Midas
King of Phrygia
Midas was a very wealthy king. One day in his garden he found a drunk satyr named Silenos. Midas helped Silenos get himself together. Then he helped the satyr get back to his friend Dionysus. Dionysus, the god of wine, was very happy and waned to give Midas something in return. So Dionysus granted Midas a wish. Already rich, Midas wished to have the ability to turn everything he touched into gold. Dionysus warned Midas of potential dangers but Midas wanted the ability anyway.
Midas, the king of Phrygia.
Midas can't eat or drink because he turned his food into gold.
Midas turns his roses into gold.
Like Dionysus said, there were dangers whenever Midas used his power. Midas was unable to eat, drink, or do anything normal because everything he touched turned into gold. Midas had a hard time sleeping because his bed was turned into gold, which was very hard and cold. Midas turned his horse into gold when trying to get on it. Midas grew very sad when he noticed his gift was a curse. When his daughter went to comfort him, she was turned into gold. Midas desperately went to Dionysus begging to remove his power. Dionysus instructed Midas to wash his hands in the Pactolus River in order to get rid of his power. It worked and Midas no longer had his power.
The Story Of King Midas [Infographic]
The legend of King Midas - an animated tale