Classical Mythology and Ancient History > metamorphoses ~ classical mythology > metamorphoses of male persons into mammals > Midas given ass's ears: Apollo gives Midas ass's ears as punishment for preferring Pan in the musical contest between Apollo and Pan (Ovid, Metamorphoses XI 174) > Midas' barber, unable to keep the secret of Midas' ass's ears, whispers it into a hole in the ground; reeds grow from this hole and disclose Midas' secret to all the world when moved by the wind