The story in brief
A king who turns his dinner to gold, a boy in love with a face in a pool, a weaver who beats a goddess, a son who borrows the Sun’s chariot, a sculptor who loves his statue. Five warnings from Ovid, the poet Rome sent to the edge of the world.
The chapters
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Chapter 1 · 5 min · Free
The Golden Touch
A king wishes that everything he touches would turn to gold. Then he gets hungry.
Sources: Ovid, Metamorphoses 11.85–193; Herodotus 1.14, 1.94; Aristotle, Politics 1257b
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Chapter 2 · 5 min · Free
Narcissus and Echo
A nymph who can only repeat. A boy who can only look.
Sources: Ovid, Metamorphoses 3.339–510
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Chapter 3 · 5 min
Arachne
A weaver says she is better than the goddess of weaving. She is right.
Sources: Ovid, Metamorphoses 6.1–145
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Chapter 4 · 5 min
Phaethon
A boy borrows his father’s car. His father is the Sun.
Sources: Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.747–779, 2.1–400
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Chapter 5 · 5 min
Pygmalion
A sculptor falls in love with his statue. A poet falls out of favor with an emperor.
Sources: Ovid, Metamorphoses 10.243–297, 15.871–879; Ovid, Tristia 1.7, 2.207, 3.10
Who’s who
The people you meet. Each one is a hero card you can collect.
- MidasKing of Phrygia · The Golden Touch · Ears of an Ass
- NarcissusSon of a River · The Youth at the Pool · The Flower
- ArachneWeaver of Lydia · Rival of Athena · The First Spider
- PhaethonSon of the Sun · The Borrowed Chariot · Fallen Star
- PygmalionSculptor of Cyprus · Lover of His Statue · The Effect
- OvidPoet of Rome · Teller of Changes · Exile of Tomis
What you’ll be able to tell
This story belongs to the journey “Gods of Olympus”. By the end of it, you can tell why Pandora’s box was really a jar, and why the Midas touch was a curse.
Stories in this journey
- Prometheus: The Stolen Fire
- The Midas Touch: Tales Ovid Told
Sources
- Ovid, Metamorphoses 1–3, 6, 10, 11, 15
- Ovid, Tristia
- Herodotus 1.14, 1.94
- Aristotle, Politics 1257b
