The Story of King Midas and the Golden Touch

The complete Greek myth of King Midas and the golden touch: the wish that turned everything to gold, the horror that followed, and the river that washed the curse away. Retold from Ovid and classical sources with clear explanations for new readers. Table of Contents Myth at a Glance Tradition: Ancient Greek (best known through Roman poetry) Main Figures: King Midas, Dionysus (Bacchus), Silenus Themes: The danger of careless wishes • Greed and its consequences • The difference between appearance and value • Divine gifts that become curses • Restoration through humility Setting: Phrygia in Asia Minor, the court of Midas, and the river Pactolus A mong the many cautionary tales of Greek and Roman mythology, few are as simple or as memorable as the story of King Midas and the golden touch. It is the tale of a man who receives exactly what he asks for and then discovers that the gift is unbearable. The narrative has been told and retold for centuries because its central idea is immediately clear: …