According to legend, Gordius, the first king of Phrygia, founded the city of Gordion, which became the capital of this state. In the temple of Zeus in Gordion, Gordius parked his wagon, tying it to the altar with a dogwood bast rope. He tied the rope with a very tricky knot (Gordian knot), so. that no one could untie it.
Gordias had an adopted son, Midas, who after his death began to rule Phrygia.
Nicholas Poussin. Midas before Bacchus.
Once, Dionysus (or Bacchus) traveled through the Phrygian land, with a cheerful company of Bacchantes, accompanied by his tutor Silenus. And drunk Silenus got lost in the forest. There he was found and brought before Midas. Midas recognized the teacher Dionysus, in honor of such a distinguished guest a feast was arranged. Then Midas sent messengers to Dionysus with the good news that his teacher was safe and sound. As a reward, Dionysus offered Midas any gift he wanted. And Midas, without hesitation, asked the cheerful god that everything he touches turns into gold. Dionysus immediately fulfilled the wishes of Midas. Midas decided to test the gift: he touched a tree branch - it turned gold, picked up a stone - it turned into a gold nugget. Midas came to his palace and, on this occasion, decided to throw a feast. But as soon as Midas took up food or drink, they immediately turned into gold. Midas, afraid to die of hunger, ran to Dionysus and asked him to take back this gift. Dionysus ordered Midas to bathe in the river Paktol, he lost the gift of turning everything into gold, and from that time the river began to carry grains of gold in its course.
Based on this myth, the Italian storyteller Gianni Rodari wrote the fairy tale "King Midas". Here is the end of this story:
.....
It's time to go to bed. King Midas touched the pillow and turned it into gold, touched the sheet, the mattress - and now instead of the bed there is a pile of gold, solid, solid. You can't sleep very well in a bed like this. The king had to spend the night in an armchair with his hands up - so as not to touch anything inadvertently. By morning, the king was mortally tired, and as soon as dawn broke, he ran to the magician Apollo, so that he would disenchant him. Apollo agreed.
“All right,” he said, “but be careful. The witchcraft will pass in exactly seven hours and seven minutes. All this time you must not touch anything, otherwise everything you touch will turn into dung.
King Midas left reassured and began to watch the clock so as not to touch anything ahead of time.
Unfortunately, his watch was a little fast - every hour ran ahead by one minute. When seven hours and seven minutes had passed, King Midas opened the door of his car and got into it. I sat down and found myself in a large dung heap. Because seven more minutes were not enough before the end of the witchcraft.
Does this Midas remind you of anyone? Personally, he reminds me of figures from " United Russia»: Pretty much everything they touch. turns into manure.
King Midas is the hero of another myth.
One day, Apollo and Pan had a musical contest. Apollo played the cithara, and Pan played the flute. The judge of the contest awarded the victory to Apollo, but Midas expressed his "dissenting opinion" that he liked Pan better. And the angry Apollo rewarded Midas with donkey ears. So that those close to him would not see this "reward", Midas put on a hat (Phrygian cap), which he did not take off. The barber of Midas saw this "reward" when he did his job.
J. Ingres. Midas and his barber.
And, unable to keep this secret, the barber dug a hole, and, whispering there: “King Midas has donkey ears,” covered it with earth. A reed grew in this place, which whispered about this secret, so that it spread throughout the world. “For there is nothing hidden that will not be made manifest, nor hidden that will not be made known and revealed”. (Luke 8:16-17).
Archaeologists University of Pennsylvania carried out excavations of Gordion, the capital of Phrygia. Having dug up the tomb of one of the Midas, who ruled in the VIII century. BC, scientists discovered brass - a beautiful yellow alloy of copper and zinc, very similar to gold. According to archaeologists, it was brass that made a great impression on contemporaries and therefore the myth of a king who turned everything into gold was born.
Once the cheerful god Dionysus was walking from Thrace to Phrygia. The road led to the mountain valleys of Tmol, where grapes grew, and further to Paktol, whose waters did not yet shine with golden sand. Dionysus was accompanied by a crowd of young Bacchantes and satyrs, but there was no eldest among them, whose name was Silenus. Intoxicated with wine, he ended up in the rose garden of the Phrygian king Midas, where the Phrygians seized him and, having tied his hands with woven flowers, brought him to the king. King Midas recognized the cheerful companion of Dionysus and affectionately received him. For ten days and nights King Midas treated Silena, and on the eleventh morning he brought him to Dionysus. Dionysus was delighted to see his friend Silenus, and promised Midas to fulfill his every desire. Midas began to ask the god Dionysus to reward him with such a gift that everything he touches would turn into pure gold. And Dionysus fulfilled the desire of King Midas.
