Elpis is the Greek word for “hope” used in Hesiod’s account of Pandora’s jar.
After the jar is opened, the destructive conditions or evils inside escape into the world. Hesiod says that only elpis remains within the vessel because Pandora replaces the lid before it leaves. The Greek noun can mean expectation or hope, and its precise function in the story has generated extensive scholarly debate.
Readers often assume that hope is straightforwardly a blessing left behind for humans. Some interpretations instead ask whether hope is itself a form of expectation that remains confined, while others view its retention as a mercy that enables people to endure suffering. Hesiod does not provide a single explicit explanation settling that debate.
The word is important because translations vary. English versions may print “Hope” with a capital letter, “hope” in lowercase, or preserve the Greek name Elpis. Elpis is also personified in Greek culture as an abstract figure associated with expectation and hope.