Saturday 24 September 2022

Not a knot at the joint when reflected at St Abbs and not a Temple of S...

Not a knot at the joint when reflected at St. Abbs and not a Temple of Sabazios


With a touch of editing here is a Gordian Knot with a join not knots between the images. Alexander the Great when either presented, or confronted a challenge he was often able to approach with directed focus that brought him success against all odds. When shown the knot of King Gordias that was said waited to be undone by the next ruler of Asia Alexander is said to have looked at the problem which might have been a knot of shrunken and matted fibres and decided not to let the impossible stand in his way to conquering Asia and either cut the knot, or removed a lynch pin. His approach is given different emphasis through the retelling with some telling of his impetuous and head strong charge to a quick victory with no limitations from rules and expectation, or he could be seen as successfully assessing the problem and correctly realising the answer had nothing to do with knot work, but rather creating a situation in which the knot no longer worked.

The unfathomable knot had been dedicated to the Phrygian God Sabazios. Alexander and his fellow Greeks recognised aspects of Sabazios that for them connected him to their God Zeus. Zeus was the all father and chief of the Greek Gods on Mount Olympus. In resolving the Gordian Knot that had been held sacred and guarded by the Priest of Sabazios, Alexander who became known as, “The Great,” showed that he would let nothing stand in his way, that he was determined to defeat any problem and to be victorious winning and so bringing the blessings of Priests and Gods with him on his vast military campaign. Other interpretations are made of this recorded incident and the Gordian Knot is a legendary feat that is taken as evidence of many different problems and solutions leading to the retelling being set to reveal almost whatever each tale teller wants you to see in their version of the story. Here my Gordian Knot has been the joining of the ropes in Photoshop to present loops at the harbour where the sea never stills and rather it rolls around in seasonal tides and so readily presents whatever aspect of the sea you wish to see.

© PHH Sykes 2022

phhsykes@gmail.com



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