In Greek mythology, what is Pandora traditionally described as being?

In Greek mythology, Pandora is traditionally described as the first woman. Hesiod presents her creation as part of Zeus’s punishment for humanity after Prometheus stole fire and gave it to mortals.

The gods equip Pandora with gifts before sending her to Epimetheus. Her name is commonly interpreted as meaning “all-gifted,” reflecting the contributions attributed to the gods. In Hesiod’s account, she is not simply an ordinary human character but a divinely fashioned figure whose arrival brings suffering into the human world.

Later retellings often call her the first woman in Greek mythology, although details vary between ancient sources. The familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” is also a later translation tradition: Hesiod described a large storage jar, not a small box. The myth is therefore linked both to the origin of human troubles and to a warning about dangerous curiosity.