In which Hesiod poem is the fullest surviving account of Pandora's Box found?

The story behind the answer

The fullest surviving account of Pandora's Box is found in Hesiod's Works and Days. This archaic Greek didactic poem combines advice about farming and justice with myths explaining the human condition.

The Pandora episode appears in the poem's early section, following the stories of Prometheus, fire, and the punishment imposed by Zeus. Pandora is fashioned by the gods, receives gifts, and is sent to Epimetheus. The sealed vessel is then opened, allowing evils to spread among humanity.

Hesiod also mentions Pandora in Theogony, but that account is shorter and focuses more on the creation of woman as a source of suffering. The two passages are related but not identical, so Works and Days is the standard source for the complete jar narrative.

The title Works and Days reflects the poem's practical and moral themes. It is not an epic narrative like the Iliad, and it is not Ovid's Roman Metamorphoses, although later authors helped popularize related mythic material.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

Add question to a list

Choose a list to keep this question in: