In Hesiod’s Works and Days, the first woman created by the gods is named Pandora.
Hesiod presents Pandora as part of Zeus’s punishment of humanity after Prometheus gave humans fire. The gods contribute different qualities to her, and Hephaestus fashions her from earth. Her name is commonly interpreted as meaning “all-gifted” or “all-giving,” although the exact force of the Greek name is discussed by scholars.
Pandora appears in two surviving Hesiodic works: Works and Days and the Theogony. Works and Days gives the fuller account of her creation and the container associated with the world’s troubles. The Theogony mentions her in connection with humanity’s suffering but gives fewer narrative details.
A common modern misconception is that “Pandora” was always the name of the container. In the ancient story, Pandora is the woman; the container is a separate object. The familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” became standard much later, after a mistranslation or adaptation of the original Greek vessel.