Pandora's Box

Story

When the world was new, the Titan Prometheus stole fire from the gods to give to mankind. In revenge, Zeus, King of the Gods, created Pandora, the first woman, and sent her to Prometheus’s brother, Epimetheus. Zeus gave Pandora a box and told her never to open it, but one day her curiosity got the better of her…

Why we chose it

The story of Pandora has captured the imaginations of authors, artists, poets and musicians for centuries.

Where it came from

Pandora’s Box is an origin story, written to explain all of the bad things in the world. In earlier myths, Pandora was considered an all-giving goddess with a box full of gifts for mankind. However, in his epic poem the Theogony, and later in his poem the Work and Days, the Greek poet Hesiod (active around 750-650 BC) switched Pandora’s role from a blessing to a curse on mankind.

Where it went next

Hesiod’s retelling of Pandora’s Box describes Pandora opening a jar – Pandora’s box came from a mistranslation in the 16th century! The box stuck, and the saying “to open Pandora’s Box” (to begin something that leads to unexpected problems) is used widely to this day.

Associated stories

Pandora’s curiosity is comparable to the story of Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis—like Pandora, Eve was tempted by forbidden fruit.