King The ancient Greeks were wonderful storytellers. This is the tale of King Midas.

According to legend, King Midas ruled in modern day Turkey. He was famous for his lush rose gardens and his love of . King Midas had more gold than any other kingdom in the world.

One warm summer day, King Midas noticed a strange animal sleeping in his vineyard. The creature was part man and part goat. The animal’s owner, the god , asked King Midas to return the beast. King Midas gladly did as Dionysus asked. To return the favor, the god Dionysus gave King Midas one wish.

“There is only one thing I wish for,” King Midas snickered. “I wish that everything I touched would turn to gold.”

“Are you sure that is what you want? You already have all the riches in the world.” Dionysus replied. “I must warn you that your wish will not make you happy. But if that is what you want, I suppose I must grant it.”

Dionysus turned to leave King Midas. As King Midas was waving goodbye, his hand accidently brushed against a tree branch. The tree instantly turned to solid gold. King Midas was overjoyed. “I will be the richest man in the world!” King Midas shouted happily. It wasn’t long before King Midas began running around his home, touching everything in sight. The apples from King Midas’s trees turned into solid gold. The tunics in his wardrobe, the pillars of his mansion, his massive chariot – all instantly turned to gold.

By the day’s end, King Midas was exhausted. He called for his servants to bring him dinner. King Midas had worked up an appetite and was looking forward to a big feast. Just as he reached for a leg of meat, it turned to gold in his hands. He then grabbed a helping of bread and butter, but they turned to gold as well. King Midas frantically clutched his goblet of cold, refreshing water. Just as the water touched his lips, it turned into a hard, heavy metal. Soon, King Midas realized that the gift of the golden touch was really a curse. If the spell could not be reversed, the King would starve to death. King Midas’s daughter entered the room to comfort her sullen father. He reached out to hug his beloved daughter. The King stepped back as he watched his beautiful daughter transform into a statue of shiny, yellow metal.

“Help me Dionysus! Save me from my golden touch!” King Midas cried. He threw himself from his throne onto the floor. He beat his fists on the floor as he sobbed in fear.

God Dionysus then appeared in front of the King. “You made a greedy and foolish wish. I see you have learned your lesson, Midas.” Dionysus instructed King Midas to wade in the nearby river, where he would be cleansed of his selfish ways.

King Midas immediately ran to the river. As he washed, streams of golden water ran off his body. “Thank you Dionysus! Thank you for your understanding!” King Midas bellowed. After he dried, King Midas returned “”home to find his daughter had been mended. The king breathed a sigh of relief and sat down to finish his dinner.