King Midas is a famous figure from Greek mythology. Anything he touched would turn to gold. Far less famous, however, is his father Gordias. Nonetheless, Gordias occupies an interesting place within the Greek legends. What do we know about this legendary figure, and did he really exist?
What we know about Gordias
The first known mention of Gordias appears in the writings of Herodotus, the fifth-century BCE Greek historian. He makes only a passing reference to him, referring to him as the father of Midas. Later writers provide a much fuller account of the life of this legendary figure.
One of the most notable things about Gordias was that he was allegedly responsible for the creation of the Gordian Knot. This was a complex knot which was fixed to an oxcart. According to legend, whoever managed to untie it would rule all of Asia. Famously, Alexander the Great resolved the issue by slicing it with his sword.
One of the main accounts of Gordias’ creation of the Gordian knot, as well as of Gordias’ life in general, is found in the writings of Arrian. He was a Greek historian of the second century CE. However, Arrian’s account differs from others in one key way.
Gordias’ life
The traditional account of Gordias’ life presents him as becoming the king of the Phrygians. This is where Arrian’s account differs, for he presents his son Midas as becoming the first king instead. This seems to have been shortly before the Trojan War.
According to the traditional story, Gordias was not from a royal dynasty. Rather, he was a mere farmer. One day, he rode his oxcart towards a temple of the Phrygians. At that time, the Phrygians did not have a king. An oracle had told them that their king was to be the first person to ride towards the temple in a cart.
Thus, the Phrygians accepted Gordias as their king. Gordias then went on to found the city of Gordium, which became the capital city of the Phrygians. The oxcart that Gordias had ridden was kept at the acropolis of the city. The knot which held the yolk to the cart became the Gordian Knot.
Was Gordias a real person?
As we can see, the account of Gordias is legendary, but there is nothing overtly mythological about it. In fact, his son Midas is known to have really existed. He was a king of Phrygia in the second half of the eighth century BCE. He even appears in contemporary Assyrian records.
These records do not mention Gordias specifically, but there is good reason for accepting him as the father of this historical Midas. Herodotus tells us that ‘Midas son of Gordias’ gave a donation to the Oracle of Delphi in Greece. He says that this occurred at some unspecified period before Gyges of Lydia gave a gift to the oracle.
This would place Midas son of Gordias before the early seventh century BCE, when Gyges of Lydia reigned. However, the Oracle of Delphi did not exist before the ninth century BCE. Therefore, the historical Midas of the eighth century BCE is the obvious candidate. Since Herodotus specifically calls him the ‘son of Gordias’, this supports the historicity of Gordias.
The founding of Gordium
How does this tie in with the legend of the founding of Gordium, the capital of the Phrygians? The archaeology of Gordium provides some significant information. The city already existed long before the eighth century BCE. However, in c. 800 BCE, a major destruction event occurred.
At some point in the first half of the eighth century BCE, the Phrygians engaged in a massive reconstruction project. The city was repaired and significantly enlarged. In fact, the foundation of the repaired citadel was a platform that was built entirely over the destroyed settlement. It was thus a fresh start, a completely new citadel.
The chronology of this event works perfectly with the conclusion that Gordias was the father of the historical Midas of the second half of the eighth century BCE. Thus, we can be quite confident in attributing this massive reconstruction of Gordium to the legendary Gordias, the father of Midas. This, evidently, was the origin of the legend of him founding the city.
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