King Midas

King Midas

Midas, king of Phrygia, was not fortunate in his dealings with the gods. Condemned (at his own request) during the early years of his reign to turn everything he touched into gold, he learned his lesson and wished only to live a simple life in the countryside. It was then that he provoked the wrath of Apollo: walking one day through the fields, Midas witnessed a musical contest between Apollo and Pan, judged by the spirit of Mount Tmolus. Apollo played the lyre and Pan played the syrinx.

Apollo’s skill led Tmolus to award him the prize, and Pan admitted that his skill with the syrinx was inferior. Midas disagreed with Tmolus’s decision. Apollo was so offended that he caused Midas to grow donkey’s ears. Midas’s shame was so great that he hid them beneath a turban, but his secret was eventually discovered and he was put to death.

The Gold of King Midas

King Midas, son of Gordinas, a peasant who had come to the throne of Phrygia by the will of the gods, grew up obsessed with wealth. For this reason, when Dionysus (Bacchus) offered him a wish in return for having helped Silenus, his satyr companion and drunkard, Midas asked that everything he touched be turned into gold.

All went well until he felt hungry. When food was brought to him it too turned to gold... the same happened with the wine, and faced with the same result, Midas, horrified, begged Dionysus to help him. The god told him to wash himself in the river Pactolus, which explains why even today there is gold dust on the banks of that river.