CHAPTER III.

ALEXANDER AT GORDIUM.

When Alexander arrived at Gordium, he was seized with an ardent desire

to go up into the citadel, which contained the palace of Gordius and

his son Midas. He was also desirous of seeing the wagon of Gordius and

the cord which bound the yoke to the wagon. There was a great deal of

talk about this wagon among the neighbouring population. It was said

that Gordius was a poor man among the ancient Phrygians, who had a

small piece of land to till, and two yoke of oxen. He used one of these

in ploughing and the other to draw the wagon. On one occasion, while

he was ploughing, an eagle settled upon the yoke,[211] and remained

sitting there until the time came for unyoking the oxen. Being alarmed

at the sight, he went to the Telmissian soothsayers to consult them

about the sign from the deity; for the Telmissians were skilful in

interpreting the meaning of Divine manifestations, and the power of

divination has been bestowed not only upon the men, but also upon

their wives and children from generation to generation. When Gordius

was driving his wagon near a certain village of the Telmissians, he

met a maiden fetching water from the spring, and to her he related how

the sign of the eagle had appeared to him. As she herself was of the

prophetic race, she instructed him to return to the very spot and offer

sacrifice to Zeus the king. Gordius requested her to accompany him and

direct him how to perform the sacrifice. He offered the sacrifice in

the way the girl suggested, and afterwards married her. A son was born

to them named Midas, who, when he arrived at the age of maturity, was

both handsome and valiant. At this time the Phrygians were harassed by

civil discord, and consulting the oracle, they were told that a wagon

would bring them a king, who would put an end to their discord.[212]

While they were still deliberating about this very matter, Midas

arrived with his father and mother, and stopped near the assembly with

the very wagon in question. They, interpreting the oracular response to

refer to him, decided that this was the person whom the god told them

the wagon would bring. They therefore appointed Midas king; and he,

putting an end to their discord, dedicated his father’s wagon in the

citadel as a thank-offering to Zeus the king for sending the eagle. In

addition to this the following report was current concerning the wagon,

that whosoever could loosen the cord with which the yoke of the wagon

was tied, was destined to be the ruler of Asia. The cord was made of

cornel bark, and neither end nor beginning to it could be seen. It is

said by some that when Alexander could find out no way to loosen the

cord and yet was unwilling to allow it to remain unloosened, lest it

should exercise some disturbing influence upon the multitude, he struck

the cord with his sword and cut it through, saying that it had been

untied by him. But Aristobulus says that he pulled out the pin of the

wagon-pole, which was a wooden peg driven right through it, holding

the cord together. Having done this, he drew out the yoke from the

wagon-pole. How Alexander performed the feat in connection with this

cord, I cannot affirm with confidence. At any rate both he and his

troops departed from the wagon as if the oracular prediction concerning

the untying of the cord had been fulfilled. Moreover, that very night,

the thunder and lightning were signs from heaven of its fulfilment; and

for this reason Alexander offered sacrifice on the following day to the

gods who had revealed the signs and assured him that the cord had been

untied in a proper way.[213]