Which Hesiod poem tells Pandora’s story alongside an account of human labor and justice?

Works and Days tells Pandora’s story alongside an account of human labor and justice.

The poem, attributed to Hesiod, combines myth, moral instruction, farming advice, and reflections on justice. Its Pandora episode explains why hardship and toil became part of human existence after Zeus punished Prometheus and humanity.

Works and Days is not a continuous heroic epic like the Iliad or Odyssey. It addresses practical and ethical concerns, including agricultural seasons, seafaring, proper conduct, disputes, and the importance of honest work. Pandora’s story appears within that broader explanation of the human condition.

Hesiod’s Theogony also mentions Pandora, but it focuses more broadly on the origins and genealogy of the gods. The fuller account of the jar, Hope, and the evils is associated with Works and Days, making that poem the most specific literary source for the familiar narrative.