Read the legend Zummy loves
King Midas and the Golden Touch
A king is granted a wish that turns everything he touches to gold, but soon learns that some things are more precious than gold itself: the ancient legend of King Midas, said to have ruled in the hills of ancient Anatolia, in what is now Turkey.
Long ago, in the hills of ancient Phrygia, in what is now Turkey, there lived a king named Midas who loved gold above all else. His treasury overflowed with golden coins and cups, and in his palace garden grew rows of the most beautiful roses in the land, tended with as much care as his fortune.
One afternoon, Midas found an old, tired stranger asleep among his roses. It was Silenus, a gentle companion of the god Dionysus, who had wandered from the god’s followers and lost his way. Rather than turn the old man out, Midas welcomed him warmly, gave him food and rest, and after several days, personally guided him back to Dionysus.
A Wish Granted
Dionysus was overjoyed to have his old friend returned safely, and in gratitude, he offered Midas a single wish, whatever his heart desired. Without a moment’s thought, Midas asked that everything he touched would turn to gold. Dionysus paused and asked if he was certain, but Midas, dazzled by the thought of endless treasure, insisted, and so the god granted his wish.
The Golden Curse
At first, Midas was overjoyed. He touched a twig, and it turned to gleaming gold. He touched a stone, and an apple, and each became a small, perfect golden treasure. But that evening, when he sat down to eat, the bread turned hard and golden the moment it touched his fingers, and the wine in his cup became gold before it reached his lips. Worse still, when his beloved daughter ran to embrace him, she too turned to gold, cold and still, frozen in his arms.
Washed Away in the River
Heartbroken and starving, Midas rushed back to Dionysus and begged him to take the gift away. Moved by the king’s sorrow, Dionysus told him to travel to the river Pactolus and wash his hands in its waters. Midas did exactly as he was told, and as he knelt at the riverbank, the golden touch drained from his fingers and flowed away into the current.
When Midas ran home, he found his daughter alive again, warm and laughing, as though she had only been asleep. From that day on, Midas never wished for gold again, valuing instead his family and his garden above any treasure. And it is said that, even now, the sands of the river Pactolus in Turkey still gleam with flecks of gold, a quiet reminder of the king who learned that love is worth more than any fortune.
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Dandini Dandini Dastana
Play this softly while you read: a traditional Turkish lullaby, from the same land where this ancient legend was first told.
More stories, more lullabies
This is one tale in a growing collection of traditional stories from around the world, each one paired, where we can, with a real lullaby from the same culture.