Midas was delighted with such a gift and decided to test whether Dionysus really fulfilled his promise. He broke off an oak branch - and suddenly he had a golden branch in his hand. He picked up a stone from the ground, and the stone also became golden. Every apple seemed to him picked in the garden of the Hesperides - and the apples were all golden there. The water with which he washed his hands turned into a golden stream. King Midas rejoices from such happiness. And so he ordered to prepare a sumptuous dinner for himself. There is a dish with fried meat, white bread and wine on the table. But as soon as Midas wants to bring a piece of bread to his mouth, bread turns into gold, meat becomes gold, and wine mixed with water also becomes gold. Midas was frightened, he did not expect such a disaster. The rich man, he becomes poorer than the beggar, wants to run away from his wealth, to which he so aspired. He is tormented by hunger, torments his life, but Midas is punished for his greed for gold.
He turned with a prayer to Dionysus so that he would take pity on him, forgive him and deliver him from this golden misfortune.
Dionysus fulfilled the prayer of the repentant Midas and took back his destructive gift. He ordered him to go to the river Paktol and, having reached its very sources, plunge into its waters and wash the body in foamy waves, promising that then there would be no trace of the gold that he so coveted.
Midas fulfilled the advice of Dionysus and lost his power to turn everything he touches into gold, but from that time the Pactol River began to carry golden shiny sand that lies in the spring in the meadows.
Since then, King Midas hated wealth, and he lived poorly and simply. He roamed the fields and meadows and became a worshiper of Pan, the god of forests and fields. But one day a new attack came to King Midas, and he could not part with it until his death.
Once Pan dared to compete in music with Apollo himself. And the case took place on Mount Tmol, and the god of that mountain was elected as a judge. 
He sat down in his place of honor, around him stood, listening to music, the nymphs, and with them King Midas.
The god Pan began to play his flute, and Midas listened to him with delight. But then the radiant god Apollo, crowned with laurels, stepped forward and began to play the cithara.
Fascinated by the game of Apollo, the god of Mount Tmol immediately recognized him as the winner.
And everyone agreed with him. Only one king Midas did not agree with everyone and called the judge unfair. The radiant Apollo was angry with the unreasonable king Midas and decided to punish him. He extended the ears of King Midas in length, covered them with thick gray hair, endowed them with flexibility and mobility. And King Midas had donkey ears forever. Midas felt ashamed and had to cover them with a purple bandage. And only from one barber, who always cut his hair and beard, he could not hide his donkey ears, but strictly forbade him to divulge this secret.
But the barber, afraid to tell people about it, went to the river bank, dug a hole in the ground and whispered into it: “King Midas has donkey ears,” and then dug the hole. And soon, in the place where the secret was buried, a thick reed grew, and under the wind the leaves whispered to each other: "But King Midas has donkey ears."
So people learned the secret of Midas.
Why do people pronounce or "King Midas has donkey ears!".
Midas
This amazing story happened to the Phrygian king Midas. Midas was very rich. Wonderful gardens surrounded his magnificent palace, and thousands of the most beautiful roses grew in the gardens - white, red, pink, purple. Once upon a time, Midas was very fond of his gardens and even grew roses in them himself. This was his favorite pastime. But people change over the years - King Midas has also changed. Roses no longer interested him, except perhaps only the most yellow ones, on which he sometimes fixed his pensive glance and whispered:
Oh, if these beautiful yellow roses were not just golden, but truly golden! How rich would I be!
And Midas angrily plucked a living rose and threw it on the ground, for now he loved heavy, cold gold more than anything in the world. Everything that looked like gold attracted his attention; everything that was real gold, Midas took away and hid in his underground treasury. And if there was anything else dear to the heart of Midas, it was his little daughter. She was lovely, with light golden hair, a cheerful smile, clear eyes and a voice as clear as a bell.
However, love for his daughter did not reduce his passion for gold, but, on the contrary, only strengthened it. The blinded king sincerely believed that his daughter would be the happiest if she had piles of gold. That is why Midas finally began to dream only of collecting as much of the heavy yellow metal as possible in his treasury. However, the more gold he had, the more often he was sad looking at him:
But, of course, Midas was unable to collect all the gold and therefore could only sigh, looking at his treasures hidden in a deep dungeon.
One day, when he sighed especially sadly, holding a heavy golden cup in his hands, a noise was heard in the palace. Midas was angry: who dared disturb his peace? But it turned out that this is one of the constant companions of the god Dionysus, the satyr Silenus, lost his way and went into the gardens of Midas. At first, the servants of Midas were frightened, because they had never before seen satyrs: the upper body of Silenus was human, but the legs, like those of a goat, were covered with wool, with hooves. I must say that Silenus was also frightened. Noticing this, the servants seized him, tied him up, and brought him before Midas.
The king immediately realized that before him was not an ordinary creature. He ordered the release of the frightened Silenus, invited him to his chambers, fed him, let him rest for several days, and after that he himself took him to the god Dionysus, knowing that he would thank him for such a service.
And so it happened. The merry god Dionysus turned to Midas:
I know, Midas, that you are a very rich man, and therefore I cannot thank you with any gift. Tell me what you would like yourself, and I promise to fulfill your wish. Speak I'm listening!
