Pandora’s Box is the name given to a story from Greek mythology in which the first woman, Pandora, opens a forbidden jar and releases all evils into the world, leaving only hope inside. The tale appears in its fullest early form in Hesiod’s Works and Days (c. 700 BCE), where the container is actually a pithos—a large storage jar—not a box. The story explains why humanity suffers and why hope persists despite that suffering.
The Myth in Hesiod: The Jar, Not a Box
Hesiod gives the earliest surviving account in Works and Days (lines 47–105). According to him, Prometheus stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals, an act that angered the king of the gods. In retaliation, Zeus ordered Hephaestus to mold a woman from earth, and Athena to adorn her. This woman, Pandora (“all-gifted”), was given a pithos—a large earthenware jar used for storing wine, oil, or grain. She was told not to open it, but curiosity overcame her. When she lifted the lid, all the evils and miseries that plague humanity flew out and scattered across the earth. She quickly replaced the lid, but only Elpis (Hope or Expectation) remained inside.
The word “box” is a later mistranslation. The 16th-century scholar Erasmus of Rotterdam rendered pithos as pyxis, which means a small box or casket, in his Latin version of Hesiod. That translation stuck, and “Pandora’s box” became the standard phrase in English and other European languages, even though the original object was a jar.
Why Did Zeus Send Pandora? The Purpose of the Myth
In Hesiod, the creation of Pandora is not a random punishment but a deliberate trap for humanity. Prometheus had tricked Zeus at Mecone, dividing a sacrificial bull so that humans got the edible meat and Zeus got bones wrapped in fat. Zeus, seeing through the trick, withheld fire from mortals. Prometheus then stole fire from Olympus and gave it back. This double deception—the trick at Mecone and the theft of fire—provoked Zeus to create Pandora as a “beautiful evil” (Hesiod’s phrase) that would bring ruin to men who accepted her.
The myth thus serves as an aetiology, a story explaining why life is hard. Before Pandora, humans lived without toil, disease, or death from old age. After she opened the jar, these hardships became permanent features of the human condition. The story also carries a misogynistic undertone in Hesiod’s telling: women are presented as a necessary but burdensome addition to mortal life, a theme that later Greek writers like Semonides of Amorgos expanded in their own misogynistic poems.
What Was Left Inside? The Ambiguity of Hope
The most debated element of the myth is the meaning of Elpis, usually translated as “hope.” Hesiod writes that Pandora closed the jar before hope could escape, so hope remains “under the rim of the jar” and never leaves humanity. But is that a good thing or a curse? Scholars have argued both ways for centuries.
- Hope as a blessing: Hope stays with humans to comfort them amid the evils that now afflict them. This is the common modern reading—hope is the one good thing left after disaster.
- Hope as a curse: Some ancient and modern readers see hope as an evil in itself, because it keeps humans striving for things they will never achieve, prolonging their suffering. The Greek word elpis can mean “expectation” or “anticipation,” not necessarily positive hope.
- Hope as neutral: Others argue that hope is simply the expectation of the future, which can be good or bad depending on what happens. Hesiod does not clearly label it as either a blessing or a curse.
This ambiguity has made the myth a rich subject for philosophical and literary interpretation, from ancient Stoics to modern existentialists.
Other Versions and Variations in Antiquity
Hesiod’s is the earliest and most influential version, but it was not the only one in antiquity. Later writers and artists adapted the story in ways that changed its details and meaning.
- Sophocles (5th century BCE): In his lost satyr play Pandora (or Hammering), fragments suggest that Pandora was a figure made from earth and water, but the play’s plot is largely unknown.
- Hyginus (1st century BCE–CE): The Latin mythographer Hyginus, in his Fabulae, gives a version where Pandora is the first woman and the jar is opened by her husband Epimetheus, not by Pandora herself.
- Babrius (2nd century CE): A Greek fable writer tells a version where the jar contains not evils but blessings, and when Pandora opens it, the blessings fly away to the gods, leaving only hope for humans. This inversion flips the moral: humans lost the good things, not gained the bad.
