Pandora was the name given to the first woman created in the myth. The name is commonly explained from Greek roots meaning “all-gifted” or “all-giving,” reflecting the gifts supplied by the gods who fashioned her.
Hesiod’s account presents Pandora as a constructed divine creation rather than as a human born through ordinary parentage. Different gods contribute qualities, skills, or adornments, and Zeus sends her to Epimetheus as part of the punishment connected with Prometheus’s fire theft.
The phrase “first woman” belongs to Hesiod’s mythic framework and should not be confused with a historical or scientific claim. The story explains ancient ideas about marriage, work, suffering, and relations between gods and humans.
Pandora’s name also shaped the later expression “Pandora’s box.” Modern usage often treats the name as a symbol of curiosity and unintended consequences, although the earliest poem emphasizes divine punishment and the burdens of mortal life.