King Midas considered. Indeed, what would he wish for? You can ask Dionysus for a large pile of gold, but what is it worth compared to all the gold of the whole earth? .. And suddenly a happy thought dawned on him.
I'm not nearly as rich as you think," he began. Yes, I do have some gold. But how much work did I put in to collect it! But if you, Dionysus, help, then it will be easier for me to collect gold in the future ...
What can be my help? Dionysus asked.
I want everything I touch to instantly turn into gold! - said Midas, and he himself was frightened of his insolence. Did he anger Dionysus?
However, Dionysus only looked sternly at Midas and asked:
And you won't regret it later?
In no case! I will be the happiest person on earth!
Good, said Dionysus. - Let it be as you wish. From tomorrow's sunrise, you will own the golden touch.
It is difficult to say whether Midas was able to sleep that night. But as soon as the first, weakest daylight peeped through the tops of the trees, Midas was already sitting on his bed, waiting for the fulfillment of what Dionysus had promised him, and fearing that the merry god had simply played a trick on him.
Midas carefully touched the chair that stood near his bed, but the chair remained the same as it was - wooden ...
In desperation, Midas dropped his head on the pillow and covered his face with his hands. In the meantime, more and more of it dawned. From behind the tops of the trees, the first ray of sunlight flashed. He quietly peered into Midas's room and lingered on the couch. King Midas ignored this. But a warm ray tickled his ear, as if comforting the king. Midas raised his head and was immediately surprised:
What is the amazing color of my pillow? Just yesterday it was white... and now... for some reason it's yellow... as if... no, can it really be?...
Yes, Dionysus kept his promise. All the pillows and bedspreads on his bed became golden, pure pure gold. The gift of the god Dionysus Midas found with the first sunbeam!
Delighted, Midas jumped up from the bed. Like a child, he ran from one object to another, testing his newly acquired ability to turn everything he touched into gold. He touched the leg of the table - and it immediately turned into a massive golden column. He threw aside the window curtain - and it immediately became heavier in his hand, turned golden. Everything, everything became golden around Midas, all objects, all clothes, all utensils! Even the little handkerchief that his daughter embroidered for Midas turned gold. However... Midas did not like this very much: he would gladly leave him as he was before, as his beloved baby brought him a handkerchief.
However, is it worth getting upset over trifles? The handkerchief was hardly worth attention, while around Midas everything turned to gold! Everything took on a red-yellow color and gladdened the heart of Midas. In order to better see his new wealth, he even brought a large crystal of crystal to his eyes, turning the faces so that objects were seen through them enlarged. To his great surprise, Midas saw nothing through the crystal! The still transparent crystal immediately turned into a thick golden prism.
Not talking about anything else, Midas ran into the garden.
And here everything became golden - the railings of the stairs, the doors, the sand in the alleys - as soon as he touched them. Here are the blooming roses! Fragrant and colorful, they raised their heads to the morning sun and swayed under the breath of a warm summer breeze.
But Midas knew how to make these beautiful roses even more beautiful. Hastily moving from one bush to another, he touched the roses until they all drooped with heavy golden heads, until golden leaves hung on the bushes, until even a small worm inside a flower turned golden. The entire garden of Midas has become golden!
Happy Midas looked around: no one in the world had so much gold! True, for this I had to work hard, constantly touching different objects! But now you can have breakfast with great appetite.
And Midas went to the palace, where the table for the royal breakfast was already set. At one end of the table was a cup of milk and a fresh bun for his little daughter, who always had breakfast with her father. The baby hasn't been there yet.
Midas ordered her to be called, and he sat down at the table. But he didn't start eating. He loved his daughter so much, and he was eager to please her with the news of the wonderful ability he had acquired. However, the daughter did not appear. King Midas was about to call her a second time when he suddenly heard a child crying.
"Is it really my baby crying?" he thought. "Why?"
The fact is that she cried very rarely. She was a wonderful girl, almost always only laughed, and tears appeared in her eyes no more than once every six months. Midas was not pleased that his child was crying, and in order to console her, he decided to surprise her. He quickly touched beautifully
th, painted with flowers and animals cup daughter and immediately turned it into gold. Will not the daughter be delighted to see such a transformation? ..
Meanwhile, the girl entered the hall. She was crying as if her heart was being torn to pieces.
My joy, - Midas turned to her, - what happened?
Instead of answering, the daughter silently handed him one of those roses that Midas had just made golden.
Very beautiful! Midas exclaimed. - Did this wonderful golden flower make you cry?
Oh, father, - the girl sobbed, - she is not at all beautiful. On the contrary, this is a bad flower, it can't be worse! As soon as I woke up, I immediately ran into the garden to pick some roses for you. And such a misfortune! All the roses that were so beautiful until now smelled so wonderful, they all turned nasty yellow, like this one, and completely without smell. I even pricked my nose with this flower... What happened to the flowers, father?
