Which Hesiod poem gives the fullest surviving ancient account of Pandora’s creation?
Answer
Works and Days
Hesiod’s Works and Days gives the fullest surviving ancient account of Pandora’s creation.
The poem presents Pandora within a story about Zeus, Prometheus, fire, and the hardships that entered human life. Zeus arranged for the gods to make Pandora as a punishment after Prometheus deceived him and then stole fire for mortals. The episode is part of the poem’s wider explanation of why human existence involves labor and suffering.
Hesiod also refers to Pandora in his Theogony, but the account there is much shorter. Works and Days supplies more of the narrative detail, including the gifts provided by the gods and the opening of the container. The poem is didactic rather than a modern-style myth collection: Hesiod uses stories to discuss justice, work, farming, and proper conduct.