Elpis is the Greek term for hope that remains after the other spirits escape from Pandora’s vessel. In Hesiod’s Works and Days, the jar contains destructive forces, but Elpis stays inside after Pandora closes it.
The exact meaning is debated because the poem does not plainly say whether hope is a comfort withheld from humans or a beneficial force preserved for them. Ancient Greek elpis can mean expectation generally, not only optimistic hope. Translators therefore differ in tone while retaining the name Elpis.
Later retellings often say simply that “hope remained,” turning the ending into an encouraging message. Hesiod’s wording is more ambiguous, and scholars discuss whether the sealed hope protects people from knowing future suffering or leaves them with a final resource against it.