These variations show that the myth was fluid in antiquity, with different authors using it for different purposes—misogyny, aetiology, or moral fable.
Pandora’s Box in Art and Literature
From the Renaissance onward, Pandora’s box became a popular subject in European art and literature. Painters such as Jean Cousin the Elder (16th century) and Dante Gabriel Rossetti (19th century) depicted Pandora as a beautiful, enigmatic woman, often with the box or jar at her side. The myth also inspired literary works, including a play by the 16th-century Dutch humanist Joost van den Vondel and a poem by Christina Rossetti.
The phrase “opening Pandora’s box” entered common English usage as a metaphor for any action that sets off a chain of unforeseen and uncontrollable problems. It appears in legal, political, and everyday contexts, often without any reference to the original myth. This metaphorical use is now far more common than the literal story itself.
Common Misconceptions and Scholarly Debates
Several misconceptions about the myth persist, even among well-read people. The most obvious is the “box” versus “jar” issue, which we have already covered. Another is the idea that Pandora was “evil” or “curious” in the same way as Eve in the Bible. While both stories involve a woman opening a forbidden container, the Greek and Hebrew traditions are distinct, and the parallels are often overstated. Hesiod does not say Pandora was curious; he simply says she “took off the great lid” and scattered the contents, without describing her motivation.
Scholars also debate whether the myth is a Greek version of a Near Eastern story, such as the Sumerian myth of Enki and Ninhursag or the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, where a plant or a gift is lost. No direct borrowing has been proven, but the motif of a lost golden age and a woman as the cause of human suffering appears in many cultures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Pandora the first woman in Greek mythology?
Yes, in Hesiod’s account, Pandora is explicitly the first woman. He says she was created by the gods as a punishment for humanity, and before her, men lived without women. However, other Greek traditions had different origin stories for the first woman, such as the myth of Pandora in the Catalogues of Women (attributed to Hesiod but likely later), which is fragmentary and less well known.
Did Pandora open the box out of curiosity?
Hesiod does not say she was curious. He simply states that she opened the jar, and because she was a woman sent as a “beautiful evil,” the implication is that her action was part of the divine plan. Later writers, especially in the Renaissance, added curiosity as a motive, likely influenced by the biblical Eve. The word “curiosity” does not appear in the earliest sources.
What is the moral of Pandora’s box?
The myth serves several purposes. It explains why evil and suffering exist in the world (a theodicy), and it warns against the dangers of meddling with the unknown. It also reflects ancient Greek attitudes toward women, presenting them as a source of trouble for men. The presence of hope inside the jar offers a bittersweet consolation: even amid suffering, humans retain the expectation of better times.
Is Pandora’s box a real artifact?
No, Pandora’s box is a purely mythological object. No archaeological or historical evidence suggests that a physical jar or box ever existed. The story is a literary creation, first recorded by Hesiod, and has no basis in actual events. It is a symbolic tale, not a historical account.
Why is hope left in the box?
Hesiod does not explain why hope remains, but the detail is crucial to the myth’s meaning. By keeping hope inside, the myth suggests that hope is either a consolation for humanity or a final curse, depending on interpretation. The ambiguity is deliberate, and it has fueled debate for over two millennia. In practical terms, it means that even when all evils are released, humans still have something to cling to.
What is the difference between Pandora’s box and the story of Eve?
The two stories share a motif: a woman brings disaster by violating a divine prohibition. However, they differ in details and purpose. In the Bible, Eve eats from the Tree of Knowledge, and the consequence is the loss of paradise and the introduction of sin and death. In Greek myth, Pandora opens a jar, releasing evils but leaving hope. The biblical story is monotheistic and moral, while the Greek myth is polytheistic and aetiological. Parallels are often drawn, but the traditions developed independently.
Related
- Pandora in Mythology: The First Woman’s Full Story
- Psyche in Mythology: Goddess, Myth & Meaning
- Roland in Mythology: The Real Story
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