The hope that remained inside Pandora’s jar was called Elpis.
In Hesiod’s Works and Days, Pandora releases troubles from the container, but Elpis remains inside after the lid is closed. Elpis is the Greek personification of hope, and her presence has produced centuries of debate about the story’s meaning. Some readers see hope as a comfort deliberately preserved for humanity, while others have wondered why hope would be kept inside with the evils.
The surviving ancient text does not give a long explanation of this ending. It simply states that the jar’s lid is restored before Elpis escapes. Later versions and translations commonly turn Elpis into the abstract word “hope,” making the final image more familiar to modern audiences.
This detail is distinct from the phrase “opening Pandora’s box.” The phrase emphasizes unexpected troubles, while the myth’s ending also includes a surviving positive force. Elpis is a proper name in Greek, not the name of one of the released evils.