Pandora was the first woman in Greek mythology, created by the gods as a punishment for Prometheus’s theft of fire. She was given to Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus, as a bride, and she brought with her a jar (later mistranslated as a box) containing all the evils of the world. When she opened the jar, the evils flew out, leaving only Hope inside. The story of Pandora is and most troubling myths of the ancient Greek world, the foundation of the Greek explanation for the existence of evil in the world. The phrase “Pandora’s box” has become a standard expression for any source of unforeseen troubles.
The Creation of Pandora
According to Hesiod’s Works and Days, Pandora was created by the gods as a punishment for Prometheus’s theft of fire. After Prometheus gave fire to humanity, Zeus was furious, and he ordered Hephaestus to create the first woman from clay. The name “Pandora” means “all-gifted,” because each of the gods gave her a gift.
Hephaestus shaped her from clay, and Athena dressed her in fine clothing and taught her crafts. Aphrodite gave her beauty and the power of charm. The Muses gave her eloquence and the ability to sing. Hermes gave her curiosity, impudence, and a deceitful nature. The result was a being who was beautiful on the outside but full of trouble on the inside.
The creation of Pandora is one of the most troubling myths of the ancient Greek world. It reflects the Greek view of women as a punishment for the sins of men, and it has been criticized by modern readers as a deeply misogynistic text. The myth has been interpreted by feminist critics as a foundation of the patriarchal ideology that has shaped Western thought for millennia.
The Gift of Pandora
Pandora was given as a bride to Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus. Prometheus had warned his brother not to accept any gift from Zeus, but Epimetheus, who was careless, forgot the warning and accepted Pandora.
Pandora brought with her a jar (the original Greek word was pithos, a large storage jar) that she had been told never to open. The jar contained all the evils of the world, including toil, sickness, poverty, misery, death, and all the other hardships that had not been part of the original human condition. The jar also contained Hope, which the gods had placed at the bottom, perhaps as a kind of consolation.
The Opening of the Jar
Pandora, unable to resist her curiosity (a gift from Hermes), opened the jar. The evils flew out, filling the world with suffering, and Pandora was horrified. She tried to close the jar, but it was too late. All the evils had escaped, leaving only Hope at the bottom.
The myth of Pandora is the Greek explanation for the existence of evil in the world. Before her opening of the jar, humanity lived in a kind of Golden Age, free from the miseries of the present. After she opened it, all the miseries were released, and the human condition became one of toil, sickness, and death.
The fact that Hope remained in the jar has been the subject of much interpretation. Some scholars have argued that Hope was left in the jar as a consolation, the only good thing to remain after the evils had been released. Others have argued that Hope was left in the jar to prevent humanity from despairing, but it was not enough to overcome the evils. Still others have argued that Hope was kept in the jar by Zeus to prevent humanity from anticipating the evils that were about to come.
The Variants of the Myth
The myth of Pandora has many variants. In some, the jar is replaced by a box, which is the source of the modern phrase “Pandora’s box.” The mistranslation of pithos as “box” was popularized by the 16th-century Dutch humanist Erasmus, and the mistake has stuck ever since.
In some versions of the myth, Pandora opens the jar deliberately, as an act of disobedience against the gods. In others, she opens it accidentally, simply unable to resist her curiosity. In some versions, the jar is opened once, and the evils escape and cannot be put back. In others, the jar is opened multiple times, and different evils are released each time.
The status of Hope has also been debated. Some scholars have argued that Hope is a good thing, a consolation left by the gods. Others have argued that Hope is a bad thing, a deceitful promise that prevents humanity from giving up on the search for happiness. The Greek word for Hope was Elpis, and it had both positive and negative connotations in ancient Greek thought.
The Cultural Legacy of Pandora
The story of Pandora has had a profound influence on Western culture. The phrase “Pandora’s box” has become a standard expression for any source of unforeseen troubles, and it is used in many languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian. The story has been the subject of countless works of literature, art, and film.
The story of Pandora has been particularly important in feminist thought, where it has been used to explore the position of women in patriarchal societies. The 19th-century writer Margaret Atwood, in her poem Pandora’s Box, retold the myth from a feminist perspective, with Pandora as a victim of male power. The 20th-century writer Mary Zimmerman, in her play Metamorphoses (1998), portrayed the myth with a focus on the human cost of the release of the evils.
The figure of Pandora has also been used in science. The “Pandora’s box” metaphor has been used to describe the potential dangers of nuclear energy, genetic engineering, and artificial intelligence. The image of opening a sealed container and releasing unforeseen consequences has been a powerful one in modern thought.
For more on the cultural legacy, see our guide to Greek mythology in modern culture, and our profiles of Prometheus, Hephaestus, and Zeus. For more on the original myth, see Hesiod’s Works and Days, the primary source for the story.