PANDORA - The First Woman of Greek Mythology Pandora Epimetheus and the birth of Pandora, Athenian red-figure amphora C5th B.C., Ashmolean Museum PANDORA was the first mortal woman who was formed out of clay by the gods. The Titan Prometheus was once assigned the task of creating the race of man. He afterwards grew displeased with the mean lot imposed on them by the gods and so stole fire from heaven. Zeus was angered and commanded Hephaistos (Hephaestus) and the other gods create the first woman Pandora, endowing her with beauty and cunning. He then had her delivered to Prometheus' foolish younger brother Epimetheus as a bride. Zeus gave Pandora a storage jar (pithos) as a wedding gift which she opened, releasing the swarm of evil spirits trapped within. These would forever after plague mankind. Only Elpis (Hope) remained behind, a single blessing to ease mankind's suffering. Pandora's daughter Pyrrha (Fire) was the first child born of a mortal mother. She and her husband Deukalion (Deucalion) were the sole survivors of the Great Deluge.

To repopulate the earth they were instructed to cast stones over their shoulder which formed a new race of men and women. The creation of Pandora was often depicted in ancient Greek vase painting. She appears as either a statue-like figure surrounded by gods, or as a woman rising out of the earth (called the anodos in Greek). Sometimes she is surrounded by dancing Satyroi (Satyrs) in a scene from a lost Satyr-play by Sophokles. FAMILY OF PANDORA PARENTS NONE (created by the gods) (Hesiod Works & Days 54, Hesiod Theogony 560, Aeschylus Frag 204, Sophocles Pandora, Pausanias 1.24.7, Hyginus Fabulae 142) OFFSPRING [1.1] PYRRHA (by Epimetheus ) (Apollodorus 1.46, Hyginus Fabulae 142) [1.2] PYRRHA (Strabo 9.5.23) ENCYCLOPEDIA PANDO′RA (Pandôra), i. e.

the giver of all, or endowed with every thing, is the name of the first woman on earth. When Prometheus had stolen the fire from heaven, Zeus in revenge caused Hephaestus to make a woman out of earth, who by her charms and beauty should bring misery upon the human race (Hes. Theog. 571, &c.; Stob. Serin. 1). Aphrodite adorned her with beauty, Hermes gave her boldness and cunning, and the gods called her Pandora, as each of the Olympians had given her some power by which she was to work the ruin of man. Hermes took her to Epimetheus, who forgot the advice of his brother Prometheus, not to accept any gift from Zeus, and from that moment all miseries came down upon men (Hes. Op. et Dies, 50, &c.). According to some mythographers, Epimetheus became by her the father of Pyrrha and Deucalion (Hygin. Fab. 142; Apollod. i. 7. § 2 ; Procl. ad Hes. Op. p. 30, ed. Heinsius; Ov. Met. i.

350); others make Pandora a daughter of Pyrrha and Deucalion (Eustath. ad Hom. p. 23). Later writers speak of a vessel of Pandora, containing all the blessings of the gods, which would have been preserved for the human race, had not Pandora opened the vessel, so that the winged blessings escaped irrecoverably. The birth of Pandora was represented on the pedestal of the statue of Athena, in the Parthenon at Athens (Paus. i. 24. § 7). In the Orphic poems Pandora occurs as an infernal awful divinity, and is associated with Hecate and the Erinnyes (Orph. Argon. 974). Pandora also occurs as a surname of Gaea (Earth), as the giver of all. (Schol. ad Aristoph. Av. 970; Philostr. Vit. Apoll. vi. 39; Hesych. s.v.) Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. CLASSICAL LITERATURE QUOTES The creation of Pandora, Athenian red-figure kylix C5th B.C., British Museum Hesiod, Works & Days 54 ff (trans.

Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) : "The gods keep hidden from men the means of life [i.e. fire] . . . Zeus in the anger of his heart hid it, because Prometheus the crafty deceived him; therefore he planned sorrow and mischief against men. He hid fire; but that the noble son of Iapetos stole again for men from Zeus the counsellor in a hollow fennel-stalk, so that Zeus who delights in thunder did not see it. But afterwards Zeus who gathers the clouds said to him in anger : ‘Son of Iapetos, surpassing all in cunning, you are glad that you have outwitted me and stolen fire--a great plague to you yourself and to men that shall be. But I will give men as the price for fire an evil thing in which they may all be glad of heart while they embrace their own destruction.’ So said the father of men and gods, and laughed aloud.

And he bade famous Hephaistos (Hephaestus) make haste and mix earth with water and to put in it the voice and strength of human kind, and fashion a sweet, lovely maiden-shape, like to the immortal goddesses in face; and Athene (Athena) to teach her needlework and the weaving of the varied web; and golden Aphrodite to shed grace upon her head and cruel longing and cares that weary the limbs. And he charged Hermes the guide, the Slayer of Argos, to put in her a shameless mind and a deceitful nature. So he ordered. And they obeyed the lord Zeus the son of Kronos (Cronus). Forthwith [Hephaistos] the famous Lame God moulded clay in the likeness of a modest maid, as the son of Kronos purposed. And the goddess bright-eyed Athene girded and clothed her, and the divine Kharites (Charites, Graces) and queenly Peitho (Persuasion) put necklaces of gold upon her, and the rich-haired Horai (Horae, Seasons) crowned her head with spring flowers.

And Pallas Athene bedecked her form with all manners of finery. Also [Hermes] the Guide, the Slayer of Argos, contrived within her lies and crafty words and a deceitful nature at the will of loud thundering Zeus, and the Herald of the gods put speech in her. And he called this woman Pandora (All-Gifts), because all they who dwelt on Olympos gave each a gift, a plague to men who eat bread. But when he had finished the sheer, hopeless snare, the Father sent glorious Argus-Slayer [Hermes], the swift messenger of the gods, to take it to Epimetheus as a gift. And Epimetheus did not think on what Prometheus had said to him, bidding him never take a gift of Olympian Zeus, but to send it back for fear it might prove to be something harmful to men. But he took the gift, and afterwards, when the evil thing was already his, he understood.

