Many people use the expression "to open Pandora's box," but have you ever really wondered what exactly Pandora's box is ? We invite you to read this Greek myth about Pandora's box and learn everything you need to know about it and the important lesson it teaches humanity.
Your start.
Counting exactly how many myths and legends exist in Greek mythology is almost impossible. Mythology is a practical brand of portraying the history and culture of a population, therefore, for every explanation of events that were out of the ordinary, there was a myth, even those stories, made to raise awareness among a group of young Greeks, also with the passage of time, they became myths.
Pandora's box is perhaps one of the best known myths of Greek mythology, especially because it was not created to explain a specific fact, but rather to warn young Greeks of their own curiosity. The myth features Pandora, the first mortal woman on Earth, a creation of Hephaestus, despite the fact that the order was actually given by Zeus.
The myth tells that Zeus created the box as a tool to punish humankind after the incident with Prometheus and the fire. Zeus then ordered the creation of a beautiful, divine, skillful, and kind woman to be the guardian of this box; however, Hermes granted her the gift of deception. If you would like to read more articles like this one about Pandora's Box, we recommend reading Legends of Bolivia in our myths and legends category.
The myth of Pandora's box.
The first thing we need to clarify about the myth of Pandora's Box is that the box didn't actually belong to Pandora; she was simply in charge of bringing it to Epimetheus. Zeus had been responsible for placing all the evils of the world in the blessed box and had left Pandora with very clear instructions: under no circumstances was she to open it.
Pandora was a woman of many incredible qualities; her only flaw? An insatiable curiosity that led her to open such a package. What she never expected was that the most terrible evils (famine, disease, hatred, etc.) would emerge from such a tiny box. Terrified, Pandora slammed the box shut, preventing one last element—hope—from escaping.
These evils lodged in the human race, making disasters in their minds and lives, worst of all, is that when Pandora locked up hope, it was not able to reach humans. Today, one of the greatest Greek myths is born from there, as well as one of the most widespread phrases around the world.
Pandora's Box seeks to do three things within its story: warn human beings that every action has a consequence, that curiosity and disobedience are not always good, and third, that the total perdition of man lies in his lack of hope.
Variants of the myth.
There are other variations on the original Greek myth of Pandora's box, for example; one legend tells how the box actually contained no evil, but rather good elements delivered by Zeus. This box then becomes a gift to Epimetheus to celebrate his marriage.
In this same story, Pandora acts as a messenger to deliver the gift; however, out of curiosity, she decides to open the box, and the elements return to Olympus. On the other hand, the third variant expresses the same main plot; the only difference is that Pandora feels so remorseful for her mistake that she goes around the earth offering hope, the only element left in the box.
In the modern world we live in, myths, stories, and legends have become an important part of our lives. Even when we don't study them in depth, we are able to recognize a few of them through general knowledge. If we talk about "opening Pandora's box," we automatically know that it's something that seems innocent but has terrible consequences.
If this article about Pandora's Box is of interest to you, we invite you to read myths of Honduras in the myths and legends category.
Did the Greeks blame Pandora for their sufferings?
If Greek mythology makes one thing clear, it's that blaming the most innocent is the correct response. If we review the history of the myth of Pandora's box, it's easy to see why Pandora would be the culprit of misfortunes; after all, she opened the box out of curiosity.
But should the Greeks blame the innocent person who, out of curiosity, unleashed something terrible on their village? Or should they blame the box's creator in the first place? The Greeks were never going to blame Zeus; their god was so revered that it was impossible for him to be responsible for something that seemed so human. Pandora, who was created precisely for that purpose, to be the first woman, was judged by the mere fact of being human.
Pandora and Eve.
A few years ago, a linguist described the similarities between Pandora and Eve. Both were created to be the first women, with human problems, punished and condemned by those problems.
Pandora and Eve suffered the same fate: being criticized for a mistake that, had it been committed by a god, fate would not have punished so harshly. If Pandora and Eve were created to be the first women, should they be held to human standards or to the standards of the gods?
Interestingly, we can see how Mesopotamian tales and Greek myths tend to criticize women and define them as the true downfall of man. The similarities between these two characters are too great to ignore; the Greeks weren't upset by the evils created by Zeus in the first place; they were upset that Pandora was curious enough to search the box and release them.
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