MidasAesculapiusThe DanaïdsBy: Amy Herrod

King Midas and the Golden Touch

• Midas was the King of Phrygia which was the land of roses.• Helped Silenus get back to Bacchus • Bacchus gave him a wish for returning Silenus. He wished that

everything he touched turned gold.• When he tried to eat, he couldn’t because food turned to gold.• Bacchus told him to bathe in the source of the river Pactolus. So that’s

why gold was found in the sands of the river.

King Midas and Music• Midas was asked to judge music contest between Pan and Apollo.• Pan was good, but when Apollo started playing his lyre there was no sound on heaven or

earth that could match it except the Muses choir.• Midas was not very intelligent and chose Pan.• After angering Apollo, was given the ears of a donkey*.• The servant that cut his hair was the only person that knew about the ears. He swore not

to tell anybody.• He whispered into a hole in the ground and then felt better. When the spring reeds came

up and the wind blew them, they told the king’s story.

Aesculapius Birth and Early Life

• Mother was Coronis and father was Apollo. • She didn’t care for him and preferred a mortal. Forgot

that Apollo could not be decieved. • The raven told Apollo and he got so mad he made the

feathers go from white to black• Apollo killed Coronis but saved Aesculapuis from her as

Zeus did with Seleme• Took baby to Mount Pelion to Chiron (centaur) to raise.• Aesculapius ws the only child who wanted to learn the

art of healing from Chiron• He passed Chiron and was able to help with all

problems.

Aesculapius Death and Afterwards

• He made big mistake and rose one person from the dead for large amount of money.

• He was killed by Zeus because Zeus felt he had too much power.

• Was shot by Zeus’s thunderbolt• The death of his son angered Apollo and he

killed the Cyclops that made the thunderbolts.• After killing the Cyclops, Apollo had to serve

King Admetus as a slave.• Snakes played some part in cures and were

sacred to Aesculapius.

Danaïds

• There were 50• All daughters of Danaüs, one of Io’s descendents.• Their 50 cousins, sons of Aegyptus, wanted to marry

them.• All opposed and fled to Argos where they were safe.• Later, they were forced to marry and on the day of

wedding Danaüs gave all of his daughters daggers. • 49 of the women killed her husband on the wedding night

as they were told to do.

The One Different Danaïd

• She was Hypermnesta• She pitied her husband, whose name was

Lynceus, and woke him• She helped him escape• Her father put her in prison but she later got out

and lived happily with Lynceus• Son was Abas, great-grandfather of Perseus• All the other sisters had punishment in the lower

world for murdering their husband.• They had to forever fill jars with holes and watch

the water go out and fill them over again.