Pandora is the person who opened Pandora’s box in the familiar modern version of the story.
The myth says the gods created Pandora and sent her to Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus. She carried a sealed container that held forces harmful to humanity. After opening it, she released those forces into the world, leaving only hope inside.
The phrase “Pandora’s box” is slightly misleading. Hesiod’s ancient Greek account describes a large storage jar, called a pithos, rather than a small box. The box wording became established much later through translation and retelling.
Pandora’s story appears chiefly in Hesiod’s Works and Days and Theogony. Ancient versions differ in detail, but Pandora’s curiosity, the container, and the escape of troubles became the core elements of the enduring tradition.