Is it worth it to cry over this? - answered Midas, ashamed to admit that he himself was responsible for such a transformation. - Yes, for one such rose, which is in your hand, you can get a hundred ordinary roses!
All the same, I don’t even want to look at her, ”the little girl said angrily and threw golden rose on the floor.
The girl sat down at the table. But she did not even notice the change that had taken place in her cup, for she thought only of the rose. And her father no longer dared to draw her attention to this. Perhaps it was better that way, because his daughter was very fond of looking at the little animals painted on the cup when she drank milk; and now they were all gone in the yellow sheen of metal.
In the meantime, Midas poured himself some milk, and noted with satisfaction that the jug immediately turned gold as soon as he touched it. "By the way," thought Midas, "I should think about where I will have to store my golden dishes now. After all, very soon everything around me will be golden ..." Thinking in this way, he raised the cup to his mouth and took a sip of milk. Suddenly his eyes widened in surprise. He felt it solidify into an ingot of metal.
That's the thing! Midas exclaimed in dismay.
What, father? - asked the daughter. There were still tears in her eyes.
Nothing, child, nothing, said Midas.
He took a small fried crucian carp from the dish and put it on his plate. The fish smelled wonderful, and the hungry Midas even swallowed his saliva. He took the crucian by the tail and stopped in horror. The fish immediately became golden, became heavier in the hands. Only the most skilled jeweler could make such a goldfish. There was no price for this fish. But it was inedible... And Midas wanted to eat, not admire the fish.
I don’t quite understand,” he muttered, “whether I can even have breakfast ...
He took a delicious crispy pie and quickly threw it into his mouth so that the pie did not have time to turn into gold. But he immediately jumped up from his chair and ran around the room, spitting. He tried to spit out from his mouth a large ingot of gold, into which the pie immediately turned, and could not do this, because he burned his mouth. Midas was jumping around the table, stamping his feet and moaning plaintively. Finally, he managed to spit out the gold ingot. Midas stopped, breathing heavily.
Father, dear father, what happened? shouted the frightened daughter. - Did you burn your mouth? What happened to you?
Ah, my dear child," groaned Midas, "I myself don't know now what happened to me...
Indeed, it is difficult even to imagine a more unpleasant state of affairs. On the table was the most expensive breakfast imaginable. But it was not to be eaten, at least not to Midas. The poorest villager, who had nothing on the dining table except a plate of stew and cakes, was happier than this richest king! .. And what will happen next? After all, he was threatened with starvation among luxurious dishes! ..
Midas realized that Dionysus was right when he asked him if he would ever regret having received a wonderful gift. And the king was so saddened that he wept loudly, forgetting even the presence of his daughter, who looked at him in surprise. Until now, the girl was just worried, not understanding what happened to her father. But now, seeing his tears, she could not stand it and, seized with a desire to console her beloved father, rushed to him and clasped his knees with her hands, since she could not reach higher. Midas felt that his daughter was a thousand times more precious to him than the hated gift, and, bending down, kissed her.
My beloved, my dear child! he said softly.
But the girl was silent.
What I've done! Midas exclaimed in horror. - What I've done!
At the very moment when his lips touched the head of his dearly beloved daughter, an amazing and terrible change took place. The girl's lively, cheerful and rosy face froze in the yellow sheen of gold, even the undried tears on her cheeks turned into golden drops. Midas froze, feeling how hard and motionless the arms and legs of his lovely baby had become. Oh what a disaster! His beloved daughter became a victim of his greed and turned into a dead golden statue! ..
It is difficult to describe the grief of Midas, who wringed his hands, looking at his dead daughter, groaned, cried and was killed. He didn't even have the strength to look at the golden statue of his daughter... She looked so much like his beloved girl!... If it weren't for that accursed golden color, that dead immobility... Oh Midas, Midas, where has your insatiable desire for as much gold as possible taken you!
Finally Midas remembered Dionysus. He, he, the mighty Dionysus, can help him in his grief. And Midas ordered the chariot to be brought and as soon as possible to take him to Dionysus.
The young god greeted him gloomily.
What say you, Midas? Dionysus asked. - You must have come to thank me, to tell me how happy you are? ..
Midas shook his head sadly.
I am unhappy, heartbroken, - he answered quietly.
Are you unhappy? Dionysus looked surprised. Didn't I fulfill your wish? After all, you can now have as much gold as you want.
Gold cannot make a man happy,” Midas sighed bitterly. - Having received it, I lost what was dearest to me. Now I understand it.
Do you understand? Dionysus asked. - We'll check it out now. Tell me, Midas, what is more valuable for a person - gold or a jug of clean cold water? What did you think yesterday - I know that. And what do you think today?
Oh, fresh, cool water! groaned Midas. - It must never again refresh my parched mouth! ..
What is best for man, Dionysus continued. - gold or a piece of bread?
A piece of bread, said Midas, is more valuable to me than all the gold in the world!
