In Greek mythology, evils escaped Pandora’s jar after she opened it, while hope remained inside. Hesiod describes the vessel as containing destructive forces that had previously been kept away from human life.
The myth gives a poetic explanation for the presence of suffering. Once the lid is removed, diseases, hardships, and other troubles spread among humans. Pandora closes the vessel before everything has escaped, and hope remains as the surviving presence associated with endurance or consolation.
Modern versions often say that “all the evils of the world” flew out, but ancient wording and later interpretations vary in how the contents are described. Some translations use terms such as evils, woes, or destructive afflictions. The stable point is the contrast between the released troubles and the hope left within the container.