In Greek mythology, Pandora opened the jar and released troubles into the world. Her action is the central event in the myth commonly called Pandora’s box.
According to Hesiod, Pandora was created by the gods and sent to humanity as part of Zeus’s punishment after Prometheus gave humans fire. She was given gifts by several deities, including skill, beauty, and persuasive speech, before being brought to Epimetheus.
Pandora opened the container despite being warned about it in later versions of the story. Once the contents escaped, illnesses, labor, and other hardships afflicted human life. The story therefore explains, in mythic form, why suffering exists.
Some retellings portray Pandora as deliberately malicious, but Hesiod’s account presents a more complicated figure shaped by divine plans and irresistible curiosity. The surviving ancient versions differ in detail, especially about whether the lid was replaced in time to retain hope.