Pandora's Box

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Fast Facts on: Pandora

The releaser of the world's troubles

Pandora gets the blame - but did she deserve it?

Appearance: A beautiful young girl

Strengths:Evokes strong desire in all who see her.

Weaknesses:Deceitful but the gods made her that way; in later, kinder interpretations, her curiosity.

Parents: One account has Pandora made by Hephaistos at the request of Zeus and adorned by Athena and Aphrodite. But another story says she was the creation of Prometheus and Epimetheus.

Spouse: She was given as a gift to Epimetheus.

Children: None known; symbolically she is now the releaser or "mother" of troubles.

Associated Sites: Mount Olympus, where she was created.

Basic Story: Zeus, upset with the brothers Prometheus and Epimetheus for having successfully brought fire to humankind, making for all those annoying sparkling lights on the ground at night, decides to even things up by introducing disease, death, and sorrow to humankind.

In the original tale these things are held in a jar, not a box. He orders Pandora to be created and gives her as a gift to Epimetheus, brother of Prometheus. She is told to never open her jar, but the gods and goddesses have also made her curious. Eventually, she opens the jar, which in some versions was not given to her by Zeus, but was instead kept locked up by Epimetheus,who did not want humankind to suffer. But in either case, the vessel is opened. Pandora realizes what she has done, but cannot slam the lid back on fast enough. The only thing left in the jar is Elpis, or Hope.

There are several variants to Pandora's tale, more than the usual for Greek myths. In one, Zeus actually sends her with great gifts for mankind rather than evils. In most tales, she is also considered to be the "First Woman", brought into a world inhabited only by gods, goddesses, and human males. In this aspect, as an original woman bringing trouble into the world, her story is similar to that of Eve.

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