In Greek mythology, Zeus ordered the creation of Pandora as a punishment for humanity.
The story appears most fully in Hesiod’s Works and Days. After Prometheus stole fire and gave it to humans, Zeus devised a punishment that would affect both Prometheus and humankind. He instructed the gods to create Pandora, the first woman in the account, and arranged for her to be given gifts by several deities.
Hephaestus formed Pandora from earth, while other gods supplied qualities or skills. Zeus then sent her to Epimetheus, Prometheus’s brother, despite Prometheus’s warning not to accept gifts from Zeus. Pandora eventually opened the container in which destructive forces had been confined, allowing them to spread among humans.
The myth is often simplified as a story about curiosity, but its original context is also an explanation of why suffering and hardship exist in human life. The Greek text describes a pithos, or large storage jar, rather than a small box.