In Hesiod’s Theogony, what epithet is used for Pandora?

In Hesiod’s Theogony, Pandora is described with the epithet “beautiful evil.” The phrase captures the myth’s central tension: Pandora is made attractive and given desirable qualities, yet her arrival brings suffering to humankind.

The Theogony presents Pandora as part of Zeus’s punishment for Prometheus’s theft of fire. The gods contribute to her appearance and abilities, but the narrative frames her beauty as part of a deceptive divine gift. This differs in emphasis from later retellings that focus mainly on curiosity and the opened container.

Translations of ancient Greek poetry can vary in exact wording, including formulations such as “a beautiful evil” or “a lovely evil.” “Beautiful evil” is the concise conventional English rendering of the epithet and distinguishes the Theogony’s language from later popular versions of the story.