In Greek mythology, the woman Zeus sends to humanity before the jar is opened is Pandora.
Pandora is the first woman in the account told by Hesiod, especially in Works and Days. The gods create and equip her after Prometheus gives fire to humans, an act Zeus treats as a challenge to divine authority. Each deity contributes something to her presentation, and her name is commonly interpreted as “all-gifted” or “all-giving.”
Hesiod’s story presents Pandora as part of Zeus’s punishment of humankind. She is sent to Epimetheus, Prometheus’s brother, despite Prometheus’s warning not to accept gifts from Zeus. Pandora then opens the covered vessel, releasing evils into the world while one thing remains inside.
Later literature, art, and popular culture often portray Pandora as simply curious or blameworthy. The ancient story is more complicated: it links her arrival to divine planning, male anxiety about marriage, and Greek explanations for why suffering exists among humans.