King Midas was the ruler of Midasius. He was once cursed or gifted by the gods with the ability to turn anything he touched into gold. For a brief time he was also cursed by Apollo to have donkey ears for judging a contest in another god’s favour, during which time he met Cleo, but Hercules helped him with both curses eventually, and Midas became a well-liked King. Cleo told patrons at Kora's Inn that Midas had gifted her with a golden bracelet ("Sisters").
He helped guide his people through difficult times when floods and droughts decimated the population of Midasius. When Voluptua and Segallus suggested he open a gambling palace called the Golden Touch to help distract his people from their troubles, he agreed. Midas and his daughter, Flaxen, worked at the Golden Touch and became almost subjugated by Voluptua and Segallus until Hercules and Salmoneus arrived. Hercules helped Midas realize that the gambling palace was hindering, not helping, the Midasians. The hero helped Midas re-claim his kingdom.
Background information[]
- In mythology, King Midas was usually associated Phrygia, a kingdom in Asia Minor. He was said in some versions to have died of starvation after gaining the golden touch, but in others, he managed to give the gift back and became a wandering bard. In these stories, he judged a contest in favor of Pan instead of Apollo, who cursed him with the ears of a donkey. Stories about Midas are difficult to analyze because it seems to have been a common royal name in Phrygia (at least as common as "Henry" was to English kings in the real world), so many actions attributed to the mythical Midas might be more properly things his legendary or even historical descendants did.
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