In the Greek myth of Pandora’s jar, hope is traditionally said to remain inside after the jar is opened.
Hesiod’s Works and Days describes destructive troubles escaping from the vessel and spreading among humans. The account ends with hope remaining within the container. Later retellings usually interpret this as a sign that humanity retains hope despite disease, suffering, and other hardships.
The Greek term involved is elpis, which can mean hope but may also carry the broader sense of expectation. That ambiguity has led to different interpretations of whether hope is a blessing kept for humanity or another force confined in the jar. Popular culture almost always presents it positively.
The myth does not mean that hope escaped first or that Pandora deliberately chose to preserve it. In the standard story, the opening releases the troubles, while hope is left behind. This detail gives the otherwise bleak tale a more complicated ending.