What is better for you - gold or your daughter, alive, cheerful, as she was only an hour ago?
Oh my child, my daughter! cried Midas. “I wouldn’t give even the tiniest freckle on her face now for all the gold in the world!”
You have grown wiser, Midas, said Dionysus. - And I see that your heart, fortunately, did not have time to turn into a piece of cold gold. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to help you. Tell me, do you really want to get rid of your miraculous ability?
She hates me! said Midas fervently. Then a fly landed on his nose with a nasty buzz, but immediately, turning into a piece of gold, fell to the floor. Midas winced.
Good, said Dionysus. - Listen to me, Midas. Go bathe in the river Pactol - its water will wash away the power of the golden touch from you. Also take a jug with you and draw water from the river. With this water you sprinkle all the objects that you would like to see again, not gold, but as they were before. Understood?
Midas was already running away, hurrying to the river Pactol.
Like a madman, he grabbed an earthen jar (which immediately turned gold) and rushed to the water. He was trembling all over: what if the water in the river also becomes golden?! But no - transparent, fresh waves splashed around him, cool water did not change, touching his feet. Now we had to draw water into a jug... Wouldn't it then turn into gold?.. No, on the contrary, the jug instantly turned into earthenware.
As the greatest jewel Midas carried home this earthen jar of water. He did not stop for a moment, hurried to his daughter. Here it is, a motionless golden statue! With trembling hands, Midas began to splash water from a jug on her. No, that's not enough! Hurry, hurry! Water from a pitcher poured over her daughter's head. And finally, she came to life! She became a real living girl again! Midas put the jug aside and wrapped his arms around his beloved daughter, crying and laughing at the same time.
But the girl did not understand anything: after all, she had no idea that for some time she had been a golden statue.
Father! she exclaimed in surprise. Why are you pouring water on me? You ruined my new dress!
Midas just laughed happily.
Of course, Midas and his daughter immediately went to the garden. They sprinkled golden roses with water from the Paktol River - and the flowers came to life again, became fragrant, sparkled with vibrant colors.
From that time on, Midas never entered his treasury again and did not like gold in any form!
But King Midas was so unlucky that as soon as he got rid of one misfortune, he immediately fell into another - this time his conceit let him down. And it was like that.
Fearing wealth, Midas began to live as simply as possible, often wandering through the forests and mountains where the god Pan lives, surrounded by his constant companions - nymphs. Pan played loudly on a flute he made with his own hands, delighting the ears of the nymphs, and along with the nymphs, Midas. Midas really liked the game of Pan, and he repeatedly told him:
You are a wonderful musician, Pan! I suppose you could compete with Apollo himself!
And Pan was so confident in his skill that he challenged Apollo to a contest.
Apollo agreed, thinking he would have a lot of fun.
The judge was Tmol, the god of the mountain, on which the competition was supposed to take place. Tmol, with the gravity befitting the moment, settled down on a piece of rock covered with a goatskin. Nymphs, dryads and other deities of this area were placed around it. King Midas sat with a thoughtful air, confident in the victory of his beloved god Pan, who, clutching his flute in his hands, with a challenge, but also with some uncertainty in his eyes, was waiting for the start of the competition with Apollo himself. The golden-haired Apollo stood to the right of Tmol, in a snow-white tunic, with a silver-stringed cithara in his left hand.
Get started! - Tmol ordered importantly, feeling the significance of the moment.
Pan raised the flute to his lips - and, fleeing from the sharp piercing sounds of his barbaric instrument, the goats grazing on the surrounding peaks rushed down in horror. But now Pan has finished his game. Tmol, nymphs, dryads were silent, looking down. Only Midas clapped his hands in delight - he liked Pan's music so much.
Now it's Apollo's turn. He raised the kithara - and the enchanting, iridescent sounds of silver strings poured out. They resembled the gentle rustle of green oak forests, the murmur of light streams running down Mount Tmol, the chirping and singing of birds. It seemed that all the beauty of the native land harmoniously merged into the melody of Apollo.
The sounds of the divine cithara died away, and Midas impatiently turned to Tmol:
Well, hurry, Tmol, declare your will: who do you consider the winner? We are waiting, Tmol!
Tmol rose and proclaimed loudly so that all living things could hear around:
No matter how bold Pan was in his claims, his barbaric music cannot be compared with the singing of the cithara. The winner is Apollo!
And everyone around - nymphs, dryads, other deities - supported this decision:
Truly so, Apollo is the winner!
Only Midas remained adamant and accused Tmolus:
You're wrong, Tmol! You are unfair! Pan must be recognized as the winner, his melody is incomparably more pleasant for our ears! ..
Although it was not appropriate for a celestial to be offended by mortal people, Apollo was angry at the words of Midas. Departing from Mount Tmol, surrounded by the Muses, Apollo threw Midas over his shoulder:
He who prefers the melodies of Pan to my cithara must have other ears, Midas! ..
