In Greek mythology, Pandora lifted the lid of the container holding the world’s evils.
Hesiod describes Pandora as the first woman, fashioned by the gods and sent to humanity as part of Zeus’s punishment. Each god contributed something to her creation or adornment, and her name is commonly understood as meaning “all-gifted” or “all gifts.”
The story says that Pandora opened the container after receiving it, releasing evils into the world. The ancient sources do not present the episode exactly like every modern retelling, and Hesiod’s wording emphasizes the jar rather than a box. Later writers and artists expanded the story in different ways.
Pandora is often incorrectly treated as a simple equivalent of Eve. The two figures belong to different religious traditions and have different stories, names, and narrative roles. Pandora’s myth is specifically part of Greek explanations for the arrival of suffering, disease, and labor among humans.