In modern discourse, the phrase “Pandora’s box” is used to describe a source of unanticipated yet far-reaching trouble or evil. The myth this phrase originated from has undertaken many changes over the years and has been subject to numerous interpretations.

Pandora’s box was first scribed by the poet Hesiod sometime around 700 BC (first in Works and Days, then again, though somewhat differently, in Theogony). The story begins with Epimetheus whose name means “hindsight” and his brother Prometheus, whose name, complementarily, means “foresight”. Epimetheus was tasked with gifting a positive trait to each new animal as it was created. At the conception of man, however, Epimetheus discovered he had run out of gifts. His brother, Prometheus, considered man to be superior to all the creatures who had gone before; the pinnacle of creation. Unable to leave man bereft of any special traits, Prometheus decided to acquire the most useful trick of the gods. So he stole fire from Zeus and this was his gift to mankind.

Enraged, Zeus went after both Prometheus and mankind, seeking retribution. Prometheus’ punishment was to be bound to a rock by indestructible chains where he received daily visits from an eagle who feasted on his liver. As Prometheus was immortal his liver grew back after each feeding, meaning he had to relive the torture every day. This continued until he was set free by Heracles (known in Roman mythology as Hercules) during his Twelve Labors.

The punishment reserved for man was far more cunning. Zeus tasked the gods with creating the perfect double-cross. This came in the form of a gift: the very first woman, Pandora. In ancient Greek, the word, “pantes”, means “all”, while the word, “dora”, means “gifts”. In combination then, Pandora’s name literally means “all gifts”. As a point of interest, this is sometimes misread as “giver of gifts”, or “all giving”. A more accurate interpretation would be “receiver of gifts”, or “all endowed”.

Molded from earth and water, Pandora was given exquisite form by Hephaestus; from Athena she received beautiful clothing and was taught to be dexterous and lithe; Aphrodite endowed her with beauty; from Apollo she received musicality and a talent for healing; Demeter taught her gardening skills; Poseidon bestowed on her a pearl necklace and ruled that she should never drown. Some crafty counterparts to these qualities came from Zeus who made her lazy, roguish, and irrational; and Hermes who made her sly and bold yet irresistibly charming. The final and most destructive trait of all was Hera’s contribution: curiosity. Then came the coup de grâce, Pandora’s dowry which we now refer to as “Pandora’s box”.

Using his gift of foresight, Prometheus, before being chained to his rock, was able to warn Epimetheus of the danger of accepting any gifts from the gods. Yet, blinded by the beauty of Pandora, Epimetheus fell instantly in love and forgot his brother’s warning. Zeus had Hermes present Pandora as a wife for Epimetheus but decreed that, although it was offered as a dowry, the box was not to be opened. Epimetheus ensured Pandora too was aware of this instruction.

Prior to the arrival of Pandora, man had led a harmonious existence. However, this was not to last. Hera’s mischievous gift of curiosity got the better of Pandora and she opened the box to see what it contained. This resulted in the liberation of every evil now known to man. War, disease, crime, poverty, misfortune, distress, and countless other iniquities were unleashed and spread the world over. Horrified, Pandora desperately tried to close the box again but was only successful in preventing the release of one thing: hope.

The first part of the story to be obscured by interpretation is the description of Pandora’s dowry as a “box”. This was actually an invention of Erasmus of Rotterdam, a Dutch Renaissance Humanist who translated the myth into Latin. In Hesiod’s original telling of it, the vessel was actually termed “pithos” which translates to “storage jar”. Erasmus (whether intentionally or mistakenly) interpreted this as though it were the Greek word, “pyxis” which means “box”. Plural of “pithos”, “pithoi” are great vats of new wine uncorked at the festival of Anthesteria Pithoigia. This has prompted some commentators to speculate on whether alcohol and excessiveness are being insinuated as the source of all the world’s evils.  

Much Feminist commentary centres on comparisons to the Hebrew creation story, likening Pandora to Eve. Both were the first of womankind in their worlds and both were sent as gifts. Unlike Eve, who was sent to relieve Adam of his loneliness, Pandora was sent with destructive intentions from the outset. Both stories are considered to be anti-feminine as the women are portrayed as having fatal weaknesses and being bringers of misfortune.

Perhaps the most contentious element of the story is the confinement of hope within the vessel. What was hope doing in a jar full of evil; and why was it the only thing to be contained? Here, Hesiod could be implying that hope too is an evil. Perhaps Hesiod felt that hope left people deluded so that each new hardship in life would be all the more torturous. Alternatively, hope may genuinely be a blessing but, as it was contained within the jar, it was withheld from mankind; perhaps Hesiod was suggesting the suppression of hope is an evil. Then, of course, there is always the chance that hope was cast as mankind’s prevailing comfort, and this is why it remained in the jar. Indeed, one retelling of the story holds that Pandora eventually returned to the jar and reopened it, allowing hope to fly out and spread across the world.