King Midas
King Midas, lived between 738 – 696 BC. In Ankara, is the most important king of Phrygia. Two aspects can be distinguished in his personality: the mythical and the historical one.
According to the myth, on his visit to Phrygia, Silenus, the favorite companion of god Dionysos, felt asleep in the rose gardens of King Midas. Midas has found him and treated Silenus hospitably, entertaining him for ten days and nights. Therefore god Dionysos wanted to thank Midas and granted him one wish. Midas asked that "whatever he might touch should be changed into gold".
The king was very happy at the beginning but after a while, he realized that even the food he touched or the rose he smelled turned into gold. Understanding that his wish wasn’t very wise, he begged Dionysos to relieve him from it. The god gave him the cure: to bathe in the spring of the river Pactolus. So did Midas, and this is the reason why the river has always gold dust in it.
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