Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue, Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp.

The myth about Midas is told in a very concise way, focusing on the consequences of excessive greed and conceit. It is a story with a moral and a message for children. Of all the things in the world, king Midas loved gold the most. Because he did not care about his poor and starving people, the god Dionysus decided to teach him a lesson. From now on, everything he touched turned to gold. Initially, King Midas was overjoyed, but when he became hungry, he saw that all he tried to eat turned to gold. Poor King Midas almost died from starvation! But Dionysus took pity on him and withdrew his gift. Unfortunately, King Midas did not change his ways and remained stingy. He did not even listen to Apollo’s beautiful music, which offended the god. As a punishment, Apollo changed his ears into donkey’s ears. King Midas hid in the woods to escape the shame, but all the animals laughed at him there. That was the punishment for King Midas, who loved gold the most in the world.

This retelling of Midas’ myth – referred to by the authors as a “Greek legend” – apparently serves as an exemplum of how vices, here represented by excessive greed and indifference to art, can negatively impact someone’s life. The story depicts two episodes involving Midas – the so-called Golden Touch and the donkey’s ears. Both are presented by Markowska and Milska with a change of emphasis due to the educational goal of the story. The spotlight is turned on the notorious character trait of Midas, greed. The king is portrayed as obsessed by his lust for wealth; he neglects to care for his subjects and is indifferent to the fact that they are hungry. He should have used his experience of hunger during the Golden Touch episode to become more sensitive, but he learned nothing and is still focused only on his wealth. Midas is unable to learn from his own mistakes. Dionysus’ forgiveness had no lasting effects on Midas’ character. The king is also indifferent to the beauty of the Arcadian land and the perfection of Apollo’s music. No wonder this attitude angers the god and results in an obvious and humiliating punishment, especially for a proud king – long, donkey’s ears! The young readers can appreciate the poetic justice and moral sense of such a punishment. Midas wasted the chances for redemption the god offered him and now is the object of public ridicule. The original aspect of the interpretation of the two Midas’ myths, introduced by the Polish authors, is to shorten the stories, combining them, and presenting them as a gradual increase of the gods’ frustration with the primitive king of Phrygia.

Next to Midas, the central character of the story, there are also the characters of Dionysus and Apollo. They are introduced with additional information, easy to absorb while reading. Dionysus appears as a merry god of wine and joy with a retinue of forest nymphs adorned with vine leaves. Traditionally, the reason for Dionysus granting Midas’ wish was the kindness and hospitality Midas offered to Silenus, who was dear to Dionysus. Markowska and Milska, to shorten the story, ignore the role of Silenus and say that Midas receives his lethal gift as a joke/prank. When starved, Midas understands how foolish was his wish and begs Dionysus for mercy; the god grants it because he is pleased that his joke taught Midas a lesson.

The character of Apollo is quite different. Apollo is more serious than Dionysus. As the patron of songs he plays to be admired and appreciated, the whole Arcadia resounds with his charismatic, divine music worthy of reverent attention. Midas cannot care less about Apollo playing the harp, and he does not spare any time to listen to it –  Apollo reacts with merciless humour. Endowing Midas with donkey’s ears represents a punishment appropriate to the fault: if his human ears do not appreciate music, he does not deserve them; donkey’s ears become a symbol and a reason for his sacrilegious insensitivity to art. This traditional story was also shortened; the authors omitted the theme of Midas’ role in the trial of musical skills between Apollo and Pan, which earned the king his long ears.

Dąbrowska, Maria, Dzienniki powojenne 1955–1959, vol. 3, Tadeusz Drewnowski, ed., Warszawa: Czytelnik, 1996, 25.

Ovid, Metamorphoses XI 85–145, XI 172–193, trans. Frank Justus Miller, vol. 2, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1916, 126–133, (accessed: January 25, 2022).

Piecuch, Ewelina, “W gąszczu dziecięcych potrzeb – znaczenie edukacyjne tekstów kultury popularnej na podstawie czasopisma dla dzieci pod tytułem “Świerszczyk”, Kultura – Społeczeństwo – Edukacja 2/16 (2019): 117–133.

Illustrations: Maria Jastrzębska.