In Greek mythology, Pandora opened the vessel after Epimetheus accepted her.
Hesiod’s account presents Pandora as the person who opens the container sent with her, releasing suffering into the human world. The myth’s earliest wording refers to a large storage jar, or pithos, rather than a box. The familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” developed later through translation and cultural retelling.
Epimetheus is important because he accepts Pandora despite Prometheus’s warning not to receive gifts from Zeus. Pandora then opens the vessel, allowing the evils or troubles inside to escape. Hope remains associated with the vessel after the opening, though ancient sources and later interpretations differ over whether it stayed inside or was released last.
The answer is sometimes incorrectly given as Epimetheus because he receives Pandora and is part of the chain of events. In Hesiod’s narrative, however, Pandora is the one who opens the vessel. Prometheus is connected to the stolen fire and warning, not the opening itself.