In great annoyance, Midas returned to his home after this competition: still, he believed that Tmol had judged unfairly. Descending the mountain all alone, Midas suddenly felt his ears grow heavy. He grabbed his ears - oh horror! - his ears grew, elongated and covered with soft hair.
What is this? he exclaimed. - What's happened? Midas leaned over a fast stream that ran down from the mountains, and was numb with fear: in the water, as in a mirror, his head was reflected, which was decorated with long donkey ears covered with a silvery-white fluff!
How?! What is this? Is it me, is it my ears?
Alas, there was no doubt: it was his head, and these were his ears! Now only Midas understood the meaning of the words uttered by Apollo: because Midas preferred the game of Pan to the game of Apollo, the Sun-faced rewarded him with donkey ears.
In horror, Midas rushed into the bushes: what if someone sees his donkey ears ?! But what to do now? How can he appear to courtiers, relatives and friends? If he appears among people with such ears, everyone will laugh at him, every child will point his fingers at the unlucky king! ..
Only in the evening did Midas return home. He returned at dusk, and besides, he tied a piece of cloth around his head so that his ears were completely hidden.
Since then, King Midas has not parted with the bandage, and none of the mortals have seen his ears. None of the mortals, with the exception of only one servant who cut the king's hair, beard and mustache when they grew strong! From this servant, King Midas could not hide his deformity. Under pain of death, Midas forbade him to divulge a terrible secret. And the servant promised to keep her.
But the barber was so talkative that the secret entrusted to him by the king weighed heavily on him. He really languished from the desire to communicate it to at least someone, and therefore lived in terrible confusion.
Finally, he could not stand it: one fine day, having once again shaved the king, he ran to the river bank, dug a hole in the ground and, bending low over it, whispered:
King Midas has donkey ears!!!
And immediately he hastily filled the hole with earth.
Not much time passed, and in the place where this hole was, reeds grew. Some local shepherd, passing by with his flock, plucked a bulrush and made a pipe out of it. When he blew into it, the pipe suddenly began to play:
King Midas has donkey ears! King Midas has donkey ears!
Thus, all people learned the secret of King Midas.
Phrygian coin 253-268 AD King Midas in a Phrygian hat (with which he covers donkey ears).
midas midas
(Midas, Μίδας). Son of Gordias, king of Phrygia. He cordially received Silenus, the tutor and companion of Dionysus, and Silenus invited him to ask for whatever he wanted as a reward. Midas expressed his wish that everything he touched would turn to gold. Midas's request was granted, but since the food he touched also turned into gold, Midas asked Silenus to take back his mercy. Dionysus ordered Midas to bathe in the river Pactol, which has since become abundant in gold. Subsequently, Midas was a judge in a musical contest between Apollo, who played the lyre, and Pan, who played the flute, and decided the dispute in favor of Pan. Then Apollo turned Midas' ears into donkey's, and he had to hide them under a Phrygian cap; but the barber once opened Midas' donkey ears, and, not having the strength to keep a secret, which at the same time he did not dare to tell anyone, he dug a hole and, whispering there: “King Midas has donkey ears,” covered the hole with earth. But a reed later grew up in this place, which whispered about this secret, so that it spread throughout the world.
(Source: " Concise Dictionary mythology and antiquities. M. Korsh. St. Petersburg, edition of A. S. Suvorin, 1894.)
MIDAS(Μίδας), in Greek mythology, the son Gordia, king of Phrygia, famous for his wealth (Herodot. VIII 138). Even to the child M., ants dragged wheat grains, foreshadowing future wealth (Cicero, “On Divination” I 36). When the bound Silenus was brought to M., who had lost his way during the procession of Dionysus, the king cordially received him, talked with him, and ten days later returned Dionysus (Ael. Var. hist. Ill 18 with reference to Theopompus). Option: M. himself caught Silenus, mixing wine into the water of the source from which he drank (Paus. I 4, 5; Xenoph. Anab. I 2. 13). As a reward for the release of Silenus, Dionysus invited M. to fulfill any of his wishes. M. wished that everything he touched turned into gold. But food began to turn into gold, which threatened M. with starvation, and he prayed to God to remove the spell. Dionysus ordered M. to bathe in the source of Paktol, which made the source gold-bearing, and M. got rid of his gift.
M. was a judge in the musical competition between Apollo and Pan (option: Marsyas, Hyg. Fab. 191) and recognized Apollo defeated. Option: the judge was Tmol, who awarded the primacy to Apollo, and M. preferred Pan. For this, Apollo endowed M. with donkey ears, which the king had to hide under a Phrygian cap. The barber M., seeing the ears and tormented by a secret that he could not tell anyone, dug a hole in the ground and whispered there: “King Midas has donkey ears!” And filled the hole. In this place grew a reed that whispered the secret to the whole world (Ovid. Met. XI 85-193). Perhaps M. was originally revered as a companion of Dionysus (or Cybele, Diod. Ill 58) and the myth of donkey ears is associated with the remnants of totemism. The variant of the myth about the wealth of M. reflects the ideas of the Greeks about the golden treasures of Asia Minor.
