Hesiod is the ancient Greek poet credited with first using the name Pandora in surviving literature.
Pandora appears in two works associated with Hesiod: Theogony and Works and Days. Theogony describes her creation and marriage to Epimetheus, while Works and Days gives the fuller account of the jar and the evils released into the world. These poems are generally dated to the late eighth or early seventh century BCE.
The name Pandora is commonly explained as “all-gifted” or “all-giving.” Hesiod’s story emphasizes that the gods contribute different gifts or qualities to the woman Zeus has ordered to be made. This naming helps explain why the figure is connected with the entire divine community rather than with one particular god.
Homer does not provide the surviving account of Pandora’s creation. Later Greek and Roman writers, artists, and translators adapted the story, but Hesiod’s poems remain the earliest literary sources known for the myth and its central characters.