Pandora’s Box: a Story of Curiosity and Hope
Welcome back, Greeks and Geeks! Have you ever gotten sick, got angry, or even felt worried? Then you have Pandora to thank!
Pandora was the first mortal woman, crafted and created by Hephaestus for Zeus, as a means to punish mankind and the Titan Prometheus as he stole fire and gifted it to the humans. Pandora was meant to counteract the gift of fire, she was supposed to be something that would plague humanity from that point on.
The story of Pandora first appeared in the Theogony, a collection of Greek myths compiled by Hesiod, an Ancient Greek Poet. He wrote that Pandora “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.”
Hephaestus had help from other Gods and deities to make Pandora. Hephaestus molded her beauty out of clay, Athena dressed her and taught her needlework and weaving, Aphrodite added elegance and longing, The Graces and Peitho gifted Pandora golden necklaces, Horae placed a flowery garland upon her head, and Hermes gave her the voice of humankind, laced with lies and crafty words.
Also given to her upon her creation, was a box (also referred to as a jar). She was told to never open it, no matter the circumstances.
However, due to the nature of her creation, she was destined to open this box, letting out all the troubles mankind had not yet known, including war, disease, and the necessity to work for sustenance. The only thing that remained inside was Hope, thus granting humans this one blessing.
While this myth is probably one of the most well-known Greek myths, I hate how it depicts that women were created to be a plague to humanity, that any words that fall from our lips are lies, that we were simply a gift made in revenge, in order to bring humanity down.
Pandora is made to be the Eve of Greek Mythology, but something I am thankful for is that this legacy is not well-known. There are so many strong women throughout Greek Mythology, that without them, some Greek heroes would never have completed their quests.
Though the Pandora myth is ripe with misogyny, it still holds some morals within the story. Curiosity isn’t always the best thing, but without it we would not have hope. Hope, according to the Greeks, is something that was needed for all of humanity throughout everything.
As always, thank you for reading and I hope to see you soon. Αντίο, Σοφία.
List of Gods and Deities mentioned in this post:
- Hephaestus – God of Blacksmiths and Fire
- Athena – Goddess of Wisdom
- Aphrodite – Goddess of Love and Beauty
- The Graces – Companions to Aphrodite, goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity, etc.
- Peitho – Goddess of Persuasion and Seduction
- Horae – Goddess of Seasons
- Hermes – God of Trade, Language, and Thievery
- Zeus- God of Thunder, King of Olympus
- Prometheus- Titan of Fire and Forethought
