Midas touch
E1012119
The Midas touch is a mythical power from Greek legend that causes everything a person touches to turn into gold, symbolizing both immense wealth and unintended consequences.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Midas touch myth | 1 |
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
metaphor
ⓘ
motif in Greek mythology ⓘ mythical power ⓘ |
| appearsIn | legend of King Midas and the golden touch NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedPlace | river Pactolus NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedWith | King Midas NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| culturalContext | ancient Greek culture ⓘ |
| describedAs | power that turns everything touched into gold ⓘ |
| etymology | named after King Midas ⓘ |
| field |
cultural studies
ⓘ
literature ⓘ mythology ⓘ |
| grantedBy | Dionysus NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasConsequence |
emotional suffering of King Midas
ⓘ
inability to eat or drink because food turns to gold ⓘ regret over granted wish ⓘ |
| hasFigurativeUse |
describing a person who succeeds at every venture
ⓘ
describing highly profitable investment skill ⓘ |
| hasOppositeConcept | bad luck in business ⓘ |
| hasOrigin | Greek mythology NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasProtagonist | King Midas NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasTemporalOrigin | antiquity ⓘ |
| inspiredWork |
children’s books about King Midas
ⓘ
films and television episodes referencing King Midas ⓘ stage adaptations of the Midas legend ⓘ various literary retellings of the King Midas story ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| meaningInModernUsage |
an ability to generate wealth easily
ⓘ
consistent success in business or finance ⓘ |
| moralLesson |
be careful what you wish for
ⓘ
moderation is preferable to excess ⓘ wealth does not guarantee happiness ⓘ |
| narrativeFunction | moral warning against unchecked desire ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
curse of wealth
ⓘ
golden touch ⓘ hubris in Greek mythology ⓘ |
| revokedBy | washing in the river Pactolus ⓘ |
| symbolizes |
greed
ⓘ
immense wealth ⓘ the dangers of excess ⓘ the double-edged nature of success ⓘ unintended consequences ⓘ |
| usedAs | idiom in the English language ⓘ |
| usedIn |
business journalism
ⓘ
popular culture ⓘ self-help and finance writing ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Midas touch myth