In Greek mythology, Zeus sent Pandora to Epimetheus with the sealed jar. The episode forms part of Zeus’s punishment of humanity after Prometheus gave people fire.
Hesiod’s account presents Pandora as a divine creation assembled and decorated by the gods. Zeus then has her brought to Epimetheus, Prometheus’s brother. Prometheus had advised Epimetheus not to accept anything from Zeus, but Epimetheus ignored the warning.
The jar’s opening releases the troubles that had been contained, making the episode a mythic explanation for the presence of suffering in human life. Zeus is therefore not merely a distant god in this story; he is the authority who organizes the punishment and sends the dangerous gift.
Retellings sometimes make Pandora independently curious or portray Zeus as giving her the jar directly. The ancient story varies in details across translations, but Zeus’s role as the sender of Pandora is a central feature of Hesiod’s version.