Gyges

[ jahy-jeez ]

noun

, Greek Mythology.

1. Also Gy·es [] one of the Hecatonchires.
2. a shepherd who found a ring making its wearer invisible. Invited by the king of Lydia secretly to view his beautiful wife naked, Gyges was incited by her to kill the king and seize the throne. During his reign, allegedly, coinage was invented.

Example Sentences

Mr. Gygès, who campaigned against New Caledonian independence, added: “We are not China, we are not Indonesia, we are not the Philippines. We are France in the Pacific.”

From New York Times

“The push into green nickel isn’t just for global competitive advantage,” said Christopher Gygès, New Caledonia’s minister for economy, foreign trade and energy.

From New York Times

“When you look at France and China, it is totally different when it comes to human rights,” said Christopher Gygès, an anti-independence politician who also serves as New Caledonia’s minister for the economy, foreign trade and energy.

From New York Times

Only when people are known do they become accountable for their actions, a finding that echoes Plato's story of the Ring of Gyges, in which the philosopher wonders if a man who became invisible would then go on to commit heinous acts.

From Salon

The question of hidden truths is found in Plato’s Republic, in the tale of the ring of Gyges, which makes its wearers invisible and thus allows them to go anywhere without fear of detection or consequences.

From The New Yorker