In Hesiod’s Greek myth of Pandora, hope remained inside the container after its troubles escaped.
The story says that Pandora opened a container and released illnesses, hardships, and other troubles into the human world. Hope remained inside when the container was closed again. The Greek word usually translated as “hope” is elpis, a term whose meaning and role have prompted extensive interpretation.
Readers have long debated whether hope is presented as a blessing preserved for humanity or as another troubling force kept from escaping. The myth itself does not provide a modern-style moral explanation, so translations and commentators differ in emphasis.
The popular expression “Pandora’s box” is also based on a later wording. Hesiod described a large storage vessel, commonly translated as a jar or pithos, not necessarily a small box. The surviving hope is therefore a detail of the original myth, not a modern addition.