Which ancient Greek poem mentions Pandora but does not tell the full jar-opening episode?

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Theogony is the ancient Greek poem that mentions Pandora without telling the full jar-opening episode.

Theogony is attributed to Hesiod and focuses on the origins and genealogies of the gods. Near its discussion of humanity’s punishment, it refers to Pandora and the woman created by Zeus’s plan, but it does not provide the extended narrative in which Pandora opens the container and releases evils.

That fuller account appears in Hesiod’s Works and Days, a poem concerned with justice, labor, farming, and the hardships of mortal life. Comparing the two works helps explain why modern summaries sometimes blend details from separate passages.

Theogony should also not be confused with Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. Those epic poems are central sources for Greek mythology, but the Pandora episode is chiefly associated with Hesiod. Argonautica is a much later Greek epic about Jason and the Argonauts.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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