M. H. Botvinnik.
(Source: "Myths of the peoples of the world".)
MidasKing of Phrygia, son of Gordias. As a reward for the honor given to the teacher of Dionysus Silenus, he received an unusual gift from God - everything that Midas touched turned into pure gold. Only during the feast did the king realize the fallacy of his request - all the dishes and wines became golden in his mouth. In response to a request to take away his gift, Dionysus sent Midas to the Pactol River, in the waters of which he could wash away both the gift and his guilt from the body. Since then, Pactol has become gold-bearing. Once, during a competition between Pan and Apollo in the art of music, he gave preference to Pan. In retaliation, he was rewarded with donkey ears by Apollo when the god grabbed his ears and pulled them out. Only the barber of Midas knew about donkey ears, but he, unable to stand it, dug a hole in the ground and whispered his secret there. A reed grew in this place and spread about this secret all over the world. See more about it.
// Nicolas Poussin: Midas and Bacchus // Jonathan SWIFT: The Fable of Midas // N.A. Kuhn: MIDAS
(Source: "Myths of Ancient Greece. Dictionary Reference." EdwART, 2009.)
MIDASOnce a cheerful Dionysus with a noisy crowd of maenads and satyrs wandered through the wooded rocks of Tmola in Phrygia (1). Only Silenus was not in the retinue of Dionysus. He lagged behind and, stumbling at every step, heavily intoxicated, wandered through the Phrygian fields. The peasants saw him, tied him with garlands of flowers and took him to King Midas. Midas immediately recognized the teacher Dionysus, received him with honor in his palace and honored him with sumptuous feasts for nine days. On the tenth day, Midas himself took Silenus to the god Dionysus. Dionysus rejoiced when he saw Silenus, and allowed Midas, as a reward for the honor that he showed his teacher, to choose any gift for himself. Then Midas exclaimed:
Oh, great god Dionysus, order that everything I touch turn into pure, shining gold!
Dionysus granted Midas' wish; he only regretted that Midas had not chosen a better gift for himself.
Rejoicing, Midas departed. Rejoicing at the gift he received, he plucks a green branch from the oak - the branch in his hands turns into gold. He plucks ears of corn in the field - they become golden, and golden grains in them. He picks an apple - the apple turns into gold, as if it were from the garden of the Hesperides. Everything Midas touched immediately turned to gold. When he washed his hands, the water dripped from them in golden drops. Midas exults. So he came to his palace. The servants prepared a rich feast for him, and the happy Midas lay down at the table. It was then that he realized what a terrible gift he had begged from Dionysus. One touch from Midas turned everything to gold. Bread, and all dishes, and wine became golden in his mouth. It was then that Midas realized that he would have to die of hunger. He stretched out his hands to the sky and exclaimed:
Have mercy, have mercy, oh Dionysus! Sorry! I beg you for mercy! Take back this gift!
Dionysus appeared and said to Midas:
Go to the sources of Pactol (2), there, in its waters, wash away this gift and your guilt from your body.
Midas, at the behest of Dionysus, went to the sources of Pactol and plunged there into its clear waters. The waters of Pactolus flowed like gold and washed away the gift received from Dionysus from the body of Midas. Since then, Pactol has become gold-bearing.
(1) A country in the northwest of Asia Minor.
(2) A river in Lydia that flows into the river Herm (modern Gedis).
(Source: "Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece". N. A. Kun.)
Synonyms:
See what "Midas" is in other dictionaries:
Midas 1 ... Wikipedia
Midas 2 ... Wikipedia
Modern Encyclopedia
King of Phrygia in 738 696 BC. e. According to Greek myth, Midas was endowed by Dionysus with the ability to turn everything he touched into gold. According to an ancient myth, the ignorant and self-confident Midas awarded the championship in the musical ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Midas- MIDAS, king of Phrygia in 738 696 BC. According to Greek myth, Midas was endowed by Dionysus with the ability to turn everything he touched into gold. According to an ancient myth, the ignorant and self-confident Midas awarded the championship in ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
The Phrygian king, to whom Apollo put donkey ears because he gave the palm in playing the lyre to the god Pan. Hence: a fool who does not understand anything in the matter of art. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
Or the carriage, the planted sea turtle Chelonia mydas. Dictionary Dahl. IN AND. Dal. 1863 1866 ... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary
Exist., number of synonyms: 1 king (32) ASIS synonym dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary
- (MidaV) the name of many Phrygian kings. The first M. was the son of Gordia and Cybele, whose cult was very developed in Pessinunte. His name is associated with stories about a fatal gift, by virtue of which everything he touched turned into gold, and about donkey ears, ... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron
King Midas King Midas on a coin of one hundred Kazakh tenge 2004. Gold ... Wikipedia
Once, a very long time ago, in those days when the gods still lived on Earth, a king lived on the territory of modern Turkey Midas. In the city Gordion(Gordion or Gordieion) state capital Phrygia The golden king Midas built a palace and, according to legend, descended into his vault and constantly counted the countless treasures that he owned. He is described as a very greedy and greedy king. It is believed that he judged the competition of Apollo himself and awarded the victory to the opponent. For this, Apollo made king Midas big ears. But this is not what the Phrygian king Midas became famous for ...
