King Midas and the Golden Touch
Midas was a king of great fortune, who ruled the country of
Phrygia, in Asia Minor. He had everything a king could wish for. He lived
in luxury in a great castle. He shared his life of abundance with his
beautiful daughter. Even though he was very rich, Midas thought that
his greatest happiness was provided by gold. He was so full of greed that
he spent hours out of his days doing nothing but counting his golden
coins! Occasionally, he used to cover his body with gold objects, as if he
wanted to bathe in them. Money was his obsession.
One day, Dionysus, the god of wine and celebration, passed
through King Midas’s kingdom. One of his companions, a satyr1 named
Silenus, got delayed along the way. Silenus was tired after traveling and
decided to take a nap in the famous rose gardens surrounding the king’s
palace. There, King Midas found him lounging in the sun, and he
recognized the satyr instantly. King Midas invited Silenus to spend a
few days at his palace.
After his stay, Midas took Silenus back to Dionysus. The god of
celebration, very grateful to Midas for his kindness to his companion,
promised to grant Midas any wish he desired. Midas though for a while,
and then he said, “I wish that everything I touch becomes gold!”
“Are you sure that is wish Your Highness?” inquired Dionysus,
“One can wish for many things: beauty, longevity, good health perhaps?”
“No,” said the king Dionysus, “Gold is what I desire. I love gold
more than anything in the world. Make it so! Make it so!”
Dionysus shook his head, but could do nothing. “It shall be, my
King,” he said.
And with that, Dionysus and Silenus were on their merry way.
The next day, Midas, woke up eager to see if his wish would
become a reality. He extended his arm touching a small table that
immediately turned into gold. Midas jumped with happiness! He then
touched a chair, the carpet, the door, his bathtub, and a table. All turned
to gold! He kept on running in his madness all over his palace until he
was both exhausted and happy at the same time!
He sat at the table to have breakfast and took a rose between his
hands to smell its fragrance. When he touched it, the rose became gold.
“I will have to absorb the fragrance without touching the roses, I
suppose,” he thought in disappointment. The king so loved the smell of
roses.
Next, he reached out for a bunch of grapes. They were his favorite
food of all. They turned to gold before he could even reach his mouth!
The same happened with a slice of bread and a glass of water. Suddenly,
he started to sense fear. He realized that he may indeed go hungry
because of his new “gift.” Tears filled his eyes. Perhaps he should have
heeded the god’s warning.
At that moment, his beloved daughter entered the room. Without
thinking, Midas reached out to hug her. To his horror, she turned into a
golden statue! Filled with despair and fear, Midas he raised his arms and
called out to Dionysus.
“Oh, Dionysus! I have been a fool! Forgive me for my greed!
Please, I beg of you, take this curse from me!”
Midas fell to the golden floor, clutched this golden daughter, and
wept bitterly.
Dionysus, from atop his home on Mt. Olympus2, heard Midas’s
lament and felt sorry for him. He returned to the palace once more.
“Midas, I will take pity on you. Listen to my words. You have been
a fool. Your heart has been shadowed by greed. Let this be a lesson to
you! Go to the River Pactolus and wash. When you have dipped your
body in its waters, you will no longer have this golden touch. When you
return home, all that has been turned to gold will be restored.”
Midas did as he was told. He ran to the river and jumped in,
washing his body in its flowing waters. When he turned home,
everything Midas had touched was once again as it was. Midas hugged
his daughter in full happiness and decided to share his great fortune
with his people. From now on, Midas became a better person, generous
and grateful for all his blessings.
1. satyr: one of a class of merry woodland gods. Often represented as
half man and half goat.
2. Mount Olympus: The home of the Greek gods.