For ere this the tribes of men lived on earth remote and free from ills (kakoi) and hard toil (ponoi) and heavy sickness (nosoi) which bring the Keres (Fates) upon men; for in misery men grow old quickly. But the woman took off the great lid of the jar (pithos) with her hands and scattered all these and her thought caused sorrow and mischief to men. Only Elpis (Hope) remained there in an unbreakable home within under the rim of the great jar, and did not fly out at the door; for ere that, the lid of the jar stopped her, by the will of Aigis-holding Zeus who gathers the clouds. But the rest, countless plagues (lugra), wander amongst men; for earth is full of evils and the sea is full. Of themselves diseases (nosoi) come upon men continually by day and by night, bringing mischief to mortals silently; for wise Zeus took away speech from them. So is there no way to escape the will of Zeus." Hesiod, Theogony 510 ff (trans.

Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) : "Scatter-brained Epimetheus who from the first was a mischief to men who eat bread; for it was he who first took of Zeus the woman [i.e. Pandora], the maiden whom he had formed." Hesiod, Theogony 560 ff : "[Zeus] was always mindful of the trick [of Prometheus, who had won for mankind the meat of the sacrificial beast,], and would not give the power of unwearying fire to the Melian race of mortal men who live on the earth. But [Prometheus] the noble son of Iapetos outwitted him and stole the far-seen gleam of unwearying fire in a hollow fennel stalk. And Zeus who thunders on high was stung in spirit, and his dear heart was angered when he saw amongst men the far-seen ray of fire. Forthwith he made an evil thing for men as the price of fire; for the very famous Limping God [Hephaistos (Hephaestus)] formed of earth the likeness of a shy maiden [i.e.

Pandora] as [Zeus] the son of Kronos (Cronus) willed. And the goddess bright-eyed Athene (Athena) girded and clothed her with silvery raiment, and down from her head she spread with her hands an embroidered veil, a wonder to see; and she, Pallas Athene, put about her head lovely garlands, flowers of new-grown herbs. Also she put upon her head a crown of gold which [Hephaistos] the very famous Limping God made himself and worked with his own hands as a favor to Zeus his father. On it was much curious work, wonderful to see; for of the many creatures which the land and sea rear up, he put most upon it, wonderful things, like living beings with voices : and great beauty shone out from it. But when he had made the beautiful evil to be the price for the blessing, he brought her out, delighting in the finery which the bright-eyed daughter of a mighty father had given her, to the place where the other gods and men were.

And wonder took hold of the deathless gods and mortal men when they saw that which was sheer guile, not to be withstood by men. For from her is the race of women and female kind: of her is the deadly race and tribe of women who live amongst mortal men to their great trouble, no helpmeets in hateful poverty, but only in wealth. And as in thatched hives bees feed the drones whose nature is to do mischief--by day and throughout the day until the sun goes down the bees are busy and lay the white combs, while the drones stay at home in the covered hives and reap the toil of others into their own bellies--even so Zeus who thunders on high made women to be an evil to mortal men, with a nature to do evil. And he gave them a second evil to be the price for the good they had: whoever avoids marriage and the sorrows that women cause, and will not wed, reaches deadly old age without anyone to tend his years, and though he at least has no lack of livelihood while he lives, yet, when he is dead, his kinsfolk divide his possessions amongst them.

And as for the man who chooses the lot of marriage and takes a good wife suited to his mind, evil continually contends with good; for whoever happens to have mischievous children, lives always with unceasing grief in his spirit and heart within him; and this evil cannot be healed. So it is not possible to deceive or go beyond the will of Zeus: for not even the son of Iapetos, kindly Prometheus, escaped his heavy anger, but of necessity strong bands confined him, although he knew many a wile." The creation of Pandora, Athenian red-figure calyx krater C5th B.C., British Museum Homer, The Iliad 24. 527 ff (trans. Lattimore) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) : "There are two urns (pithoi) that stand on the door-sill of Zeus. They are unlike for the gifts they bestow: an urn of evils (kakoi), an urn of blessings (dôroi). If Zeus who delights in thunder mingles these and bestows them on man, he shifts, and moves now in evil, again in good fortune.

But when Zeus bestows from the urn of sorrows, he makes a failure of man, and hte evil hunger drives him over the shining earth, and he wanders resepected neither of gods nor mortals." [N.B. Later writers say that Zeus gave one of these two jars to Pandora. The poets were at odds as to which jar she received--Hesiod says it was the jar of evils (kakoi), but Theognis and Aesop claim it was the jar of blessings (dôroi). The name Pan-dôra ("all-gifts") perhaps suggests the latter.] Theognis, Fragment 1. 1135 (trans. Gerber, Vol. Greek Elegiac) (Greek elegy C6th B.C.) : "Elpis (Hope) is the only good god remaining among mankind; the others have left and gone to Olympos. Pistis (Trust), a mighty god has gone, Sophrosyne (Restraint) has gone from men, and the Kharites (Charites, Graces), my friend, have abandoned the earth.

Men's judicial oaths are no longer to be trusted, nor does anyone revere the immortal gods; the race of pious men has perished and men no longer recognize the rules of conduct or acts of piety." [N.B. Theognis' account is the reverse of Hesiod's--the good spirits escape from Pandora's jar, abandoning mankind in their flight back to heaven.] Aesop, Fables 526 (from Babrius 58) (trans. Gibbs) (Greek fable C6th B.C.) : "Zeus gathered all the useful things together in a jar and put a lid on it. He then left the jar in human hands. But man had no self-control and he wanted to know what was in that jar, so he pushed the lid aside, letting those things go back to the abode of the gods. So all the good things flew away, soaring high above the earth, and Elpis (Hope) was the only thing left. When the lid was put back on the jar, Elpis (Hope) was kept inside.

That is why Elpis (Hope) alone is still found among the people, promising that she will bestow on each of us the good things that have gone away." [N.B. "Human hands" alludes to the story of Pandora who delivered the jar to mankind. In this version, however, it is apparently her husband who opens it.] Aesop, Fables 525 (from Chambry 1) (trans. Gibbs) (Greek fable C6th B.C.) : "The Good Things were too weak to defend themselves from the Bad Things, so the Bad Things drove them off to heaven. The Good Things then asked Zeus how they could reach mankind. Zeus told them that they should not go together all at once, only one at a time. This is why people are constantly besieged by Bad Things, since they are nearby, while Good Things come more rarely, since they must descend to us from heaven one by one." [N.B. This fable describes the spirits which had escaped from Pandora's jar.

