Pandora (Greek mythology)
Pandora is a pivotal figure in Greek mythology, recognized as the first mortal woman created by the gods. According to the myth, each god contributed unique gifts to her, leading to her name "Pandora," which means "the all-endowed." Crafted by Hephaestus and endowed with beauty by Aphrodite, Pandora was sent to Epimetheus, despite warnings from his brother Prometheus. In this myth, she received a large jar, often mistakenly referred to as a box, with explicit instructions not to open it. Driven by curiosity, Pandora eventually opened the jar, releasing various evils into the world, such as death and misery, which marked the end of a blissful Golden Age for humanity. However, amid the chaos, the last thing to escape was hope, suggesting that even in hardship, hope remains a vital aspect of human experience. The myth serves as an exploration of human suffering and divine punishment, and it has inspired various cultural references, including the popular idiom "Pandora's box," symbolizing unforeseen consequences arising from seemingly innocuous actions.
Pandora (Greek mythology)
Culture: Greek
Children: Pyrrha
Pandora was the first mortal, human woman according to Greek mythology. All of the gods, following orders from Zeus, came together to create Pandora, and each one endowed her with different gifts and traits. The name Pandora, bestowed upon her by Hermes, translates to "the all-endowed" or "all-giving," a nod to the manner in which she was created. Hephaestus, the god of fire and blacksmith to the gods, was instructed by his father Zeus to create Pandora out of earth, molding her into a perfect womanly form. The goddess Aphrodite imparted the gift of femininity and unimaginable beauty, rendering Pandora irresistible. In addition to her name, Hermes also gave Pandora a crafty mind and a way with words. Hera, Zeus’s wife, made Pandora extremely curious, a gift that plays an important role in the myth of Pandora’s box. By opening this box, Pandora released all of the evil plagues and misfortunes faced by mankind. The mythology surrounding Pandora serves as a creation story in Greek mythology.
In Mythology
The myth of Pandora is one that is well known, and it was first mentioned by the Greek poet Hesiod in two of his works: in his epic poem Theogony, which was written around 750 BCE, and also in his Works and Days. Before Pandora, man was considered to be in his Golden Age, the end of which was marked clearly by the consequences of the creation of Pandora. In the Golden Age, society consisted only of males, who were all immortal, devout in their worship of the gods, and blessed with abundant harvests. However, man betrayed Zeus and the gods with the help of Prometheus, who stole fire from Mount Olympus, the only place it existed previously. Prometheus then gave fire to man, which made Zeus furious and subjected Prometheus to a terrible punishment. Prometheus was chained to a rock, and each day, an eagle would descend from the skies to eat his liver. But each night, his liver would grow back. However, punishing Prometheus was not sufficient for Zeus, and he decided to have Pandora created as part of mankind’s punishment.
Pandora was made to be beautiful, cunning, and enticing—all gifts bestowed upon her by the many gods involved in her creation. When she was complete, Pandora was sent by the gods to visit Epimetheus, the younger brother of the traitor Prometheus. Anticipating that Zeus would seek further revenge for his double-cross, Prometheus warned his brother not to accept anything from Zeus. However, as soon as Epimetheus laid eyes on the beautiful Pandora, he forgot his brother’s words of caution and decided to make Pandora his bride. As a wedding gift, Zeus gave Pandora an ornate pithos, or large jar, with strict instructions never to open it.
Pandora made a great effort to obey Zeus’s orders, but the gods had made her incredibly curious, and soon her discipline began to waver. Zeus, well aware of Pandora’s curious ways, knew that his orders to keep the jar closed would make her want to open it even more. His plan worked perfectly. One day, Pandora’s curiosity got the best of her, and she opened the large jar. However, as soon as she did so, out flew everything evil in the world—death, sickness, poverty, misery, and more.
By releasing these evils, Pandora unintentionally helped to usher in a new Silver Age. Now man was no longer mortal, women existed, and all of the problems would continue to plague humanity forever. Realizing what she had just done, Pandora quickly tried to close the jar, but before she could do so, one last piece of its contents escaped—hope. Mythology says that this is why humanity can still hope for better times even in the darkest days. The myth of Pandora is essentially a creation story in Greek mythology, and it serves to answer questions about why gods would subject humanity to misfortune and tragedy.
Origins and Cults
The myth of Pandora is most well known in popular culture as the story of Pandora’s box. However, this common naming of the myth is the result of a mistranslation. Erasmus of Rotterdam, the Dutch humanist and theologian, set out to translate Hesiod’s epic Theogony into Latin in the sixteenth century. When translating the Greek word pithos, meaning "a large storage jar," Erasmus used the Latin word pyxis, meaning "box." The phrase Pandora’s box remained, and it is the most common way to identify the myth of Pandora.
Many parallels have been drawn between Pandora and Eve, the first woman mentioned in the book of Genesis, and the two of them share many similarities. Both Pandora and Eve are the first women to exist in their respective stories. Both were created from earth, although they were created for different reasons: Pandora was created to serve as a punishment for mankind, whereas Eve was originally created as a companion for Adam. Additionally, both Pandora and Eve play a crucial role in the shift from a world of paradise and plenty to one of sin and suffering. Both women brought this punishment upon humanity as a result of their respective betrayals of a god—Pandora’s opening of the jar and Eve’s tempting Adam with the apple. The myth of Pandora, as well as the book of Genesis, suggests that all of humanity was descended from Pandora and Eve, respectively.
Pandora is enshrined as part of the pedestal in the statue of the goddess Athena, which stands in the Parthenon in Athens.
In Popular Culture
The figure of Pandora has remained a source of inspiration and influence for arts and media ever since the first stories of Greek mythology were told. In 2000, the company Pandora Media was created. This company encourages users to discover music they’ll learn to love as well as to stream music they already like. Executives of Pandora Media cited Greek mythology’s Pandora as inspiration for the company name, stating that the Greek gods bestowed upon her many gifts, including the gifts of music and curiosity. These two themes are central in the company’s platform. Additionally, the phrase Pandora’s box is a common idiom in the English language, which is usually spoken when someone starts something that causes a number of unexpected—and unfortunate— consequences.
Bibliography
Burleigh, Robert. Pandora. Orlando: Harcourt, 2002. Print.
Day, Malcolm. 100 Characters from Classical Mythology. Hauppauge: Barron’s Educational Series, 2013. Electronic.
Graves, Robert. The Greek Myths. New York: Penguin Group, 2012. Print.
"Pandora." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 14 Nov. 2015 <http://www.britannica.com/topic/Pandora-Greek-mythology>.
"Pandora, the First Woman on Earth." Greeka.com - The Greek Island Specialists. Codibee, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2015. <http://www.greeka.com/greece-myths/pandora.htm>.
Payment, Simone. Greek Mythology. New York: Rosen Group, 2005. Print.