In Greek mythology, evils escaped into the world when Pandora opened the container Zeus gave her.
Hesiod’s account says the container held destructive afflictions that had previously been kept away from humanity. When Pandora lifted its lid, these evils flew out and spread among people. Hope remained inside after the container was closed again.
The familiar English expression “Pandora’s box” is slightly different from the ancient story. Hesiod described a large storage jar, or pithos, rather than a small box. Later retellings and translations helped establish the box as the standard image.
The myth is not simply about curiosity. In Hesiod’s version, Pandora is part of Zeus’s punishment of humanity after Prometheus gave humans fire. The released troubles explain why suffering exists, while the remaining hope gives the story its enduring ambiguity.