Gods, Myths and Heroes - Part 27

 King Midas

In Greek mythology, King Midas was the king of Phrygia, a region that is now part of Turkey.  There are many legends about him.  The most famous is about the "Midas touch."  The story begins with the old satyr Silenus, the tutor and foster father of the god Dionysus.  Silenus got drunk and lost in Phrygia.

(Above: Sleeping Silenus by Rubens, c. 1611)

The satyr was taken to King Midas, who entertained him royally for ten days and nights.  Satyrs were noted for being permanently horny, so we can imagine what this entertainment included.

(Above: Silenus, 540-530 BC, Athens Archaeological Museum)

On the eleventh day, King Midas took Silenus back to the god Dionysus.  Silenus was so happy with how he had been treated that, as a reward, Dionysus granted King Midas one wish.

(Above: a guy named Andy dressed as Bacchus (the Roman name for Dionysus) at a Halloween party.  Bacchus/Dionysus was the god of wine and of drunken revelry and orgies (the word bacchanal comes from his name).  I must say I like Andy's Halloween costume.)

King Midas wished that everything he touched would turn to gold.  Dionysus granted his wish.  Midas began to regret his choice when all his food and drink turned to gold when it touched his hands or mouth.

In a later version of the myth by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Midas' daughter turned to gold when he touched her.  Well, if Nathaniel Hawthorne can add to the myth, so can I.  In my version, Midas didn't have a daughter; he had a young man as a lover.  When Midas caressed him ...

he started turning into gold ...

until he became a golden statue.

Back to the original myth.  Midas prayed to Dionysus to take back his wish, which had become a curse.  The god told Midas to bathe in the river Pactolus.  When Midas did so, his golden touch washed away into the river.  This myth explained to the Greeks why the sands of that river were rich in gold.

(Above: Midas Washing at the Source of the River Pactolus by Nicolas Poussin, c. 1627)

In another myth about King Midas, Midas became a worshipper of the god Pan.  Pan and the god Apollo had a contest to see who could play the best music: Pan on his panpipes or Apollo on his lyre.  A mountain god judged the contest and declared Apollo the winner.  Everyone present agreed except King Midas, who said that Pan should have won.  Apollo was not amused.  He said that Midas must have the ears of an ass, and he turned Midas' ears into donkey's ears (above).

(Above: The Judgement of Midas After the Contest Between Apollo and Pan, Italian School, 1700-1733)

When Michelangelo painted the fresco The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, one of the figures in the painting was King Midas in Hell (above).  The joke is that the face of King Midas depicts the Pope's Master of Ceremonies, Biagio di Cesena, who had criticized Michelangelo for painting so many nudes in the Sistine Chapel.  Di Cesena is portrayed with the ears of a jackass and a snake eternally biting his penis.  When di Cesena demanded that the Pope order Michelangelo to paint over the face, the Pope replied, "I might have released you from Purgatory, but over Hell I have no power."