戈耳狄俄当了国王后，就把那辆象征命运的马车献给宙斯，放置在宙斯庙中。他用绳索打了个非常复杂的死结，把车轭牢牢得系在车辕上，谁也无法解开。
由此，人们常用a Gordian knot比喻a knot difficult or impossibe to unite；the difficult problem or task.
例如
The deceased old man did not leave a will and the distribution of his property was a Gordian knot.
去世的老人没有留下遗嘱，他的财产分配是一个大难题。
cut the Gordian knot 以大刀阔斧的办法解决问题根据上面的传说，后人就用Gordian knot 喻指“难办的事”或“棘手的问题”，用cut the Gordian knot比喻“以大刀阔斧的办法解决问题”，这个成语与汉语成语“快刀斩乱麻”“大刀阔斧、果断处置”十分相似。有时将Gordian一词略去，亦作cut the knot例如
We must try to solve the problem even if it is really a Gordian knot.我们必须努力解决这个问题，即使很棘手。
The new manager found that none of the senior staff liked him， but he soon cut that knot by dismissing them all.新上任的经理发现高级职员都不喜欢他，可是他采取果断处置，把他们全都免职了。
45. Acrisius
Acrisius， king of Argos， was Hypermnestra’s grandson. He had one beautiful daughter， Danae by name. So much did he love her that he decided not to remarry after the death of his wife. But one day an oracle from Delphi prophesied that he would be killed by the son of Danae. He felt so upset that his love suddenly changed to fear and hatred. To avoid the disaster， he built a tall bronze tower， wherein he shut Danae up with her nurse， he kept the key of the tower himself， and left only the roof open for Danae to take an occasional look at the blue sky above. One bright sunny morning， Danae felt a childish joy at the sight of the clear， blue sky and longed for freedom when a golden shower of sunlight shot through the open roof and spread all over her. A wave of happiness spread all over her， and Zeus himself stood before her in his splendour and won her.
Some time later， a guard came rushing into King Acrisius’ palace and told the astonished king that Danae had given birth to a son. The baby was called Perseus. Acrisius decided that both mother and son must die if he wanted to live himself. Very soon he had a great chest built， where he put Danae and her son， and then set it a drift on the sea. Answering the sad prayers of the poor mother， Zeus had the chest swept onto the land of the Seriphos. Polydectes， king of the country， treated them at first with kindness， but afterwards with cruelty. When Perseus was grown up， Polydectes sent him to kill Medusa.
Medusa had been a beautiful maiden， but as she once violated Athena’s temple in Lybia， the goddess changed her beautiful hair into snakes and her body into that of a monster. So ugly and terrible was she that anyone looking on her face was immediately turned to stone. But Athena and other gods came to help Perseus. Athena lent him her brightly polished shield in which she warned him to look at the reflection of Medusa only. Hades gave him his helmet which made its wearer invisible， and Hermes offered him his winged shoes so that he could travel fast over long distances. From the gods he also took a sword and a magic wallet.
Acting on the advice of Athena， Perseus travelled west and first sought out the three grey women， known as the Graeae who knew the whereabouts of Medusa. These women had one tooth and one eye between them， so Perseus grabbed the tooth and the eye from them and forced them to tell him the truth. This grey women did， and one night while flying across the sky， the young man found Medusa sleeping on a rock. Flying down， he struck off the head of Medusa and turned back to the land where he had left his mother.
