Pandora was the first woman created by the gods in Greek mythology, whose jar released troubles into the world.
Her story appears most fully in Hesiod’s works, especially the poem Works and Days, composed in the seventh century BCE. Zeus ordered her creation after Prometheus gave fire to humanity. Different gods gave Pandora qualities or gifts, and her name is commonly understood as meaning “all-gifted.”
The familiar English phrase “Pandora’s box” is technically a later misunderstanding. In the Greek sources, Pandora receives a large storage jar, called a pithos, rather than a box. When she opens it, harmful things escape, while hope remains inside.
The myth is often connected with Greek explanations for why human life contains suffering. Pandora is not simply described as evil; the story presents her as part of a divine punishment and as a figure whose curiosity has consequences.