In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman created to bring evil into the human world. Hesiod presents her creation as Zeus’s response to Prometheus’s theft of fire for humans, making Pandora part of a divine punishment.
The word “evil” here summarizes the troubles released from the vessel, including diseases and other hardships. Hesiod’s language is more elaborate than the simple modern phrase: Pandora is described as a beautiful evil and as a gift whose consequences harm humanity. Her creation also establishes a mythic explanation for the presence of suffering among mortals.
This description belongs to Hesiod’s patriarchal and didactic worldview and should not be treated as a historical claim about women. Later writers, artists, and modern readers have challenged or reinterpreted the misogynistic framing. The answer is still “evil” in the context of the myth’s stated purpose, not “curiosity,” which is a later popular explanation for why Pandora opens the container.