In Greek mythology, Pandora released evils when she opened the gods’ jar. Hesiod’s Works and Days says that the container held destructive troubles that had previously been kept away from humanity.
The myth presents Pandora as part of Zeus’s punishment of humankind after Prometheus stole fire for people. Zeus arranged for Pandora to be created and sent among humans, carrying the sealed vessel. When it was opened, sickness, toil, pain, and other hardships escaped into the world. Hesiod’s account does not use the modern phrase “Pandora’s box.”
One thing remained inside after Pandora closed the container: hope, called elpis in Greek. The exact interpretation of hope is debated because the poem’s wording can support different readings, but the basic narrative is stable. Later retellings transformed the jar into a box and made the episode a familiar symbol of unintended consequences.