You’ve probably heard of the idiom “to open a Pandora’s box.” It means doing something that brings unforeseen consequences or causes many problems that didn’t exist before.
According to Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman created by the Greek gods to punish humans. But why would the gods want to punish humanity?
Why was Pandora created?
The story of Pandora begins with Zeus and his battles against the Titans. Titans were elder gods who ruled the world before Zeus and his siblings dethroned them. Most Titans fought against Zeus, but two Titan brothers, Prometheus and Epimetheus, joined him. So when Zeus won, he gave the two brothers the task of creating the first beings on earth.
Epimetheus created all the animals and bestowed each animal with skills and ways to protect itself. Prometheus took his time to create humans, but when he finished, he found that Epimetheus had used all forms of protection.
As a kind god, Prometheus wanted to give humans fire to provide them with warmth and protection. But there was one problem: Zeus had forbidden any god to share the knowledge of fire with humans because fire was only meant for gods. Prometheus gave humans fire anyway.
The punishment of Prometheus
Prometheus’ actions made Zeus very angry, so Zeus punished him by tying him to a rock in a secluded spot in the Caucasus Mountains where nobody would rescue him. Every day, Zeus would send an eagle to eat Prometheus’ liver, which would grow back at night so he would endure the torment again the next day. He suffered this torture for ages until Heracles sought permission from Zeus to kill the eagle and free Prometheus.
But Zeus’ anger didn’t end there; he had to punish humans. He asked Hephaestus to create a woman as lovely as a goddess. According to epic poems by Hesiod, he also asked other gods to give Pandora unique gifts. So Pandora was not only beautiful, but she was also wise, well-clothed, blessed with eloquence, and full of desires. Her name has two meanings: “she who was given all gifts” and “she who gives all gifts.”
What’s the story behind Pandora’s box
Zeus sent Pandora to Earth as a treacherous gift to Prometheus’ brother, Epimetheus. Although Prometheus had warned Epimetheus against Zeus’ trickery, he was too enchanted with her beauty and decided to marry her anyway.
Epimetheus’ house had a box (or jar in ancient versions of the story), but Pandora was warned never to open it in other versions. Zeus had given Pandora the box as a gift but warned her never to open it. However, due to a “woman’s” greed and curiosity, Pandora lifted the lid.
Out of Pandora’s box came all of life’s miseries. She let out hunger, war, pain, disease, poverty, envy, hatred, and death into the world. She quickly closed the lid, and only one thing was left inside the box: hope.
What is the lesson behind Pandora’s story?
Pandora’s story may have different meanings. First, it warms us about untamed curiosity and greed. Pandora had clear instructions never to open the box, but she did it anyway because she wanted to see or have what was inside the box. And because of her actions, humanity has had to endure the wickedness she let out.
We also see the theme of treacherous gifts in this story. It is a theme that also occurs in other Greek poems, such as the story of the Trojan Horse in Homer’s Iliad. In this story, the Trojan War had been ongoing for 10 years, and there was no foreseeable end. So the treacherous Achaean king, called Agamemnon, asked his carpenter to build a hollow horse, which they left at the gates of the formidable city of Troy.
The king and his army then pretended that they’d abandoned the war, and the Trojans thought the giant wooden horse was a peace offering and wheeled it inside the walls of Troy. At night, soldiers inside the horse sneaked out and opened the gates for the Achaean army, and thus, the city of Troy was taken.
So Pandora’s story is a cautionary tale about accepting suspicious gifts or being cautious about people we let into our lives.
Hope for humanity
Today, hope may mean something different than what it meant in ancient Greek times. Still, the hope in the box can be seen as a glimmer of hope for humanity. Even in the face of suffering, hope is a source of strength for people.
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