It also refers to the two jars set beside the throne of Zeus in the Iliad--one containing Good Things and the other Evils.] Epimetheus, Pandora and Eros (detail), Athenian red-figure amphora C5th B.C., Ashmolean Museum Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 250 ff (trans. Weir Smyth) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) : "Prometheus : Yes, I caused mortals to cease foreseeing their doom (moros). Chorus : Of what sort was the cure that you found for this affliction? Prometheus : I caused blind hopes (elpides) to dwell within their breasts. Chorus : A great benefit was this you gave to mortals." [N.B. This is presumably a reference to Pandora's jar--a curse concocted by Zeus to punish mankind for the theft of fire.

Prometheus seems to be saying that he was the one who stayed Hope inside the jar when all the other spirits escaped.] Aeschylus, Fragment 204 (from Proclus, Commentary on Hesiod's Works and Days 156) : "A mortal woman from out a seed moulded of clay [i.e Pandora]." Sophocles, Pandora (lost play) (C5th B.C.) : Sophocles wrote a Satyr-play entitled Pandora or Sphyrocopi which dramatised the story of the first woman. Plato, Protagoras 320c - 322a (trans. Lamb) (Greek philosopher C4th B.C.) : "Prometheus stole the mechanical arts of Hephaistos (Hephaestus) and Athene (Athena), and fire with them (they could neither have been acquired nor used without fire), and gave them to man . . . But Prometheus is said to have been afterwards prosecuted for theft, owing to the blunder of Epimetheus [i.e. because he accepted Pandora from Zeus]." Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1. 46 (trans.

Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "Prometheus had a son Deukalion (Deucalion), who was king of the lands round Phthia and was married to Pyrrha, the daughter of Epimetheus and Pandora, the first woman created by the gods." Euphorion of Chalcis, Fragments (trans. Page, Vol. Select Papyri III, No. 121 (2b)) (Greek epic C3rd B.C.) : "Pandora, donor of evil (kakodôros), man's sorrow self-imposed." Strabo, Geography 9. 5. 23 (trans. Jones) (Greek geographer C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : "[The region of] Thessalia (Thessaly). But speaking of it as a whole, I may say that in earlier times it was called Pyrrhaia (Pyrrhaea), after Pyrrha the wife of Deukalion (Deucalion) . . . But some writers, dividing it into two parts, say that Deukalion obtained the portion towards the south and called it Pandora after his mother [i.e.

his mother-in-law], and that the other part fell to Haimon (Haemon), after whom it was called Haimonia (Haemonia), but that the former name was changed to Hellas, after Hellen the son of Deukalion, and the latter to Thessalia, after the son of Haimon." [N.B. Pyrrha was the daughter of Pandora and wife of Deukalion. Deukalion named various parts of Thessalia after his wife and mother-in-law.] Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. 24. 7 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : "On the pedestal [of the statue of Athena on the Akropolis in Athens] is the birth of Pandora in relief. Hesiod and others have sung how this Pandora was the first woman; before Pandora was born there was as yet no womankind." Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 142 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "Prometheus, son of Iapetus, first fashioned men from clay.

Later Vulcanus [Hephaistos], at Jove's [Zeus'] command, made a woman's form from clay. Minerva [Athene] gave it life, and the rest of the gods each gave come other gift. Because of this they named her Pandora. She was given in marriage to Prometheus' brother Epimetheus. Pyrrha was her daughter, and was said to be the first mortal born." Nonnus, Dionysiaca 7. 7 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.) : "[Aion (Time) addresses Zeus :] ‘But, some may say, a medicine [Hope] has been planted to make long-suffering mortals forget their troubles, to save their lives. Would that Pandora had never opened the heavenly cover of that jar--she the sweet bane of mankind!’" ANCIENT GREEK ART Creation of Man by Prometheus Creation of Man by Prometheus See More Creation of Man by Prometheus Pictures > Prometheus and Epimetheus , two Titans , were spared imprisonment in Tartarus after the Titanomachy , the War between the Titans and the Olympians , because they had not fought alongside the other Titans . Instead, they were given the task of creating man.

Prometheus shaped man out of mud, and Athena breathed life into his clay figure. Prometheus assigned Epimetheus with the task of giving the creatures of the earth their various qualities, such as swiftness, cunning, strength, fur, wings. Unfortunately, by the time he got to man, Epimetheus had given all the good qualities out and there were none left for man. So Prometheus decided to make man stand upright just like the gods did and to give them fire. Prometheus loved man more than the Olympians , who had banished most of his family to Tartarus . So when Zeus decreed that man must sacrifice a portion of each food to the gods, Prometheus decided to trick Zeus . He created two piles, one with bones wrapped in juicy fat, and another with the finest meat hidden inside a hide. He then asked Zeus to choose one of the piles; Zeus , unaware, chose the bones and since he had given his word, was forced to accept the bones as his share for future sacrifices. In his anger over the trick, he took fire away from man. However, Prometheus lit a torch from the sun and brought it back again to man. Zeus was enraged that man again had fire.

He decided to inflict a terrible punishment on both man and Prometheus . To punish man, Zeus had Hephaestus create a mortal of stunning beauty. The gods gave the mortal many gifts of wealth. He then had Hermes give the mortal a deceptive heart and a lying tongue. This creation was Pandora , the first woman. A final gift was a jar which Pandora was forbidden to open. Thus, Zeus sent Pandora to Epimetheus , who had decided to live amongst men. Prometheus had warned Epimetheus not to accept gifts from Zeus , but Pandora 's beauty was too great; so, he let her stay. Eventually, Pandora 's curiosity about the forbidden jar overwhelmed her; she opened it, releasing all evils upon the earth. Only one thing was left in the jar when Pandora managed to close the lid again - hope. Zeus was angry at Prometheus for three things: being tricked on sacrifices, stealing fire for man, and for refusing to tell Zeus which of Zeus 's children would dethrone him. Zeus commanded his servants, Force and Violence, to seize Prometheus , take him to the Caucasus Mountains, and chain him to a rock with unbreakable, diamond chains.

There, he was tormented day and night by a giant eagle tearing at his liver. Zeus gave Prometheus two ways out of this torment. He could tell Zeus who the mother of the child that would dethrone him was. Or meet two conditions: first, that an immortal must volunteer to die for Prometheus . And second, that a mortal must kill the eagle and unchain him. Eventually, Chiron the Centaur agreed to die for him and Heracles killed the eagle and unbound him. Pandora (greek myth) Base of Operations: An unnamed tropical island; later Shadow Mountain First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery I#74/1 (November, 1961) Powers/Abilities: Pandora has an incredibly long lifespan, although she is not entirely immortal. She does age, but at a rate much slower than a normal human. She also has the power to take on a form familiar to those near her through a form of hypnotization, and always takes on a form much younger than she really is. Pandora also has mind-control over the creature(s) that reside in her box.

