick knot as the Gordian knot was supposed to be could not be cut in
half with one stoke of a sword. It would be to thick. I tried cutting a knotted piece
of quarter inch rope in half with a stroke of my sharp axe. I barely cut the rope
an eighth of an inch. Now a jammed overhand knot can be cut in half with
one stroke of a sword.
I heard an interesting Gordian knot story that I wish I could remember the source. The story goes that Gordius being an agricultural professional and all would not tie a knot that requires cutting to release (that would waste valuable rope, don’t ya know). That he had tied a knot which involved a peg and if the peg were removed, the knot would fall apart.
Illustrations of the Gordian knot usually show a big spherical tangle… 8)
I always imagine that the Gordian knot was a form of the ‘Transom’ knot which is itself a variant of the ‘Constrictor’ knot, because the function of the said knot was to secure a ‘Yoke’ to the shaft of the cart or plough.