How to Tie a Gordion Knot

Gather your rope and a small piece of wood, like a 2-by-4 wood block, to tie the knot around. You can technically tie the knot around anything, but it is easiest if it is something like a solid block of wood that can move around while you are tying the knot. One end of the rope is called a standing end and the other is the running end. Wrap the running end around the wood and bring it to the front, placing it over the standing end. The front of the knot will look like an X with the standing end pointing up and to the left and the running end pointing up and to the right.

Keeping the standing end up and above the other rope, wrap the running end behind the wood again. Bring it to the front and across the first wrap so that it is below and parallel to the standing end. Run it under the standing end below the first wrap's X.

Pull the standing end down and to the left and then run it under the first wrap. When you finish tucking it under, it will be pointing down and to the left.

Turn the wood and work on the back of the knot. When you turn it around, you will see two parallel lines. Take the top line of rope and pull it over the bottom one, forming an eye. Take the rope on the right and run it through the eye so that it points up and to the left. Run the rope on the left through the eye following exactly the same path so that it winds up pointing down and to the right. Both ropes will be right next to each other as the go through the eye from different directions.

Repeat the process two or three times to make the knot larger or more complex, if desired. When you are done, you will need to tighten the knot securely to make it keep its shape. For certain kinds of rope, you may want to secure the ends or spray the whole knot with varnish.