In Hesiod’s myth of Pandora, Zeus left hope inside the opened jar after its other contents escaped.
Hesiod’s account describes Pandora opening a large storage jar, releasing evils that spread among humanity. The Greek word used in the ancient text is pithos, not the smaller box suggested by many later translations. After the harmful contents leave, hope remains inside.
The ending is famously ambiguous. It can suggest that hope was preserved for humans, or that it was withheld from them because it remained trapped. Hesiod does not explain the symbolism in a separate definition, so interpretations differ.
The familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” developed through later translation and retelling. In the surviving Greek poem, the container is a jar, and the final surviving content is elpis, commonly translated as hope.