History: (Incredible Hulks#627 (fb)/Myth) - Pandora was an artificially-created woman (the "first" woman, in fact), when Zeus became enraged that Prometheus gave humans the power of fire. He had all of the gods imbue Pandora with their traits (beauty, weaving skills, etc.). (Journey Into Mystery I#74 (fb)/Incredible Hulks#627 (fb)/Myth) - Zeus gave Pandora a sealed box and instructed her to never open it. Curiosity got the best of her, and when she opened it, a multitude of plagues emerged to attack mankind. (Incredible Hulks#627 (fb)/Myth) - She closed the box too late, and only one thing remained in the box, Hope. (Strange Tales I#109) - After Pandora had opened the box the sorceress Circe used her magic powers to force the evils back into the box. (Journey Into Mystery I#74 (fb) - BTS) - Pandora was imprisoned on a small tropical island. (Uncanny Tales I#54 - BTS) - Pandora's box was obtained by a "Mr.

Dora" who collected all of the negative characteristics and thoughts of the town Midville and placed them in the box, turning the town into a virtual utopia. When crook Mort Lowman opened the box, the evils were released again, and Mr. Dora set out to find a new town. (Journey Into Mystery I#74) - When the cruise ship he was vacationing on sank, Dan Harper narrowly escaped and wound up on an uncharted tropical island, where he encountered a young woman who pleaded with him to open a large box of hers, promising jewels and clothes inside. When Harper did so, a creature climbed out, and the girl revealed herself to be the legendary Pandora. The Thing in the Box then grew to massive size, and Pandora sent it out to attack the world, which it conquered quite easily. Dan pleaded with Pandora to let him go back to humanity, so he could live with his kind. Once there, Harper alerted the authorities of a potential weakness of Pandora's. While she was resting, Australian authorities helped Harper return to the island, where he set up a set of mirrors around the sleeping woman. She awakened to see her true reflection in the mirrors, that of a very old woman.

Pandora, fearful of the mirrors that showed her the true age of her body, agreed to command the Thing back into its box. Thereafter, the box was buried and Pandora was left on her island where she could think of herself as young. (Strange Tales I#109 - BTS) - Pandora's box came into the possession of the Sorcerer (Dorian Murdstone), who used it for his criminal endeavors. (Chamber of Darkness#3/3 - BTS) - Pandora somehow managed to relocate to Shadow Mountain, in the United States. (Chamber of Darkness#3/3) - While backpacking on Shadow Mountain, George Ashton encountered a young woman who resembled a woman he once knew (but who had died under unexplained reasons). The woman asked him to open her box, and when he obliged, a rotting corpse-like Thing crawled out of it, and began to turn everything it touched into rotting material. The woman revealed herself to be Pandora, and the quick-thinking Ashton pulled out the shiny frying pans he'd brought with him, revealing Pandora's true self to her. She agreed to put the Thing back in the box if he would put the pans away.

Having halted her plot, Ashton left Shadow Mountain, content that Pandora would never be found by others. However, he soon discovered a construction crew headed in that direction, ready to start building a new suburban community on Shadow Mountain. (Incredible Hulks#626 - BTS) - Pandora's box was stored in a mystically sealed vault at the Museo Della Mitologia Antica in Rome. Tyrannus and Red She-Hulk stole it by tricking the Hulk to smash the vault door. (Incredible Hulks#627 - BTS) - Bruce Banner and cryptomythologist Dr. Sofia di Cosimo tried their best to convince Tyrannus and Betty not to open Pandora's Box. The Knights of Rome abducted Dr. di Cosimo, Tyrannus and Pandora's box. (Incredible Hulks#628 - BTS) - Tyrannus knocked out the Knights of Rome's leader to retrieve Pandora's box from him while Hulk and Red She-Hulk defeated a bird consisting of Zeus' energies, which had been summoned by the Knights' leader. Tyrannus then took control over the Knights' flying fortress.

(Incredible Hulks#627 - BTS) - While Tyrannus fought the Hulk by using the fortress Dr. di Cosimo took Pandora's box. He was ready to open eat after defeating the Hulk, but the green goliath returned to challenge Tyrannus again. Tyrannus dropped Pandora's box, Hulk caught it and gave it to Betty when Tyrannus kept attacking him with the fortress. Tyrannus shot Pandora's box with a gun while Betty held it and the angry personification of hope was released. Hulk inhaled and ate it, ending the threat. The Meaning of Pandora's Box - Zeus's Curse on Mankind By N.S. Gill Updated October 28, 2016. A "Pandora's box" is a metaphor in our modern languages, and the proverbial phrase refers to a source of endless complications or trouble arising from a single, simple miscalculation. Pandora's story comes to us from ancient Greek mythology , specifically a set of epic poems by Hesiod , called the Theogony and Works and Days.

Written during the 7th century BC, these poems relate how the gods came to create Pandora and how a gift given to her by Zeus ultimately ends the Golden Age of humankind. The Story of Pandora's Box According to Hesiod, Pandora was a curse on mankind, as retribution after the titan Prometheus stole fire and gave it to humans. Zeus had Hermes hammer the first human woman--Pandora--out of the earth. Hermes made her lovely as a goddess, with the gift of speech to tell lies, and the mind and nature of a treacherous dog. Athena dressed her in silvery clothing and taught her weaving; Hephaestus crowned her with a marvelous golden diadem of animals and sea creatures; Aphrodite poured grace on her head and desire and cares to weaken her limbs. continue reading below our video 10 Best Universities in the United States Pandora was to be the first of a race of women, the first bride and a great misery who would live with mortal men as companions only in times of plenty, and desert them when times became difficult. Her name means both "she who gives all gifts" and "she who was given all gifts".

Never let it be said that Greeks had any use for women in general. All the Ills of the World Then Zeus sent this beautiful treachery as a gift to Prometheus' brother Epimetheus , who ignored Prometheus's advice to never accept gifts from Zeus. In the house of Epimetheus, there was a jar--in some versions it too was a gift from Zeus--and because of her insatiable greedy woman's curiosity, Pandora lifted the lid on it. Out from the jar flew every trouble known to humanity. Strife, sickness, toil, and myriad other ills escaped from the jar to afflict men and women forever more. Pandora managed to keep one spirit in the jar as she shut the lid, a timid sprite named Elpis, usually translated as "hope." Box, Casket or Jar? But our modern phrase says "Pandora's box": how did that happen? Hesiod said the evils of the world were kept in a "pithos", and that was uniformly employed by all Greek writers in telling the myth until the 16th century AD. Pithoi are huge storage jars that are typically partly buried in the ground.

