In Hesiod’s Works and Days, what did Pandora do after the gods sent her to humanity?

In Hesiod’s Works and Days, Pandora opened the jar after the gods sent her to humanity.

The jar contains the troubles, diseases, and hardships that had previously been kept away from human life. When Pandora opens it, these afflictions escape and spread among mortals. She closes the vessel too late, leaving only hope inside according to the traditional reading of the passage. This action is the source of the modern phrase “opening Pandora’s box,” meaning to start a process that creates many unexpected problems.

The ancient Greek text refers to a pithos, a large storage jar, not a box. The “box” wording became standard through later translation and retelling, especially after the Renaissance. Another common simplification is to describe Pandora as acting from pure curiosity; Hesiod presents the event within a divine plan and does not give the modern psychological explanation in the same form. The jar-opening remains the myth’s central action, regardless of how later cultures interpret her motivation.