King Midas and the Golden Touch

A King Who Loved Gold

Long ago, in the country of Greece, there lived a king named Midas. He ruled a rich kingdom with green hills and shining rivers, and he had a daughter he loved more than anything in the world. Her name was Marigold, and her laughter filled the whole palace.

But King Midas had one weakness. He loved gold. He loved the way it gleamed in the sunlight. He loved to count his coins and run his fingers through them. Every day he sat in his treasure room, polishing his gold and wishing he had even more.

"If only," he would sigh, "if only I had more gold than any king who ever lived."

A Strange Visitor

One evening, the king's servants found an old man asleep in the royal rose garden. The old man was a friend of the god Dionysus, and he had wandered far and lost his way. Instead of sending him off, kind King Midas welcomed him. He gave the old man good food, a warm bed, and a place to rest for many days.

When the old man finally went home, Dionysus was so pleased that Midas had been kind to his friend that he came to the palace himself.

"Midas," said the god, "you have a good heart. I will grant you one wish. Anything at all — just say the words."

Midas did not even have to think. The wish he had wished a thousand times leapt straight out of his mouth.

"I wish," he said, "that everything I touch would turn to gold!"

Dionysus frowned. "Are you quite sure? Gold is a cold and lonely thing. Think carefully."

But Midas was certain. "Yes! The golden touch — that is my wish!"

Dionysus sighed. "Then it is done. Tomorrow, when the sun rises, your wish will come true."

The Golden Touch

Midas could hardly sleep. The moment the sun peeked over the hills, he reached out and touched the wooden bedpost. At once it turned to solid, glittering gold!

He laughed with joy. He touched his chair — gold! He touched the curtains — gold! He ran through the palace, touching everything, and everything became gold. Tables, doors, statues, flowers in their pots. The whole palace began to shine like a sunrise.

"I am the richest king in all the world!" he cried.

By now Midas was very hungry, so he sat down for breakfast. But when he picked up a juicy apple, it turned hard and golden in his hand. When he tore off a piece of warm bread, it became a lump of metal. When he lifted his cup of water to drink, the water turned to gold the moment it touched his lips.

Midas began to feel afraid. He could not eat. He could not drink. How can I live, he wondered, if everything I touch turns to gold?

The Saddest Gold of All

Just then, his daughter Marigold came running into the room. She had heard her father was upset, and she threw her arms around him to give him a hug.

"Father, what is the matter?" she asked.

But the moment she touched him — oh, no! — Marigold turned to gold. She stood there, still and silent, a golden statue with her arms reaching out. Her warm smile was frozen. Her laughter was gone.

King Midas fell to his knees. He had all the gold in the world, but he would have given every single piece of it just to hear his daughter laugh again. He wept and wept beside the cold golden girl.

"What a foolish wish I made," he cried. "Gold is worth nothing. Nothing! I have lost the only treasure that ever mattered."

Washing Away the Wish

Dionysus heard the king crying and felt sorry for him. He appeared once more in the palace.

"Have you learned your lesson, Midas?" he asked gently.

"Oh yes," said Midas. "Please, take away the golden touch. I do not want it. I only want my daughter back."

"Then go to the river that flows past your palace," said the god. "Wash your hands in its water, and the golden touch will leave you. Carry that same water and pour it over anything you have turned to gold, and it will become as it was before."

Midas ran to the river as fast as his legs would carry him. He plunged his hands into the cool water, and he felt the golden touch flow out of him and sink away into the river. (People say that is why the sands of that river still sparkle with tiny flecks of gold to this very day.)

Then he filled a great jug with water and rushed back to Marigold. He poured it over her — and the gold melted away! Her cheeks grew pink and warm. She blinked, smiled, and hugged her father once more, a real girl again at last.

A Wiser King

From that day on, King Midas was a changed man. He gave away most of his gold to people who needed it. He spent his days walking in the gardens, listening to the birds, and laughing with Marigold under the sun.

He had learned the most important lesson of his life: the best things in the world — sunshine, fresh fruit, cool water, and the people we love — are worth far more than all the gold ever made.

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The moral: Greed can turn even a wish into a curse. The things we love most can never be bought.

Want more myths and legends? Try Pandora's Box or Icarus and the Wings of Wax next.