In Greek mythology, the Greek word naming the hope left in Pandora’s jar is elpis. Hesiod uses this term in the Works and Days when describing what remained after the other destructive forces escaped.
Elpis is usually translated as “hope,” but its meaning in ancient Greek can be broader than simple optimism. It can refer to expectation or anticipation, and the poem’s wording has led scholars to debate whether the remaining force is a blessing, a danger, or an ambiguous part of human experience.
The passage is often simplified into the statement that hope was saved for humanity. That interpretation is deeply influential, but it should not obscure the ancient text’s uncertainty. Hesiod does not give a modern explanatory paragraph defining exactly why elpis remains in the container.
The term is also distinct from the goddess Elpis in later personifications. The question concerns the word in Hesiod’s Pandora episode, not a separate mythological genealogy.