In Greek mythology, Pandora is traditionally regarded as the first woman.
Hesiod presents her creation as part of Zeus’s punishment after Prometheus gives fire to humanity. The gods contribute different qualities, clothing, skills, and ornaments, while Hephaestus shapes her from earth. She is then sent to Epimetheus, who accepts her despite Prometheus’s warning.
This makes Pandora a mythological figure in a story about the origins of human suffering and the division between gods and mortals. The account is not a historical claim about human evolution or an equivalent of modern creation science.
Pandora’s role is sometimes simplified into the phrase “the woman who opened the box.” Hesiod’s original version instead focuses on a jar and on the consequences of divine deception, while later retellings often emphasize curiosity as her defining trait.