In Hesiod’s Pandora story, hope is given the Greek name Elpis. Elpis is not merely an abstract English word in the myth; she is treated as a personified force connected with expectation and hope.
When Pandora opens the vessel, the troubles inside escape into the world. Elpis remains associated with the container, creating the famous image of hope surviving among human hardships. The Greek word appears in the ancient literary tradition that lies behind the later expression “Pandora’s box.”
Elpis is sometimes confused with Nike, the personification of victory, or Tyche, the personification of fortune. Those are separate figures in Greek mythology. The name Eris is also associated with conflict and is especially relevant because Hesiod includes strife among the forces affecting human life, but Eris is not the Greek name for hope.