The first reference to something other than a pithos comes from the 16th-century writer Lilius Giraldus of Ferrara, who in 1580 used the word pyxis (or casket) to refer to the holder of evils opened by Pandora. Although the translation was not exact, it is a meaningful error, because a pyxis is a 'whited sepulchre', a beautiful fraud. Eventually, the casket became simplified as "box". Harrison (1900) argued that this mistranslation explicitly removed the Pandora myth from its association with All Souls Day , or rather the Athenian version, the festival of Anthesteria . The two-day drinking festival involves opening wine casks on the first day (the Pithoigia), releasing the souls of the dead; on the second day, men anointed their doors with pitch and chewed blackthorn to keep the newly released souls of the departed away. Then the casks were sealed again. Harrison's argument is bolstered by the fact that Pandora is a cult name of the great goddess Gaia .

Pandora is not just any willful creature, she is the personification of earth itself; both Kore and Persephone, made from the earth and rising from the underworld. The pithos connects her to the earth, the box or casket minimizes her importance. The Meaning of the Myth Hurwit (1995) says that the myth explains why humans must work to survive, that Pandora represents the beautiful figure of dread, something for which men can find no device or remedy. The quintessential woman was created to beguile men with her beauty and uncontrollable sexuality, to introduce falsehood and treachery and disobedience into their lives. Her task was to let loose all the evils on the world, while trapping hope, unavailable to mortal men. Pandora is a trick gift, a punishment for the good of Promethean fire, she is, in fact, Zeus's price of fire. Brown points out that Hesiod's story of Pandora is the icon of archaic Greek ideas of sexuality and economics.

Hesiod didn't invent Pandora, but he did adapt the story to show that Zeus was the supreme being who shaped the world and caused the misery of the human lot, and how that caused human descent from the original bliss of a carefree existence. Pandora and Eve At this point, you may recognize in Pandora the story of the Biblical Eve . She too was the first woman, and she too was responsible for destroying an innocent, all-male Paradise and unleashing suffering ever after. Are the two related? Several scholars including Brown and Kirk argue that the Theogony was based on Mesopotamian tales, although blaming a woman for all the evils of the world is definitely more Greek than Mesopotamian. Both Pandora and Eve may well share a similar source. Sources Encyclopedia Mythica: Folktales Pandora's Box retold by Robert Hoffman As the mists of time part and show us the past we see that even before the time of men, before our puny struggles and trials, there was life on the earth. If we look closely we can see the battles of the Titans and the Olympians. Such battles as men have never witnessed raged. Mountains were cast down and trampled under the fierce feet of the Titans.

Thunderbolts pierced the sky and the lightning crowned the ever-restless waves. Every day brought another victory or defeat for the forces involved in the struggle. For countless ages the battle continued. In this time before man neither side was assured victory. Even the immortals themselves had doubts. In time, the immortals became stronger. Because of this the great war was finally stilled. Zeus and his family had won the war and as victors, divided the earth. Poseidon, Zeus' brother, was given dominion over the sea and its creatures. Since the earth was mostly sea it was a high honor. Often Zeus would look from Olympus and see Poseidon dancing in the waves as he cast about the earth. Such tempests he could throw for fun. But Zeus knew there was more to this than was readily apparent. For when Poseidon threw his storms over the waters he was only keeping his skills sharp in case their enemies should rise. To his brother, Hades, he gave the underworld. This was the end of all creatures and because of this was considered to be important -- if dreary and somber.

Though even Zeus had trouble seeing into the gloom that constantly swept that hard land there came a time when he too could hear the lost souls moaning for their loss of life and love. Though Zeus shuddered when he heard their cries he knew his brother was well satisfied and that was important. With each of his kin satisfied life became wonderful for the immortals. Each pleasure sought was a pleasure gained. Everything they wanted was theirs and more. As much as each desired the tranquility and serenity of this life there was another part of them that longed for the changes brought by confrontation. Having no wish to resurrect their enemies Zeus cast about for some other way to amuse his brothers and sisters. From the clay of the earth he created the first creature that could reason. Man, he called him. When his creation desired another name Zeus granted he be called Epimetheus. Epimetheus lived much like the gods. Sickness and even death were unknown. He was content and because of this his actions became predictable. From his high seat on Olympus Zeus watched Epimetheus go about his day in happiness. Zeus gave Epimetheus dominion over the earth and its creatures. Epimetheus responded by praising Zeus. Zeus relished his praise.

But endless praise, in time, becomes as boring as no praise and Zeus decided to help his creation by giving him a mate. He called his brothers and sisters together and told them of his plan, "We must make this creature, this woman, to be like Epimetheus and yet unlike him. Where we took the best of all of us and created the man, this woman must be different." "What do you mean, different?" "Poseidon, this creature must be different in every way from man. Where man is hard, she will be soft. Where man is strong she will be weak. Where man is foolish, she will be wise. Where man is brave she will be timid. Where man shall be scared she will be brave." "But, when they combine their talents won't they rival us?" "Of course, but we won't tell them." Zeus said with a smile. "You know best, brother. What can we give to help?" The sea god said as his beard began to dry and blow in the freshening breeze. Zeus rose from the throne and walked among them. With a stern look over his marble-like face he said, "From each of you I want the opposites in the world.

When we give the woman the gift of love, we will also give the gift of jealousy. Where we give creature weakness, we must give her strength. We will make her appearance rival that of Aphrodite, but her insecurity will cause her to become vain. In time all of the contrary elements we can bring will be combined." "Zeus, what shall you call this woman?" "Hades, I shall call her Pandora. "I see. Pandora means all. Very good." And so the elements of the earth were gathered and separated according to their properties. To an intelligent mind the gift of an overwhelming curiosity was given. Zeus asked Athena why she gave this pair. Athena replied, "Though they seem to not be the opposite, they truly are. For as much as curiosity can lead to knowledge, curiosity eventually leads to the loss of that same knowledge. While knowledge is good and strong, it can be weakened by the need to know too much." Zeus, a cloud passing over his countenance, finally smiled. "I see, Athena, but will the subtlety be lost on these creatures?" "Perhaps. Perhaps. But we must give them the chance to be more together than they can ever be alone.

