In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman created by the gods.
Hesiod presents Pandora in the Works and Days as part of Zeus’s punishment of humanity after Prometheus gave humans fire. The gods give her different qualities or gifts, and her name is commonly understood as meaning “all-gifted” or “all-giving.” She is therefore not simply a villain in the original story; she is a divinely fashioned figure placed within a larger conflict between Zeus, Prometheus, and humankind.
Modern retellings often call Pandora’s container a box, but the earliest Greek account describes a large storage jar. Pandora’s story is also frequently blended with later ideas about Eve, although the characters belong to different traditions. The myth explains why suffering and hardship exist in the human world while preserving a final element of comfort: hope remains associated with the vessel after its contents escape.