The King Whose Touch Turned All to Gold
King of Phrygia, who wished from the wine god that "everything I touch turns to gold" — and discovered the wish’s true meaning at dinnertime. The "Midas touch" still describes the business genius who turns everything to gold — and those who use it often forget the original story is a tragedy.
Branches turned to gold, stones turned to gold, and the king was overjoyed — until bread hardened at his fingertips, wine froze at his lips, and his own daughter rushing to embrace him turned into a golden statue. He begged the wine god to take the gift back, and washed the golden touch away in the river Pactolus — which, the story says, has carried gold dust ever since.
Later he judged a music contest and ruled against Apollo in favor of the god Pan. The sun god sneered and gave him a pair of donkey’s ears. The king hid them under a turban, and only his barber knew. Bursting to tell, the barber dug a hole in the ground, whispered "Midas has donkey’s ears," and buried it — and reeds grew from the pit, whispering the secret across the hills on every breeze.
Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.
That email didn’t look right? Free · unsubscribe anytime · Privacy