In Greek mythology, Zeus ordered Hermes to lead Pandora to Epimetheus.
Hesiod’s Works and Days presents Pandora as part of Zeus’s punishment of humanity after Prometheus stole fire. Zeus instructed the messenger god Hermes to take Pandora to Epimetheus, Prometheus’s brother.
Epimetheus accepted Pandora despite Prometheus’s warning not to receive gifts from Zeus. Pandora then opened the container, releasing illnesses and other troubles into the world. Hesiod called the container a jar, not a box.
The familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” developed later through a Latin translation. The original Greek myth therefore involves a jar, Hermes, Epimetheus, Prometheus, and Zeus rather than a literal wooden box.