In Greek mythology, Zeus sent Pandora to humanity with her sealed container.
The story appears most fully in Hesiod’s Works and Days, where Zeus arranges Pandora’s creation after Prometheus steals fire for humans. Zeus orders Hephaestus to make her from earth, while several gods give her qualities or gifts. Hermes then brings her to Epimetheus, Prometheus’s brother.
The container is often called a box in modern retellings, but Hesiod used the Greek word pithos, meaning a large storage jar. Zeus’s punishment is directed at humanity as well as Prometheus: once Pandora opens the jar, troubles spread through the world.
A common mix-up is crediting Zeus with physically creating Pandora. Hephaestus performs that task in the myth, while Zeus initiates the plan and sends Pandora onward. The familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” comes from a later translation tradition rather than Hesiod’s original wording.