"It was when I found out I could make mistakes that I knew I was on to something."

Ornette Coleman, 1930 -

The Gordian Knot

In Greek legend, the Gordian knot was the name given to an intricate knot used by Gordius to secure his oxcart.

An oracle had informed the populace of Phrygia that their future king would arrive in a wagon. One day, Gordius rode into the town square with his oxcart, and was immediately named King. In gratitude, Gordius dedicated his oxcart to Zeus, tying it up with a peculiar knot. An oracle foretold that he who untied the knot would rule all of Asia. According to legend, it was Alexander the Great who cut the knot with his sword. From that time, "cutting the Gordian knot" came to represent solving a difficult problem.

For people the world over, the Gordian Knot represents the difficult, the intractable and often the insolvable problem.