In the Greek myth, who opens Pandora’s container?

In the Greek myth, Pandora opens the container given to her by the gods.

Hesiod’s Works and Days says that Pandora was instructed not to open a storage jar, but curiosity or desire overcame the warning. When she lifted the lid, the troubles kept inside escaped into the human world. She then closed the vessel, leaving Hope inside according to the usual reading of the passage.

The familiar phrase “Pandora’s box” comes from a later translation tradition. Hesiod’s Greek word is pithos, a large jar or storage container, not a small hinged box. The “box” wording became influential after the Latin translation associated with the humanist Erasmus, helping the expression enter later European culture.

The myth has many retellings, so details vary between ancient texts, translations, and modern adaptations. In the standard version, Pandora is the opener, while Epimetheus is her husband and Zeus is the god who arranges her creation. The story is therefore different from accounts in which another character releases the contents.