Don't you agree?" "Yes, I do." He said with the cloud moving away and the light of his smile warming the hearts of all. When Epimetheus found Zeus' gift he was delighted. She was clever with her fingers and could do many of the things that troubled him. For all the time he had been living he had never managed to be patient enough to weave leaves together into a cup for the pure water that flowed from the earth. She mastered this almost immediately and Epimetheus took special care to thank the gods for their wonderful gift. But on Olympus complacency soon lead to boredom and one day after a tiring day of hearing himself praised he called Hades to him. "Listen, I want you to go to the dark places you know so well and gather what you find. I want the sprites of disease, hunger, hopelessness, cruelty, and the rest. Bind them into a strong box and bring it to me." "What for, brother?" "Hades, I have my reasons. Please do as I ask." "Of course." The sun shone brightly overhead for the morning rain had passed leaving the world lush and green.

Together Pandora and Epimetheus sat under an olive tree and tasted of the sweet gift of Athena once more. Up the road they saw a man walking carrying a heavy box. Together they ran to see if they might be of some help. Pandora asked, "Can we help carry your burden?" The traveler looked deeply into her eyes and with a hint of sadness said, "Yes, I suppose you must." Together Epimetheus and Pandora picked up the large box and carried it as they led the stranger to the shade of the olive tree. Placing the box down gently Pandora ran to fetch some clear water. Quickly she fashioned the reeds into a cup and brought the cool drink to the stranger. With a sigh he accepted her gift and drank deeply of the blood of the earth. The stern look on his face finally began to ease and he knew he must continue his journey. "If it wouldn't be too much to ask, could I leave my chest here for a while? I need to hurry to complete my journey." Epimetheus looked over the young man and smiled, "Of course. Your box will be safe with us.

Come after it when you will -- it will be here." "Listen, Epimetheus and Pandora, you must not attempt to look inside. There could be terrible consequences if you do." Epimetheus nodded his understanding and smiled," Don't worry about it. Nothing will disturb your box." Pandora nodded her agreement, but her eyes never left the carefully decorated box. When the young man left to continue his journey he was suddenly gone. Epimetheus smiled, as he knew that he must have been one of the immortals. Days passed and the box stood where the stranger had placed it. Often Pandora would look at the beautiful designs carved into its surface and wonder. She thought that anyone who could create such beauty for the outside of a container must have something special beyond comprehension enclosed. Athena's seed of curiosity began to grow. Soon Pandora was spending every waking hour examining the box. Though she could not read, she knew there were words written in gold on the top of the box. The carvings of the men and women were beautiful and for hours she would let her fingers trace the designs quietly while an ever-growing curiosity encompassed her.

One day when Epimetheus was away for a minute Pandora placed her ear close to the box to see if any sound would escape. In a voice so faint it might have been the wind she heard, "Help us. Please open the box and let us out, Pandora." Her fingers pulled her long black hair out of her way and she placed her naked ear against the box to see if she was being deceived. Faintly, but more clearly than before she heard, "Pandora, let us out. We need to be free." With great hesitation she decided to peek inside to see if whoever was asking for her help looked like someone she would like to help. When she fingered the cord holding the chest closed, she was surprised that the knot fell open in her hands. She placed her hands on the edges of the lid. Casting her eyes around she looked to see if Epimetheus could see her. He could not. Faintly the voices cried again. With a stern resolve she began to lift. The box, instead of being hard to open as she anticipated, opened easily. Pandora was expecting to be able to look and see who or what had called her. Instead the creatures of the box flew out in a torrent.

Round her head and body they flew quickly stopping only long enough to bite and sting. Each of them were hateful spiteful creatures. She tried to shut the lid to stop their rush for freedom but they had escaped. After they tortured her for long moments they flew off to seek Epimetheus. What had she done? She cried softly as she sat on the green grass under the pale sun and leaned against the box. Tears stained her beautiful face and she hung her head in shame. For though the creatures had not identified themselves something in her knew who they were. Her bitter tears were amplified by the screams of Epimetheus as he was attacked without mercy. Finally when his cries had faded, Pandora heard a small sweet voice ask, "Pandora, can you please release me?" "Why should I? Didn't you see who they were?" "Of course I did, they are my sisters. But I can assure you I am not like them." Pandora who felt all was lost sadly opened the box. A beautiful sprite with gossamer wings flew shimmering into the sunlight. Round and round her body the creature flew lighting only when a sore was encountered. As the creature touched the hurt -- it was gone.

When Pandora had been healed completely the creature flew to heal Epimetheus. Pandora sat back against the box and thought. Hope, she was certain that was the creature's name continued her healing. In time the sprite flew back and rested exhausted on Pandora's shoulder. Pandora watched as the creature drifted painlessly into her flesh and took up residence in her heart. She knew she had been given the gift that, even though it could not erase the pain she had brought to the world, could make that pain easier. She smiled a soft smile for knowing there is hope, and hope is sometimes enough. Main IMDb: Most Popular Titles With Quotes Matching "Pandora's Box" Most Popular Titles With Quotes Matching "Pandora's Box" 30 titles. Episode: Lockup (2016) Without him, we wouldn't know the Darkhold had resurfaced. But the fewer people who know about it, the better. Fury had no problem opening Pandora's box from time to time, but even he was afraid of this thing. It's powerful, it's deadly, and now probably in the hands of a pissed off mad scientist ghost. So, thoughts, feelings? This is a safe space. 2.

It's Pandora's box. Legend says it contains the world's darkest evil. 3. You've opened Pandora's box, detectives. This is huge. 4. Episode: The Art of War (2015) The spell Nevins cast was from the Ynlinga saga, but he changed something. Whereas the Norse mystics called upon the power of Odin, Nevins invoked the power of Pandora. Presumably, the mystical source he was tapping was Pandora's box. It is slight, but a significant alteration. 5. Episode: Deus Ex Machina (2014) The Machine and I couldn't save the world. We had to settle for protecting the seven people who might be able to take it back. So we gave Samaritan a blind spot: seven key servers that hardcodes it to ignore seven, carefully crafted new identities. When the whole world is watched, filed, indexed, numbered, the only way to disappear is to appear, hiding our true identities inside a seemingly ordinary life. You're not a free man anymore, Harold. You're just a number. We have to become these people now, and if we don't, they'll find us, and they'll kill us. I'm sorry, Harold.

