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King Midas
Copyright © 2003 by Dan Norder
Midas was the son of Gordius (creator of the famous Gordian
Knot) and king of Phrygia, a country that was located where Turkey
now exists. He is known in Greek and Roman mythology for two
events. The first is when he received the power to turn all he
touched into gold, and the second is being punished by Apollo
for siding against him in a music contest.
Thomas Bulfinch describes the first myth in this way:
"Bacchus, on a certain occasion, found his old school
master and foster father, Silenus, missing. The old man had been
drinking, and in that state had wandered away, and was found
by some peasants, who carried him to their king, Midas. Midas
recognized him, and treated him hospitably, entertaining him
for ten days and nights with an unceasing round of jollity. On
the eleventh day he brought Silenus back, and restored him in
safety to his pupil, whereupon Bacchus offered Midas his choice
of whatever reward he might wish.
"Midas, a greedy person, asked that whatever he might
touch should be changed into gold. Bacchus consented, though
sorry that Midas had not made a better choice.
 "Midas
went his way, rejoicing in his newly acquired power, which he
hastened to put to the test. He could scarcely believe his eyes
when he found that a twig of an oak, which he plucked from the
branch, became gold in his hand. He took up a stone, and it changed
to gold. He touched a clump of sod, and it did the same. He took
an apple from the tree, and you would have thought he had robbed
the garden of the Hesperides!
"His joy knew no bounds, and as soon as he got home,
he ordered the servants to set a splendid repast on the table.
Then he found to his dismay that whether he touched bread, it
hardened in his hand; or put a morsel to his lips, it defied
his teeth. He took a glass of wine, but it flowed down his throat
like melted gold.
"In consternation at the unprecedented affliction, he
strove to divest himself of his power. He hated the gift he had
lately coveted. But it appeared to be all in vain, for starvation
seemed to await him. He raised his arms, all shining with gold,
in prayer to Bacchus, begging to be delivered from his glittering
destruction.
"Bacchus, a merciful deity, heard and consented. 'Go,'
said he, 'to the river Pactolus, trace the stream to its fountainhead,
there plunge in your head and body and wash away your fault and
its punishment.' He did so, and scarcely had he touched the waters
before the gold-creating power passed into them, and the river
sands became changed into gold, as they remain to this day."
This myth seems to have evolved as both an explanation for
the amount of gold found in Phrygia as well as a tale of caution
that one should always be careful what he or she wishes for.
A popular version of this story has Midas accidentally changing
his daughter (or sometimes a son) to gold, but this detail appears
to be a modern invention added to the story to make the moral
more obvious. Potentially starving to death evidently wasn't
as tragic enough to some author, so the death of a beloved child
was added. Some later authors are more compassionate to the fictional
daughter and have the girl changed back to normal by one of the
gods.
Dionysus originally came from countries east of Greece, so
it isn't surprising that a mythical king of a country to the
east would know enough about him to identify his tutor, Silenus.
In some ancient versions of the story, Midas actually makes Silenus
drunk by putting wine into a fountain and then captures him to
learn about the mysteries of Dionysus and his cult.
The connection becomes stronger with the next myth about Midas,
that of a music playing contest and how Apollo curses him for
siding against him. Here is the version that Bulfinch tells:
"Thenceforth Midas, hating wealth and splendor, dwelt
in the country, and became a worshipper of Pan, the god of the
fields. On a certain occasion Pan had the temerity to compare
his music with that of Apollo, and to challenge the god of the
lyre to a trial of skill. The challenge was accepted, and Tmolus,
the mountain-god, was chosen to decide between the two.
"Tmolus took his seat and cleared away the trees from
his ears to listen. At a given signal Pan blew on his pipes,
and with his rustic melody gave great satisfaction to himself
and his faithful follower, Midas, who happened to be present.
Then Tmolus turned his head toward the sun-god, and all his trees
turned with him. Apollo rose, his brow wreathed with Parnassian
laurel, while his robe of Tyrian purple swept the ground. In
his left hand he held the lyre, and with his right hand struck
the strings.
 "Ravished
with the harmony, Tmolus at once awarded the victory to the god
of the lyre, and all but Midas acquiesced in the judgment. He
dissented, and questioned the justice of the award. Apollo would
not suffer such an indignity any longer, so caused the ears of
Midas to increase in length, grow hairy, within and without,
and to become movable, on their roots. In short, the ears were
perfectly patterned of those of an ass.
"Mortified enough was King Midas at this mishap, but
he consoled himself with the thought that it was possible to
hide his misfortune. He attempted to do by means of an ample
turban or headdress. But his hairdresser of course knew the secret.
He was charged not to mention it, and threatened with dire punishment
if he presumed to disobey. But the barber found it too much for
his discretion to keep such a secret. So he went out into the
meadow and dug a hole in the ground. Stooping down, he whispered
the story, and covered it up.
"Before long a thick bed of reeds sprang up in the meadow,
and as soon as it had gained its growth, began whispering the
story that Midas had the ears of an ass, and has continued to
do so, from that day to this, with every breeze which passes
over the place."
There are also variations on this myth. Bulfinch notes that
the poet Dryden, in the Wife of Bath's Tale, makes Midas' queen
the betrayer of the secret. In other versions the entity competing
with Apollo isn't the god Pan, but a satyr named Marsyas. When
Marsyas plays against Apollo, Midas isn't a simple bystander
but the actual selected judge. In these cases Apollo is so sore
at being judged the loser in the contest that he flays Marsyas
alive. Midas having his ears changed would seem to be a rather
minor inconvenience in comparison.
It's also possible that the earliest versions of the story
didn't feature Apollo changing the ears of Midas at all. Midas
has been shown to be a follower of Dionysus and the satyrs that
normally accompany him (as well as Pan in the stories where he
takes over the roles normally given to a satyr or silenus), and
these woodland beings often had ears that could be described
as that of a horse, donkey or goat. It is conceivable that the
figure now known as King Midas may have originally been one of
these woodland creatures also.
Another interesting hypothesis is that the story was used
to explain the very distinctive headwear worn by people in the
country Midas was said to be king of. A Phrygian cap, as it is
called, is a cone shaped hat that is soft, so that the top point
falls forward on the head. Some scholars believe this type of
hat was a phallic symbol, which would seem like a logical choice
for someone who is associated with Dionysus and satyrs. These
scholars also say that the cap became the basis for the bishop's
miter as well as headgear of the typical garden gnome, elf and
related characters, including Santa Claus.
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