In Greek mythology, hope remained inside Pandora’s jar after she opened it.
Hesiod’s Works and Days says that Pandora released a multitude of evils into the world when she lifted the lid. The text then states that only Elpis, usually translated as “hope,” remained within the vessel because Pandora replaced the lid before it escaped. This gives the myth its distinctive final image: suffering spreads among humans, but hope is retained.
The exact meaning is debated. Some readers view hope as a blessing preserved for humanity, allowing people to endure hardship. Others note that Hesiod’s surrounding discussion is dark and may make the role of hope more ambiguous. The Greek word elpis can refer to expectation generally, not only optimistic hope.
Later retellings often say that hope escaped after the other evils, but that is not the clearest reading of Hesiod’s account. In the best-known classical version, it remains in the jar. The modern idiom therefore carries a more complicated meaning than simply “all bad things were released.”