I know it's not enough. A lot of people are going to die. People who might have been able to help. Everything is changing. I don't know if it will ever get better... but it's going to get worse. But the Machine asked me to tell you something before we part. You once told John, the whole point of Pandora's Box is that once you've opened it, you can't close it again. She wanted me to remind you how the story ends. When everything is over and the worst has happened, there's still one thing left in Pandora's Box: hope. 6. I haven't seen them in a very long time and I have changed a lot. Look, I-I just think we should have talked about this beforehand. This could open a Pandora's box. 13. Oh Katie, I am sorry. I opened Pandora's Box. 14. You've Got Mail (1998) Do you ever feel you've become the worst version of yourself? That a Pandora's box of all the secret, hateful parts - your arrogance, your spite, your condescension - has sprung open? Someone upsets you and instead of smiling and moving on, you zing them.

"Hello, it's Mr Nasty." I'm sure you have no idea what I'm talking about. 15. The Bank Job (2008) You've opened Pandora's box you dumb prick. That's why. The whole point of having a safe deposit box is so that people like you don't know what's in it! I'm afraid I have some potentially bad news for you, Michael. Your safety deposit box at the Baker Street bank - what's its number? Well, we had some weekender thieves break into the vault and robbed it. So if your box is in the one hundred to four hundred numbers, I'm afraid all your stuff will be gone. Mine too, unhappily. You don't understand. My box, and those of my friends, may have been rifled. Surely you can pull some strings. You're a minister of the government for god's sake! Perhaps you don't fully comprehend. I have photographs, compromising photographs, live film of you, Miles Urquart, all my regulars - in this safe deposit box. You all know each other if that's any consolation. Hardly surprising considering the roster of reprobates that are the safe deposit box customers.

Listen Terry, our commitment is for the recovery of the royal portraits only. The proceeds and the piss-offs are both yours to deal with. Yeah, well it very well won't be a safe deposit box. Well, it's all straight-forward enough. I'll send a team into this bank and take whatever he's got in his safe deposit box. 16. Akira (1988) Look at what they abandoned in their panic, they were afraid! They were too scared, so they hid it away from the public. They forgot all shame and honor, cast off the civilization and science we had created, and shut the lid of the Pandora's Box they themselves had opened. 17. Episode: Dungeons & Dragons (2008) On the night we first met, John's father, Kyle Reese, told me words I remember to this day. He meant them as a warning. I think of them as words to live by. He told me of an apocalypse yet to come. Like a Pandora's box, he unpacked every horror, every evil, every dark thing that haunts our future. He also left me an unborn son, to whom he bequeathed what remained in the box after the nightmares fled: hope.

18. Episode: Gone with the Window (2010) Pandora's box is on fire! I'm Pandora Boxx and I'm thirty-whoop years old. Pandora is definitely a melting pot of people. You know, there's like a dash of Madonna, a sprinkle of Goldie Hawn, and a big chunk of Kathy Griffin thrown in there to just, kind of, like, use it all together into this melted pot of goo that becomes Pandora. 19. Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) Reiss is going to use the orb to find Pandora's box. Do you meen the Greek myth? Pandora's given a box by a God, told not to open it - she does and unleashes pain into the world? No one knows. Alexander found it using a map that was with the box, a map he then hid from the world. But the name he gave this map was "mati" and the literal translation for the word "mati" is "eye.

The orb is the map, hidden in the Luna Temple by Alexander and Reiss will use it to find Pandora's box and when he does, when he opens it, he will unleash a weapon more powerful than you could ever imagine. That's the Sunday school version, yes. How do you think life began? Shooting star? Primordial ooze? In 2300 BC an Egyptian pharaoh found a place that he named The Cradle of Life where we, life, began. And there he found a box, the box which brought life to earth. The pharaoh opened the box but all that was left inside was the "Ramante" or anti-life: The plague which came as the companion to life. It levelled the pharaoh's army. The pharaoh's son dispatched his finest soldier to take the box and transport it to the end of the world. 2000 years later Alexander the Great reached India where his army was ravaged by a plague after one of his men found a box amongst some remains. Mm. Alexander felt that the box was too powerful to be trusted to any man so he returned it to its home in The Cradle of Life and it has never been seen since. 20.

Episode: The Lab Brat (1997) Years later, seeing an airplane or just hearing one fly overhead can unleash a Pandora's Box of repressed anger, shattering the grown child's fragile psyche and triggering a psychotic and possibly deadly episode. And like a husband going home to his noble and self-sacrificing wife, the rat keeps returning to the food box. That is, the positive reinforcement. Huh, if only men could be more like rats. Oh, sure, they come home at first. You feed them, you wait on them, and then, after twenty-two thankless years, they just up and leave. No note, no phone call, no nothing! 21. Episode: Intermission (1970) I'm afraid I'm going to have to operate. It's nothing to worry about, although it is extremely dangerous. I shall be juggling with your life, I shall be playing ducks and drakes with your very existence, I shall be running me mitts over the pith of your marrow. Yes!

These hands, these fingers, these sophisticated organs of touch, these bunches of five, these maulers, these German bands that have pulled many a moribund unfortunate back from the very brink of Lazarus's box. No, it was Pandora's box wasn't it? Well anyway, these mitts have earned yours truly a lot of bread. So if you'll just step through here I'll slit you up a treat. 22. Beyond: Two Souls (2013 Video Game) I see things at night... terrifying things. I tell myself it's only nightmares, but... I know it's not true. Once Pandora's box is open, it can never be closed again. No... it's not nightmares. It's what is about to happen. I've died twice already. I'm not afraid of death anymore. I see things at night... terrifying things. I tell myself it's only nightmares, but... I know it's not true. The only one who can save the world is a little girl. I have to prepare her. I know I don't have much time. Once Pandora's box is open, it can never be closed again. No... it's not nightmares.

It's what is about to happen. 23. You think you can just open Pandora's box and close it again? 24. Be very careful what you ask of me, gentlemen. Do you really wish to open Pandora's Box? 25. Paradise Hotel (2003 TV Series) Charla, you and Dave have had words over Pandora's box. Why did you choose him again? 26. The human brain is a Pandora's box of electrical charges which we can only begin to understand. Now, most brains are but receivers, but some are advanced, sending and receiving charges. As they choose. 27. Demon City Shinjuku (1988 Video) Men anger the gods with their pride, and in order to punish them, the gods looked on as Pandora opened her box letting chaos loose. And now here in Monster City, mythology will become reality. Remember this, Pandora's box released chaos. The gods saw the dispair her actions caused so they released one last item with the others so mankind could bear to go on, the gift of hope. 'Til next time. 28.

