Elpis is the Greek name for Hope, the figure associated with Pandora’s jar. In Greek mythology, Elpis personifies hope or expectation, and the Pandora story links her with the final condition remaining after the jar’s evils escape.
Hesiod’s wording is difficult and has prompted debate over whether hope stays inside the container or is released after the evils. The ambiguity partly reflects the ancient text and partly the assumptions of later interpreters. Modern retellings usually treat Elpis as a blessing preserved for humanity, making hope the positive counterweight to the world’s suffering.
Elpis should not be confused with Nike, the goddess of victory, or Eris, the goddess of strife. Those figures belong to different mythological roles. The word also differs from the abstract English idea only in that Greek mythology can personify it as a divine or semi-divine being. This makes Elpis the precise mythological answer.