Hesiod is credited with the earliest surviving literary accounts of Pandora in Greek mythology.
The Greek poet Hesiod describes Pandora in two poems, the Theogony and Works and Days, composed in the late eighth or early seventh century BCE. These poems provide the principal ancient sources for the story of Pandora, Epimetheus, Prometheus, and Zeus.
Hesiod’s versions are not identical. The Theogony gives a relatively brief account of Pandora’s creation, while Works and Days offers a fuller narrative explaining why Zeus sent her to humanity. Later writers and modern retellings often combine details from both poems.
Homer does not provide the familiar Pandora story, and Ovid belongs to the later Roman literary tradition. The phrase “Pandora’s box” also reflects later retelling rather than Hesiod’s exact wording: his Greek text refers to a large storage jar.