There are legends about the countless treasures of Midas. It is said that no other king in the world had such great wealth. Many adventurers and archaeologists have tried to find these jewels, but so far no one has been able to find anything. In 1957, archaeologists began excavating a mound in which the legendary Phrygian king was supposedly buried. The mound is 300 meters in diameter and about 60 meters high.
Photo from 1957
The remains that were found there were sent to the laboratory for examination. The radiocarbon analysis carried out gave an approximate date of death. The time of burial did not coincide with the time of the life of the golden king Midas. In addition, when a reconstruction of the head of the king was made on the basis of the found skull, it turned out to be a bit of a Mongoloid appearance.
Most likely, one of the Mughal (or Mongol) khans was buried in the barrow. And of course, no fabulous wealth was found in the mound. This once again confirms that archaeologists have not unearthed the tomb of King Midas.
The photo shows a modern view of the mound. Now the mound can be viewed, but the main finds have been transferred to museums.
In today's Turkey, in a slightly different place, the facade of a tomb carved into the rock with an entrance leading to nowhere has been preserved. This tomb is called Tomb of King Midas» ( Tomb of King Midas). It is believed that the gods were able to move to the other world through portals that only they knew how to open. Perhaps King Midas knew this way and went into that world along with all his wealth. Although it is difficult to say whether or not earthly riches are needed in the afterlife. But in any case, no gold and jewelry have been found so far.
The location of the tomb of King Midas is indicated on the site map.
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There is a very beautiful and instructive legend about the golden king Midas.
The god of winemaking, Dionysus, passed through the kingdom of Midas on his way to India. And he lost his beloved teacher Silenus in the Phrygian kingdom. The servants of King Midas accidentally found Silenus in a state of extreme intoxication. Everyone knows that the god Dionysus was the god of winemaking, so this is not surprising. The servants brought Silenus to the palace to Midas. The king gave a hospitable welcome to the teacher. When Dionysus found out where his teacher was and that he was alive and well, he was very happy. As a token of gratitude for saving Silenus, Dionysus offered to fulfill any desire of Midas.
Painting by N. Poussin (Nicolas Poussin)
It is known that Midas loved his only daughter more than anything in the world, but he loved gold even more. And so he wished that everything he touched turned into gold. Dionysus asked if he understood exactly what the king wanted or if he wants to change his mind and wish for something else. The king did not heed the warnings and insisted on his own: "I want everything I touch to turn into gold."
Dionysus granted the wish. Whatever Midas touched now turned to gold. He touched the tree - the tree became pure gold. He took the stone in his hands - the stone became an ingot of the purest gold. Midas was very pleased, his cherished desire came true, now he will definitely become the richest man in the world. In a good mood, he fell asleep. In the morning he was hungry and he ordered to bring the most delicious dishes of the kingdom. He planned to arrange a solemn feast. As soon as he raised the goblet of wine to his lips, the wine immediately turned into gold. The king tried to bite off a piece of meat, but could not - the meat also turned into gold. Then his beloved daughter entered the room and he kissed her as usual ... and to the horror of the king, she turned into a golden statue. The grief of Midas knew no bounds. He could neither eat nor drink and knew that soon he would simply die of hunger. In addition, he turned even his beloved daughter into gold.
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Painting by British artist Walter Crane
The golden king Midas hurried to Dionysus and begged him to remove this curse from him. He was ready to give all his gold and precious stones, if only his beloved daughter would open her eyes again and he could talk to her. Dionysus took pity on the greedy king and told him to go to the river and bathe. After that, the curse will be washed away. And so it happened. Midas was able to eat and drink again ... But he could not return his daughter and soon died of grief. And gold is still being found in that river, but I will not say its name so that no one would have a desire to look for this damned gold, especially since those ancient times the name of the river has changed several times and it is difficult to establish which river it was.
There is another version of this legend, according to which Midas still managed to revive his daughter, but he could not cope with his greed and again asked Dionysus to return to him the gift of turning stones into gold. Dionysus agreed. The golden king Midas made so many gold bars that gold simply ceased to be valued. It has become no more expensive than an ordinary roadside cobblestone. Now gold could not be exchanged even for a piece of bread. God Apollo was angry with King Midas and took away this gift from him, and as a punishment he made him long ears.
In any case, greed and greed do not lead to good!
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By the way, in memory of the legend about the golden king Midas in the Republic of Kazakhstan in 2004, a commemorative coin was issued in 100 tenge of pure gold 999 samples.
The coin is called Gold of King Midas».