In the standard Greek Pandora myth, evils were released when Pandora opened the container.
Hesiod’s Works and Days describes the jar as holding destructive forces that had previously been hidden from human beings. Once Pandora removes the lid, these troubles escape and spread among humanity. The episode functions as an origin story for suffering, disease, hardship, and the other difficulties of mortal life.
The exact contents are not presented as a modern inventory of named diseases. “Evils” is the conventional concise description used in translations and retellings. Elpis, usually translated as hope, is the one element said to remain inside after the release.
The myth is often treated as a simple warning about curiosity, but Hesiod places it within a broader explanation of work and human limitation. It is also connected to Prometheus’s theft of fire and Zeus’s punishment. The container was originally a jar, so “Pandora’s jar” is closer to the ancient Greek wording than “Pandora’s box.”