In the Greek myth of Pandora’s Box, hope remained inside the jar after all other evils escaped. Hesiod’s account in Works and Days says that Pandora replaced the lid after the contents flew out, leaving only elpis, usually translated as “hope,” inside.
The myth presents the jar as the source of human troubles, including sickness, toil, and other hardships. Hope’s exact role is debated: it may be a consolation that remains for humanity, or a reserved evil that never escaped. The Greek word elpis can mean expectation or anticipation, not only optimistic hope.
The familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” is itself a later alteration. Hesiod described a pithos, a large storage jar, rather than a small box. The box image became standard through Renaissance retellings and later European translations.
This detail is found in Works and Days, the fullest surviving early literary account of the story. Modern summaries commonly treat hope as the one beneficial thing left to humans.