Hesiod describes Pandora as the first woman in the myth behind Pandora’s box.
In Works and Days, Hesiod presents Pandora’s creation as part of Zeus’s response to Prometheus’s theft of fire. She is sent to Epimetheus carrying a sealed vessel, and its opening introduces suffering into the human world. The Theogony also refers to her creation and role.
Hesiod’s wording makes Pandora a foundational figure in the Greek explanation of human hardship. Her arrival is not merely an isolated adventure; it explains why toil, disease, and other troubles exist alongside human life.
Homer is often assumed to be the source because he is another major early Greek poet, but the surviving Homeric poems do not provide the standard Pandora narrative. Hesiod’s two poems are the key ancient literary sources for the story.