Pandora was the first woman in Greek mythology and the figure who opened the container releasing humanity’s troubles.
The story appears most fully in Hesiod’s eighth-century BCE poems, especially Works and Days. Zeus ordered the gods to create Pandora after Prometheus gave fire to humanity. Each god contributed a gift, which explains her name, commonly interpreted as “all-gifted.”
Pandora was sent to Prometheus’ brother Epimetheus, who accepted her despite Prometheus’ warning not to receive gifts from Zeus. She brought a sealed vessel that later tradition transformed into the familiar phrase “Pandora’s box.” When she opened it, sickness, toil, and other hardships escaped into the world. Hope remained inside, or was retained there, depending on the interpretation and translation.
A common mix-up is calling the object an actual box. Hesiod describes a large storage jar, called a pithos in Greek. “Pandora’s box” became standard through later translations and retellings, making Pandora’s name a metaphor for an action that unleashes unforeseen problems.