Greek Myths XS: King Midas' Golden Touch

King Midas had the habit of wearing a bonnet, to cover his donkey ears. Those were a punishment of Apollo, because Midas had not ruled in his favour in a musical competition. Only one servant knew about the ears and to avoid all temptation, he had dug a hole on the riverbank, shouted his secret in there and filled it up again. If you listen carefully, you can still hear the whispering in the reed: “Midas has donkey ears…” Now, Midas made sure to upset no other god. That’s why he warmly welcomed the drunk satyr Silenos in his palace, knowing he was a close friend of Dionysos. A grateful Dionysos granted Midas a wish. Instead of getting rid of the donkey ears, Midas wished that everything he touched would turn into gold. And regretted it instantly, when his daughter came running in for a hug and transformed into a shiny statue before his eyes. As did his food and drink. Luckily, a dive in the river Paktolos reversed the spell. Its water washed all the gold away and till today, contains minute traces of the valuable material.

King Midas, Andrea Vaccaro, British Museum, London, UK

Bacchus and king Midas, Johann Georg Platzer,

Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri, USA