Works and Days first describes Pandora as the source of troubles released into the world.
Works and Days is a didactic poem traditionally attributed to Hesiod, usually dated to the seventh century BCE. Its Pandora episode explains why human life includes disease, labor, and other hardships after Zeus's conflict with Prometheus.
Hesiod also mentions Pandora in the Theogony, but the surviving Theogony does not provide the complete jar narrative found in Works and Days. This distinction matters because readers sometimes name Theogony simply because it is another major Hesiodic poem.
The poem combines myth with practical and moral instruction about farming, justice, work, and appropriate conduct. Pandora's story appears within that broader explanation of the human condition, rather than as an isolated fairy tale. Modern versions frequently shorten the episode and add details that are not present in the ancient text.