In Greek mythology, Pandora’s container released evils after it was opened.
Hesiod’s Works and Days describes harmful afflictions that had previously been kept away from humans. When Pandora opens the container, these troubles escape and spread through the world. The passage explains why human beings experience disease, hardship, and other forms of suffering.
The popular expression calls the object a box, but Hesiod’s Greek word is pithos, generally understood as a large storage jar. The surviving Hope is treated separately in translations and interpretations: Hesiod says Hope remained inside after the other forces escaped, but the text’s meaning has been debated. Consequently, the traditional summary “all the evils escaped, but hope remained” is familiar, while the exact role of Hope is more complicated in scholarship.