In Hesiod’s myth, Pandora released evils when she opened the container given to her by the gods.
The story is told most fully in Hesiod’s Works and Days, an ancient Greek poem generally dated to the eighth or seventh century BCE. The container held destructive forces associated with human suffering, including disease, toil, and other hardships. Once released, these troubles spread throughout the world.
Hesiod’s account is not a modern adventure story about a wooden box. The Greek term is pithos, a large jar used for storing materials. The word “box” entered the familiar version through later translation and cultural adaptation, so the phrase remains conventional even though “jar” is closer to the original text.
The myth also explains why human beings still experience hardship. Pandora closed the container before its final contents escaped, creating the story’s enduring association with hope. Different translations and interpretations debate whether hope was trapped inside or remained as a consolation, but the escaped evils are the central event.