In Hesiod’s myth, Zeus gave Pandora the sealed container.
The gift was part of Zeus’s retaliation against Prometheus, who had taken fire from the gods and given it to humans. Zeus instructed the divine craftsman Hephaestus to make Pandora, while other gods supplied her with attributes and gifts. Pandora was then sent to Epimetheus, Prometheus’s brother.
In Works and Days, Zeus’s plan makes the container an instrument of punishment rather than an accidental household object. Pandora opens it, and the harmful forces inside spread among humanity. The story explains why human life contains suffering even though divine gifts and beauty may accompany it.
Many modern summaries make Pandora the sole decision-maker, but the myth places her inside a larger divine scheme led by Zeus. Ancient versions also differ in their details, including the naming of the container’s contents and the role of hope. The stable point is that Zeus stands behind the gift and its destructive consequences.