Elpis is the Greek name of the figure translated as “Hope” in Pandora’s jar story. In Hesiod’s Works and Days, Elpis remains inside the container after the other troubles escape.
Elpis is more than a modern abstract word: Greek mythology personifies her as a divine figure associated with expectation and hope. The English translation “hope” is standard, but the wider Greek meaning can include anticipation of what is to come, whether favorable or unfavorable.
The detail has generated disagreement because the text does not clearly state whether hope is a blessing kept for humans or another condition withheld from them. Ancient and modern interpreters have proposed both possibilities. Elpis should therefore be identified precisely while recognizing that her role remains deliberately ambiguous.