Chapter Two: Pandora's Box containing, among other things, a great many dresses, a strained reunion, and a fox. 29. New York: A Documentary Film (1999 TV Series) From the ruins, lonely and inexplicable as the sphinx, rose the Empire State Building and, just as it had been a tradition of mine to climb to the Plaza Roof to take leave of the beautiful city, extending as far as eyes could reach, so now I went to the roof of the last and most magnificent of towers. Then I understood - - everything was explained: I had discovered the crowning error of the city, its Pandora's box. Full of vaunting pride the New Yorker had climbed here and seen with dismay what he had never suspected, that the city was not the endless succession of canyons that he had supposed but that it had limits - - from the tallest structure he saw for the first time that it faded out into the country on all sides, into an expanse of green and blue. That alone was limitless. And with the awful realization that New York was a city after all and not a universe, the whole shining edifice that he had reared in his imagination came crashing to th! e ground. - F.

Scott Fitzgerald. 30. Greek creation myths Greek creation myths by Daphne Elliott In the beginning, Chaos , an amorphous, gaping void encompassing the entire universe, and surrounded by an unending stream of water ruled by the god Oceanus , was the domain of a goddess named Eurynome , which means "far-ruling" or "wide-wandering". She was the Goddess of All Things, and desired to make order out of the Chaos. By coupling with a huge and powerful snake, Ophion , or as some legends say, coupling with the North Wind, she gave birth to Eros , god of Love, also known as Protagonus, the "firstborn". Eurynome separated the sky from the sea by dancing on the waves of Oceanus. In this manner, she created great lands upon which she might wander, a veritable universe, populating it with exotic creatures such as Nymphs , Furies , and Charites as well as with countless beasts and monsters.

Also born out of Chaos were Gaia , called Earth, or Mother Earth, and Uranus , the embodiment of the Sky and the Heavens, as well as Tartarus , god of the sunless and terrible region beneath Gaia, the Earth. Gaia and Uranus married and gave birth to the Titans , a race of formidable giants, which included a particularly wily giant named Cronus . In what has become one of the recurrent themes of Greek Mythology, Gaia and Uranus warned Cronus that a son of his would one day overpower him. Cronus therefore swallowed his numerous children by his wife Rhea , to keep that forecast from taking place. This angered Gaia greatly, so when the youngest son, Zeus , was born, Gaia took a stone, wrapped it in swaddling clothes and offered it to Cronus to swallow. This satisfied Cronus, and Gaia was able to spirit the baby Zeus away to be raised in Crete, far from his grasping father. In due course, Zeus grew up, came homeward, and got into immediate conflict with the tyrant Cronus, who did not know that this newcomer was his own son.

Zeus needed his brothers and sisters help in slaying the tyrant, and Metis , Zeus's first wife, found a way of administering an emetic to Cronus, who then threw up his five previous children, who were Hestia , Demeter , Hera , Hades , and Poseidon . Together they went to battle against their father. The results were that all of his children, led by Zeus, vanquished Cronus forever into Tartarus' domain, the Dark World under the Earth. Thus, Zeus triumphed over not only his father, and his father's family of Giants, he triumphed over his brothers and sisters as well, dividing up the universe as he fancied, in short, bringing order out of Chaos. He made himself Supreme God over all, creating a great and beautiful place for his favored gods to live, on Mount Olympus , in Thessaly. All the others were left to fend for themselves in lands below Mount Olympus. Zeus made himself God of the Sky and all its phenomena, including the clouds as well as the thunderbolts. Hestia became goddess of the Hearth. To his brother Poseidon, he gave the rule of the Sea.

Demeter became a goddess of Fertility, Hera (before she married Zeus and became a jealous wife), was goddess of Marriage and Childbirth, while Hades, one of his other brothers, was made god of the Underworld. Zeus did indeed bring order out of Chaos, but one of his failings was that he did not look kindly upon the people, those creatures that populated the lands over which he reigned. Many were not beautiful, and Zeus had contempt for anyone who was not beautiful. And of course they were not immortal, as the Olympian gods were, and they complained about the lack of good food and the everlasting cold nights. Zeus ignored their complaints, while he and the other gods feasted endlessly on steaming hot game from the surrounding forests, and had great crackling fires in every room of their palaces where they lived in the cold winter. Enter Prometheus , one of the Titans not vanquished in the war between Zeus and the giants. It is said in many myths that Prometheus had created d a race of people from clay, or that he had combined specks of every living creature, molded them together, and produced a new race, The Common Man. At the very least he was their champion before Zeus.

Fire for cooking and heating was reserved only for the gods to enjoy. Prometheus stole some of the sparks of a glowing fire from the Olympians, so that the people below Olympus could have fire for cooking and warmth in the winter, thus greatly improving their lot in life. Zeus was furious at this insult to his absolute power, and had Prometheus bound and chained to a mountain, sending an eagle to attack him daily. Adding insult to injury, Zeus had his fellow Olympian, Hephaestus , fashion a wicked but beautiful creature to torment Prometheus. It was a woman, whom they named Pandora , which means "all gifts". She was given a precious and beautiful box, which she was told not to open, but curiosity got the better of her, and out flew "all the evils that plague men." The only "gift" that stayed in the box was "Hope". So, from "far-ruling" Eurynome to the creation of the Common Man, Greek creation myths are inextricably filled with difficulties, though often ameliorated by the gift of Hope.

A myriad of other myths tell of the joys and adventures of great heroes and heroines, other gods and goddesses, as well as fantastic creatures from all parts of ancient Greece. Apologia Every myth, Greek or otherwise, that has ever been told or written, varies in the telling. The basic themes are repeated in many of them, but details, even story lines will differ considerably, from village to village, eon to eon. When one understands that the myths have been told for many centuries before being written down, which first occurred about 800 BCE, one can relish the differences in the tellings and enjoy the Greek's brilliant and artful imagination throughout the ages. Article details:

Question: According to Greek legend, what was the only thing left in the box after Pandora released all the evils of mankind?
Answer: Hope