In Hesiod’s Works and Days, what is Pandora described as being before humans received her?
Answer
The first woman
In Hesiod’s Works and Days, Pandora is described as the first woman. Zeus has Hephaestus shape her from earth after Prometheus gives fire to humanity, making her part of Zeus’s punishment for humankind.
The story does not present Pandora as an ordinary mortal born to human parents. Instead, multiple gods contribute gifts or skills to her creation, and Hermes brings her to Epimetheus. Her arrival introduces the troubles that had previously been absent from human life.
Modern retellings often call Pandora a goddess because divine beings make her, but Hesiod presents her as the first woman among humans rather than an Olympian deity. The familiar expression “Pandora’s box” also simplifies the ancient story, which originally involved a large storage jar.