45. 阿克里西俄斯
阿尔戈斯国王阿克里西俄斯是许泊涅斯特拉的孙子。他的女儿达那厄非常美丽。他对女儿非常宠爱，在丧妻之后他决定不再另娶。但是一天来自特尔斐城的一个先知者预言他将死在达那厄儿子的手上。他感到很沮丧，突然之间爱转变成恐惧与仇恨。为了避免灾难的发生，他建造了一座高高的铜塔，把达那厄和她的佣人关在里面。只有他有塔的钥匙。塔顶留有开口，达那厄只能从这里偶尔看看蓝天。在一个阳光明媚的早晨，看到晴朗的蓝天。她感到孩子般的喜悦并渴望自由。金色的阳光透过敞开的塔顶倾泻下来将她笼罩。幸福的暖流传遍她的全身。站在她面前的是宇宙之王宙斯。他辉煌伟大，赢得了她的心。
过了一段时间，一名卫士急匆匆地来到国王阿克里西俄斯的王宫。惊讶的国王被告知达那厄生下了一个儿子，名叫柏修斯。阿克里西俄斯当即决定母子俩都得死，这样他才能保住性命。很快他就令人做了一只大箱子，把达那厄母子俩关在里面，并把他们扔到海里漂流。这位可怜的母亲的祈祷得到了宙斯的回应。宙斯让箱子漂到赛瑞费斯国。该国国王波吕得克忒斯先是友好地招待他们，后来却变得残忍无情。柏修斯长大成人后，波吕得克忒斯派他去杀墨杜萨。
墨杜萨曾是一位美丽少女。但是因她亵渎了雅典娜在利比尔的神殿，女神就把它的美发变成了蛇，她的身体也成了怪物的体态。她丑陋狰狞，任何人只要看到她的面孔就会立即变成石头。雅典娜和其他的神向柏修斯伸出了援助的手。雅典娜借给他闪亮的盾。她警告他只能看墨杜萨映在上面的像。哈得斯借给他隐身盔甲；赫耳墨斯为他提供带翼鞋，穿上它就能快步如飞。从神那里还得到了剑和魔袋。
遵照雅典娜的忠告，柏修斯向西走，他首先找到了格赖埃三姐妹。她们知道墨杜萨的行踪。这三位妇人共用一颗牙，一只眼。于是，柏修斯抓着他们的牙和眼，强迫她们道出实情。一天晚上，年轻人飞越天空时，他发现了在岩石上睡觉的墨杜萨。他飞下去砍掉了墨杜萨的头。然后转身走向与母亲告别的地方。
单词短语透视
1.
remarry [，ri‘m] v. 再婚
例句
She remarried her former husband ten years after their divorce.她与原来的丈夫离婚十年后又复婚了。
2.
prophesy [’dskd] v. 预告，预言
例句
We cannot prophesy what may happen.
我们无法预言会发生什么。
3.
suddenly [‘sdnli] adv. 意外地，忽然地例句
Her expression suddenly altered.
她的表情一下子变了。
4.
hatred [’hetrd] n. 仇恨，憎恨
例句
He looked at me with hatred.
他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
5.
avoid [‘vd] v. 避开，躲避
例句
I think he’s avoiding me.
我觉得他躲着我。
6.
disaster [d‘zɑst（r）] n. 灾难，灾祸，灾害例句
Losing your job needn’t be such a disaster.
你不必把丢了工作看成是大难临头。
7.
bronze [brnz] n. 青铜
例句
Her hair shone bronze and gold.
她的头发泛着黄褐色的金光。
8.
occasional [‘kenl] adj. 偶尔的，间或发生的
例句
I drink an occasional cup of coffee； but usually I take tea.
我偶尔喝杯咖啡，但平常都喝茶。
9.
childish [’tald] adj. 天真的，孩子气的例句
Don’t be so childish！
不要这么孩子气！
10.
freedom [‘fridm] n. 自由
例句
He enjoyed complete freedom to do as he wished.他享有完全按照自己的意愿行事的自由。
11.
roof [ruf] n. 屋顶，顶部
例句
The roof collapsed under the weight of snow.
房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。
12.
spread [spred] v. 展开；散布，蔓延
例句
The disease is spreading fast.
这种病正在迅速蔓延。
13.
splendour [’splend（r）] n. 华丽，壮观， 辉煌，光辉例句
Can the city recapture its former splendour
这座城市还能重现其往昔的光辉吗
14.
astonished [‘stnt] adj. 惊讶的例句
She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look.
想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。
15.
chest [test] n. 大箱子
例句
At the very bottom of the chest were his carving tools.
箱子最底下是他的雕刻工具。
16.
drift [drft] n. 漂移，偏移
例句
The drift of the icebergs in the sea endangers the ships.
海上冰山的漂流危及船只的安全。
17.
afterwards [’ɑftwdz] adv. 以后，后来，然后
例句
Let’s go to the theatre first and eat afterwards.
咱们先去看戏，然后再吃吧。
18.
cruelty [‘krult] n. 残暴，残忍，残酷例句