MIDAS AND THE GOLDEN TOUCH! #BLOGCHATTERA2Z

- April 16, 2026

King Midas - Freepik

Midas was the ruler of Phrygia, who dwelt in an opulent palace, with everything he wanted at his fingertips. He lived with his beautiful daughter, and they enjoyed a life of abundance. Midas thought that his greatest happiness came from his wealth and spent entire days admiring and counting his gold coins. He would cover himself in gold and obsess over his possessions, not realising how this obsession could lead to dire consequences.

One day, Dionysus, the Greek god of revelry and wine passed through Midas’ kingdom. One of his companions, a satyr named Silenus, was exhausted and decided to take a nap in the exotic rose gardens that flanked the kingdom. He was discovered there by Midas who invited him into his palace and entertained and took care of him for ten days and nights. At the end of the period, he took him back to Dionysus, who was grateful for the king’s kindness to his companion, and granted him a wish.

Midas immediately asked for everything he touched to turn to gold. Dionysus tried to warn him, saying that it could be a double-edged blessing, but Midas was adamant, and his wish was granted.

Midas and Dionysus -Sirioti Jewelry

The next morning, Midas woke up, excited. He touched a small table by his side which turned into gold. Elated, he began touching everything in sight – the chair, the door, the carpet, even his bathtub. The palace sparkled and shone, and Midas could not have been happier. He went outside and touched a stone and an oak twig which turned to gold as well.

After all the activity, Midas was ravenous. He sat at the table and picked up a grape. Before it could reach his mouth, it turned golden. The same happened with bread and water. Midas began to realise that his wish was more of a curse. Just then his daughter came into the room, and he gave her his customary hug. The next moment, she became a golden statue, much to his horror.

King Midas and his daughter - Pinterest

In despair, he prayed to Dionysus, asking him to take away the wish he had granted. Dionysus took pity on him and directed him to go and wash his hands in the river Pactolus. Midas did so and he was astonished to see gold flowing out of his hands. It is believed that the ancient Greeks discovered gold on the banks of the river.

Back home, Midas found that things were back to normal. His daughter was waiting to greet him. Midas turned over a new leaf. From that day onwards, he began to give his wealth away to the people in his kingdom. He turned into a generous ruler who was loved by his people, and mourned by them after his death.

There is also a funny myth about Midas. Once, Apollo, the oracle god of music, and Pan, the musical deity of the land, shepherds and satyrs, had a music contest. Midas was summoned as one of the judges. While Apollo played divinely on his silver flute, Midas was swayed by the impressive music which issued from Pan’s flute. He cast his vote in favour of the latter and Pan won the contest.

An irate Apollo berated him, saying, “These ears that cannot understand the beauty of music can only be donkey ears.” Immediately, Midas found his ears growing into donkey ears.

Midas' Donkey Ears - Greek Mythology

From then on, Midas kept his ears covered, only revealing them to his barber, with the threat that he would destroy him if he ever breathed a word. The barber held his tongue, but one day it got too much for him. He went to a well and shouted into it. “Midas’ ears are donkey ears.” The secret spread and people began to make fun of Midas who cut off his ears. However, they grew back in the same fashion. Finally, Midas prayed to Apollo, who forgave him, and gave his back his original ears.

Thus, the myth of Midas illustrates the tragic consequences of greed, and the ill effects of not appreciating true happiness.

Trivia:

The Midas Touch in modern lingo refers to someone with good fortune, or one who succeeds at everything he tries a hand at.

Books:

1. The Curse of King Midas by Coleen M