Once there was a king named Midas who did a good deed for a Satyr and was granted a wish by the god of wine, Dionysus. For his wish, Midas asked that whatever he touched would turn to gold. Although Dionysus tried to dissuade him yet Midas insisted that the wish was an excellent one, and it was granted! Excitedly, Midas went about touching all sorts of things, turning them into gold. Soon Midas became hungry. He held a morsel of food in his hand, but couldn’t eat it, for it had turned to gold in his hand! “I’ll starve,” moaned Midas, “Perhaps this was not such a good wish after all!”
He thought and remained hungry. Midas’ beloved daughter, seeing his dismay, threw her arms about him to comfort him, and, she too turned to gold! “The golden touch is no blessing,” cried Midas. He went to the river and wept. The sand of that river turned as yellow as fool’s gold for it was there, they say, that King Midas washed away the curse of the golden touch with his own tears.
