In Hesiod’s Pandora myth, the Greek word elpis names the thing left inside the jar.
Elpis is commonly translated as “hope,” although its meaning can also include expectation or anticipation. In Works and Days, Pandora opens the container and the destructive conditions of human life escape. Elpis remains inside, beneath or behind the lid, rather than immediately joining them.
The ending has generated debate for centuries. Some readers see hope remaining in the jar as a blessing preserved for humanity. Others ask why hope would be stored with evils, or whether the story means that hope was withheld. Hesiod does not provide a long explanation resolving those interpretations.
The popular expression usually says that “hope remained,” but the most precise ancient answer is elpis, the Greek noun. It is not the name of a goddess in this passage, and it should not be confused with Eros, the god or personification associated with love.