Midas, gold, gods and cartoons

In the 1937 animated version, one of Walt Disney’s “Silly Symphony”, King Midas is a guy who claims not to be interested in women or wine: he just thinks it’s divine to count a large amount of money. The huge belly seems to contradict him in this idea of ​​not paying attention to the pleasures of the table, but he insists on singing: «Gold, gold, gold! I idolize him, I adore him! Gold, gold, gold! I wish I had even more, you can never have too much shining gold!” Ah, how he liked that everything he touched would turn into gold… After all, behold, a goblin appears who claims to have that power. However, the little magical being issues a warning: his gift, in Midas, would become a curse. Well then, the king dispenses advice or warnings. He only thinks of one thing: gold, gold, gold!

Not all that glitters feeds the stomach

Endowed with the touch of gold, Midas chases his cat to transform it into the precious metal. And he does the same with flowers, fountains, statues… Golden coins flow from all sides, but the king wants more: “The mountains, the stars, the moon, the sky, a universe of gold!” It is a task capable of tiring anyone, and, as you sit down at the table, your touch continues to gild the chair, the napkin, the cutlery and… the food and drink. The gift shows its cursed side: the king cannot put anything in his mouth without breaking a tooth. «Is the richest king in the world destined to starve to death?» The mirror, in the image of a skeleton with a crown, shows him that yes. Desperate, Midas calls the goblin and tells him that he is willing to exchange all his possessions for a hamburger sandwich. – With or without onions? – asks the elf. – A hamburger! – answers the monarch. – A simple hamburger! Satisfied with Midas’ humble request, the goblin agrees to revert the gift. Afterwards, the agreement is fulfilled: the castle is in ruins, the mantle and crown disappear. Midas, in underwear, enjoys the hamburger that appears in front of him. He touches it lightly… The bread is soft and not hard like gold! And, to your delight, there’s even a surprise: it comes with onions! Read more: Greed is good, according to Gordon Gekko

A Millennial History of Greek and Roman Gods

The legend of the Midas touch, however, is ancient history. Derived from Greco-Roman mythology, here it is in a simplified version. One day, Midas, king of Phrygia, finds a satyr who, drunk, sleeps in his lands. Recognizing him as Silenus, master of the god Dionysus, he welcomes him into his palace. Later, he takes it to his disciple, who, recognized by the gesturedecides to grant Midas the fulfillment of a wish. What does he want? The answer is ready: the power to turn anything he touched to gold.Enthusiastic with the gift received, Midas travels through the palace in a fever to turn everything into gold. Once his greed is appeased, he sits down to eat and is confronted with the fact that his hands also transform food and drink into gold. In order not to die of starvation, all you have to do is beg the god to take away the power of his touch.Also read: The cruel struggle between catering tycoons

Bocage and Ovid hand in hand

The moral tale of a king falling out of favor through his own fault has come down to us from the Roman poet Ovid, who included it in his Metamorphoses. In the translation made by Bocage from the Latin, the story presents denser outlines. There are Phrygian shepherds who capture the satyr, festivities that last ten days, the gratitude of Bacchus (the Roman god who corresponds to the Greek Dionysus) for the restitution of his master Silenus – and immediate dismay at the content of Midas’ request –, the frantic eagerness to turn trees, fruits and even water into gold. But since Gold badly coveted is his torment, / It is his just punishment, Midas, unable to feed himself, makes a desperate prayer. He asks his god for forgiveness and mercy, and he, benevolent, tells the king that it will be enough to bathe in the waters of the river Pactolo. to free himself from the gift, now seen as illusory. And so Midas was washed clean of the greed that had nearly killed him. The gods are kind. Bacchus to the sad one, Who weighs guilt, who curses it, who weeps, The promise retracts, and the fatal gift.

The princess made a statue and the duck diving into mountains of coins

From the classic of Latin literature, the story of Midas ended up evolving into new versions. In one, the monarch’s regret is associated with the transformation of his daughter into a golden statue, when the latter, upon hearing her father’s cry, approaches him to comfort him. It is the touch of the father’s hand that condemns her. Horrified, Midas then asks for the reversal of that cursed gift. And, after washing his hands in the waters of the river Pactolo, the king returns to the palace to find everything as before. Hawthorne, as early as the mid-nineteenth century. Whatever the work of whoever it may be, we move away from the fantasies of the omnipotent gods to enter the terrestrial kingdom of kings and princesses. And, when we read the descriptions that the monarch kept his immense treasure in a dungeon under lock and key, and that every day he went there to count his savings, it is impossible not to remember the dives of the millionaire Tio Scrooge in the waves of coins gold from your strongbox.Read more: Money and happiness: Separated or hand in hand?

A special touch that didn’t arrive to lead the tops

Gold fever could well lead us to other stories and places. It is likely that one day we will return to the theme of shiny metal. For now, to close the accounts of King Midas, let’s recover a video clip from 1986, shot for the song “Midas Touch” by the group Midnight Star. This time, it’s the sound mix of boogie, funk, maybe a little disco, which has the gift of brightening up the scene: little by little, the brick walls, the scaffolding, the stairs, the pipes and the furniture of the old warehouse there they are covered with a gold bath. The magic of Midas managed to take the song to number 8 on the chart of the most played. The theme remained in the Top100 for ten weeks before fading into near oblivion. Don’t be surprised. The chorus of the song warned us that the main character wanted, more than just to find wealth, to use his divine touch on the body and soul of his darling… So, shall we dance a little? Paulo M. Morais grew up playing street football and listening to proverbs told by his grandmothers. He graduated in Social Communication and specialized in the areas of cinema, videogames and gastronomy. He is the author of novels and non-fiction books. He collects board games and continues to watch many movies. He likes to cook, look at the sea, read. The information contained in the article is not binding and does not invalidate the full reading of documents that support the matter in question.