In Hesiod’s Pandora myth, Hope was the one thing left inside the jar.
When Pandora opens the vessel, the evils contained within it escape and spread among humanity. Pandora closes the jar before Hope can leave, so Hope remains inside. The Greek word is elpis, commonly translated as “hope.”
The story’s meaning is debated. Some readers see Hope as a consolation preserved for humans, while others note that the ancient text’s placement of Hope inside the jar creates an ambiguity: humanity may possess hope, or hope may remain withheld. The myth does not settle the later philosophical interpretations.
This question is distinct from the broader fact that the jar released suffering. The specific surviving occupant is Hope, a detail preserved in Hesiod’s Works and Days and repeated throughout later retellings.