Gordian knot vs difficulty

Gordian knot

noun
  • The legendary knot tied to a pole near the temple of Zeus in Gordium. 

  • Any intricate and complex problem having a simple solution. 

difficulty

noun
  • Physical danger from the environment, especially with risk of drowning 

  • An obstacle that hinders achievement of a goal. 

  • The state of being difficult, or hard to do. 

  • An objection. 

  • An awkward situation or quarrel. 

  • That which cannot be easily understood or believed. 

How often have the words Gordian knot and difficulty occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )