Pandora was the woman who opened the container in the Greek myth of Pandora’s box.
In Hesiod’s account, Zeus ordered the gods to create Pandora after Prometheus gave fire to humanity. Each god contributed a quality or gift, and Hermes gave her a name meaning “all-gifted.” She was presented as the first woman among humans.
The familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” is slightly different from the earliest Greek wording. Hesiod described a large storage jar, not a small box. When Pandora opened it, troubles escaped into the world, while hope remained inside. Later retellings transformed the jar into a box, helping create the expression used today for an action that unleashes many problems.