In Greek mythology, hope remained inside Pandora’s jar.
When Pandora opens the container, evils escape and spread among humanity. Hesiod says that only elpis, usually translated as “hope,” remains inside because Pandora replaces the lid before it can leave. The ending has prompted centuries of debate: hope may be presented as a comfort for suffering humans, or as something held back from them, depending on interpretation and translation.
The story does not explain the word in a single universally accepted way. Scholars have discussed whether elpis means optimistic hope, expectation, or anticipation more generally. Modern retellings usually treat Hope as the positive force preserved for humanity, making it the best-known answer to the jar’s contents.