Pandora's Box
Pandora's Box (properly a jar, pithos) was the container given to the first woman, Pandora, which when opened released all evils into the world — with only Hope remaining inside.
The Meaning of Pandora's Box
Zeus created Pandora as punishment for Prometheus's theft of fire. Each god gave her a gift: beauty, charm, cunning, and curiosity. She was given a jar (pithos — mistranslated as "box" by Erasmus in 1508) and told never to open it. Her irresistible curiosity drove her to lift the lid. All the evils of the world — disease, death, sorrow, grief, war — flew out and spread across the earth. She slammed the lid shut just in time to trap one thing inside: Elpis (Hope). Whether Hope remaining inside is a mercy or a final cruelty remains debated.
Parents
N/A (made by the gods)
Symbols
Fun Fact
It was never a box — Pandora opened a pithos (storage jar). Erasmus mistranslated it as pyxis (box) in 1508, and the error stuck.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Pandora's Jar
💭 conceptevil, hope
The vessel (originally a large storage jar, not a box) given to Pandora that released all evils into the world but trapped Hope at the bottom.
Pandora's Box
💭 conceptCuriosity and unintended consequences
A proverbial expression for any action that creates irreversible and widespread problems, derived from the myth of the first woman who opened a jar releasing all evils into the world
Creation of Pandora
💭 conceptNarrative
The crafting of the first woman by the gods as a punishment for humanity after Prometheus's theft of fire
Pandora
🗡 heroFirst woman, opener of the jar of evils
The first mortal woman, created by the gods as a beautiful punishment for mankind. When she opened her jar, all the evils of the world escaped — leaving only Hope inside.
Creation of Man
💭 conceptNarrative
The mythological accounts of how humanity was fashioned from clay and endowed with life by the gods
Prometheus
💭 conceptThe gift of fire to mankind
The fire stolen from the gods by Prometheus and given to humanity, enabling civilization. Fire symbolized technology, knowledge, and the cost of progress.
Tantalize
💭 conceptTemptation, frustration, torment by proximity
To torment with something desired but just out of reach, from King Tantalus and his eternal punishment.
Metamorphoses
💭 conceptTransformation, punishment, mercy
Stories of mortals and gods reshaped into new forms — by love, divine punishment, or compassion — central to how Greeks explained the natural world.
Kibisis
💭 conceptArtefact
The magical satchel given to Perseus to safely contain the severed head of Medusa
God of Messengers
💭 conceptMessages, travel, boundaries, commerce, thieves
Hermes serves as divine messenger and psychopomp, escorting both words and souls between worlds.
Nectar
💭 conceptDrink of the gods
Nectar was the divine drink of the Olympian gods, served by Hebe and later Ganymede — the liquid complement to ambrosia.
Ambrosia
💭 conceptFood of the gods
Ambrosia was the food of the Olympian gods — anyone who consumed it became immortal, but mortals who ate it without permission were severely punished.