Pandora is the name commonly translated as “all-gifted” for the woman who opens the jar. The Greek name combines pan, meaning “all,” with doron, meaning “gift.”
The name reflects the myth’s account of her creation. Zeus orders Hephaestus to form Pandora, and the gods provide her with different qualities or gifts. Hesiod’s story presents her as a divine gift to humanity, although that gift functions as part of Zeus’s punishment after Prometheus steals fire.
The translation “all-gifted” is common, but scholars have also discussed alternative nuances, including “gift of all” or “all-giving.” These possibilities do not change the character’s role in the standard myth.
Pandora is not originally described as a careless woman in every detail of the later popular story. The surviving Greek sources emphasize divine deception, Zeus’s punishment, and the contrast between Prometheus and Epimetheus as much as they emphasize the act of opening the vessel.