In Greek mythology, why was Pandora given her name by the gods?

In Greek mythology, Pandora was named because all the gods gave her gifts. The name Pandora comes from Greek elements meaning “all-gifted” or “all-giving,” reflecting the myth’s emphasis on her divine endowments.

Hesiod describes Pandora as a woman fashioned by the gods after Prometheus gave fire to humanity. He presents her as receiving contributions from several deities, including clothing, beauty, speech, and other qualities. The gifts are not uniformly beneficial: Hermes gives her a deceptive character in Hesiod’s account.

Pandora’s name is sometimes misunderstood as meaning that she gave gifts to everyone. In context, however, it chiefly refers to the gifts bestowed on her by the gods. The story appears in Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days, though the familiar expression “Pandora’s box” developed later from translations and retellings of her container as a box rather than a jar.