Elpis is the Greek word often translated as “hope” and associated with what remained in Pandora’s vessel.
In Greek mythology, elpis is personified as the spirit or concept of hope. The Pandora story connects elpis with the final state of the opened vessel: destructive forces escape, while hope remains associated with the container. The detail is one reason the myth continues to invite debate about whether hope is a blessing, a consolation, or something withheld from humanity.
The Greek term does not map perfectly onto every modern meaning of “hope.” Ancient ideas of expectation could include anticipation of good or bad outcomes, so translators and interpreters have discussed its precise force. Nevertheless, “hope” is the standard English rendering in accounts of Pandora’s story.
Eris is the goddess of strife, while Moira refers to fate or destiny and agape is a Greek term for a form of love. These words belong to Greek myth or Greek vocabulary but do not identify the element linked with Pandora’s vessel. Elpis is the specific term relevant to the myth.