In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first mortal woman created by the gods.
The story appears most fully in Hesiod’s works, especially the Theogony and Works and Days. Zeus ordered the gods to create Pandora after Prometheus gave fire to humanity. Hephaestus shaped her from earth, while other gods gave her gifts or qualities, which is connected with the meaning of her name, “all-gifted.”
Pandora was sent to humanity with a sealed container. When she opened it, the evils and hardships inside escaped into the world. Hope remained within the container, according to the usual reading of the myth. Ancient Greek sources described a jar, not a box; the familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” became common through later translation and artistic tradition.
Pandora is not the same figure as Eve, who belongs to the biblical creation story. Her myth explains the arrival of suffering in the Greek poetic tradition.