Editing Midas (section)

=== Ears of a donkey ===
Midas, now hating wealth and splendor, moved to the country and became a worshipper of [[Pan (god)|Pan]], the god of the fields and satyrs.<ref>This myth puts Midas in another setting. "Midas himself had some of the blood of satyrs in his veins, as was clear from the shape of his ears" was the assertion of [[Flavius Philostratus]], in his ''Life of [[Apollonius of Tyana]]'' (vi.27), not always a dependable repository of myth. ([https://www.livius.org/ap-ark/apollonius/life/va_6_26.html on-line] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315005913/http://www.livius.org/ap-ark/apollonius/life/va_6_26.html |date=2016-03-15 }})</ref> Roman mythographers<ref>[[Cicero]] ''On Divination''i.36; [[Valerius Maximus]], i.6.3; [[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses (poem)|Metamorphoses]]'', xi.92f.</ref> asserted that his tutor in music was [[Orpheus]].
[[File:Turkey-1428_(2216632594).jpg|thumb|left|upright|The "Tomb of Midas" in [[Gordion]], dated 740 BC.]]
[[File:Gordion69.JPG|thumb|left|Inside the "Tomb of Midas" in [[Gordion]]]]

Once, Pan had the audacity to compare his music with that of [[Apollo]], and challenged Apollo to a trial of skill (also see [[Marsyas]]). [[Tmolus (son of Ares)|Tmolus]], the mountain-god, was chosen as [[umpire]]. Pan blew on his pipes and, with his rustic melody, gave great satisfaction to himself and his faithful follower, Midas, who happened to be present. Then Apollo struck the strings of his lyre. Tmolus at once awarded the victory to Apollo, and all but one agreed with the judgment. Midas dissented, and questioned the justice of the award. Apollo would not suffer such a depraved pair of ears any longer, and said "Must have ears of an ass!", which caused Midas's ears to become those of a [[donkey]].<ref>Hyginus, ''Fabulae'' 191.</ref> The myth is illustrated by two paintings, ''"Apollo and Marsyas"'' by [[Palma il Giovane]] (1544–1628), one depicting the scene before, and one after, the punishment. Midas was mortified at this mishap. He attempted to hide his misfortune under an ample [[turban]] or headdress, but his [[barber]] of course knew the secret, so was told not to mention it. However, the barber could not keep the secret. He went out into a meadow, dug a hole in the ground, whispered the story into it, then covered the hole up. A thick bed of reeds later sprang up from the covered up hole, and began whispering the story, saying "King Midas has an ass's ears".<ref>The whispering sound of reeds is an ancient [[literary trope]]: the Sumerian ''Instructions of Shuruppak'' (3rd millennium BCE) warn "The reed-beds are ..., they can hide (?) slander". ([http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section5/tr561.htm ''Instructions of Shuruppak'', lines 92–93]).</ref> Some sources, such as [[Plutarch]], say that Midas committed suicide by drinking [[realgar|bull's blood]], a powdered crystal substance which was used in the ancient world as pigment for red paint, but very toxic due to its high level of arsenic.
[[File:Abraham Janssens - The judgement of Midas.jpg|thumb|''The Judgement of Midas'' by [[Abraham Janssens]]]]
Sarah Morris demonstrated (Morris, 2004) that donkeys' ears were a Bronze Age royal attribute, borne by King [[Tarkasnawa]] (Greek Tarkondemos) of [[Arzawa|Mira]], on a seal inscribed in both [[Hittite language|Hittite]] cuneiform and [[Luwian]] hieroglyphs. In this connection, the myth would appear for Greeks to justify the exotic attribute.

The stories of the contests with Apollo of Pan and Marsyas were very often confused, so [[Titian]]'s ''[[Flaying of Marsyas (Titian)|Flaying of Marsyas]]'' includes a figure of Midas (who may be a self-portrait), though his ears seem normal.<ref>Hall, James, ''Hall's Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art'', pp. 27–28, 1996 (2nd edn.), John Murray, {{ISBN|0719541476}}</ref>

==== Similar myths in other cultures ====
In pre-Islamic legend of Central Asia, the king of the Ossounes of the [[Yenisei]] basin had [[donkey's ears]]. He would hide them, and order each of his barbers murdered to hide his secret. The last barber among his people was counselled to whisper the heavy secret into a well after sundown, but he didn't cover the well afterwards. The well water rose and flooded the kingdom, creating the waters of [[Lake Issyk-Kul]].<ref>The legend is related in [[Ella Maillart]], [[Dervla Murphy]], ''Turkestan solo: a journey through Central Asia'' (1938) 2005:48f; a wholly separate origin uncontaminated by the legend of Midas is not likely.</ref>

According to an Irish legend, the king [[Labraid Loingsech]] had horse/donkeys's ears, something he was concerned to keep quiet. He had his hair cut once a year, and the barber, who was chosen by lot, was immediately put to death. A widow, hearing that her only son had been chosen to cut the king's hair, begged the king not to kill him, and he agreed, so long as the barber kept his secret. The burden of the secret was so heavy that the barber fell ill. A [[druid]] advised him to go to a crossroads and tell his secret to the first tree he came to, and he would be relieved of his burden and be well again. He told the secret to a large [[willow]]. Soon after this, however, a harper named Craiftine broke his instrument, and made a new one out of the very willow the barber had told his secret to. Whenever he played it, the harp sang "Labraid Lorc has horse's ears". Labraid repented of all the barbers he had put to death and admitted his secret.<ref>[[Geoffrey Keating]], ''Foras Feasa ar Éirinn'' [http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100054/text039.html 1.29]–[http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100054/text040.html 1.30]</ref>

In Ireland, at Loch Ine, West Cork, there is a similar story told of the inhabitant of its island, who had ass's ears. Anyone engaged to cut this King's hair was then put to death. But the reeds (in the form of a musical flute) spoke of them and the secret was out.

The myth is also known in [[Brittany]] where the king [[Mark of Cornwall]] is believed to have ruled the south-western region of Cornouaille. Chasing a white doe, he loses his best horse ''Morvarc'h'' (''Seahorse'') when the doe kills it with an arrow thrown by Mark. Trying to kill the doe, he is cursed by [[Dahut]], a magician who lives under the sea. She gives life to Morvarc'h back but switches his ears and mane with Mark's ears and hair. Worried that the word might get out, Mark hides in his castle and kills every barber that comes to cut his hair until his milk brother Yeun is the last barber alive in Cornouaille. He promises to let him live if Yeun keeps the secret and Yeun cuts his hairs with a magical pair of scissors. The secret is too heavy for Yeun though and he goes to a beach to dig a hole and tell his secret in it. When he leaves, three reeds appear. Years later, when Mark's sister marries, the musicians are unable to play for the reeds of their bagpipes and bombards have been stolen by [[korrigan]]s. They find three reeds on the beach and use them to make new ones, but the music instruments, instead of playing music, only sing "The King Mark has the ears and the mane of his horse Morvarc'h on his head" and Mark departs never to be seen again.<ref>Larvol, Gwenole. ''Ar Roue Marc'h a zo gantañ war e benn moue ha divskouarn e varc'h Morvarc'h''. Saint-Breuc, TES. 2010.</ref>