In Greek mythology, evils escaped into the world when Pandora opened the sealed vessel.
Hesiod’s story explains the presence of suffering, disease, and other hardships through Pandora’s opening of a container sent by Zeus. Once the vessel was opened, the evils inside flew out and spread among humanity. The account presents the event as a turning point in the human condition.
The myth does not originally call the container a box. Hesiod uses the Greek word pithos, generally understood as a large storage jar. The familiar “box” developed through later translation and retelling, especially in early modern Europe.
The story also says that one thing remained inside after the evils escaped. That detail has produced long-running debates about whether the remaining presence was beneficial, deceptive, or simply part of the myth’s explanation of human suffering.