In ancient Greek mythology, Hesiod describes Pandora’s creation in Works and Days. Hesiod was an early Greek poet traditionally dated to around the late eighth or early seventh century BCE.
Works and Days is a didactic poem combining advice about farming, justice, seasonal labor, and myths explaining human hardship. Its account of Pandora appears in the section dealing with Prometheus, fire, Zeus, and the changing conditions of human life.
Hesiod also mentions Pandora in the Theogony, although the Works and Days account gives the fullest famous narrative of her creation and the opening of the container. Homer is often associated with early Greek epic, but the Pandora story is especially tied to Hesiodic poetry.
The poem’s purpose is broader than telling an adventure tale. Pandora’s story helps Hesiod explain why humans must work and why suffering exists, making it part of the poem’s moral and cosmological argument.