In which poem did Hesiod give the fullest early Greek account of Pandora’s creation?
Answer
Works and Days
Answer
Works and Days
Hesiod gave the fullest early Greek account of Pandora’s creation in Works and Days.
Works and Days is a didactic poem traditionally attributed to Hesiod, usually dated to the late eighth or early seventh century BCE. It combines advice about farming and justice with myths explaining why human life includes labor, suffering, and hardship.
The Pandora episode appears in the poem’s discussion of Zeus’s punishment after Prometheus obtained fire for humans. Hesiod describes the gods contributing to Pandora’s formation and gifts before Zeus sends her to Epimetheus. The poem also links her arrival with the release of troubles from her container.
Hesiod’s Theogony is another major early work associated with Greek mythology, but its main focus is the genealogy and origins of the gods. Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey do not provide the same detailed creation narrative for Pandora. Later writers and artists expanded the story in different directions.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026