Hesiod’s Works and Days gives the fullest surviving account of Pandora’s creation and marriage to Epimetheus. The poem combines practical advice about farming and justice with myths explaining the human condition.
In its Pandora episode, Zeus orders the gods to create a woman as part of his punishment of humanity. Hephaestus forms her from earth, and several gods give her distinctive qualities. Hermes then brings her to Epimetheus, whose name means “afterthought.”
The poem also connects Pandora with the origin of toil, illness, and other hardships. Hesiod’s presentation differs from later popular versions in important ways: it calls the container a jar, and it does not simply present Pandora as a modern-style curious heroine.
The Iliad and Odyssey mention many related myths and figures, but neither poem contains the main Pandora creation narrative. Works and Days therefore remains the key ancient literary source for the story.