Pandora

i. e. the giver of all, or endowed with every thing, is the name of the first woman on earth and she plays an important role in numerous versions of the Greek creation myths. Her name means 'all gifts' and reflects her story.

When Prometheus stole fire from the forge of Hephaestus to warm mankind, Zeus was angry and ordered Hephaestus to make a woman out of earth who, with her charm and beauty would bring misery to all humans. (Theogony of Hesiod 571)

Aphrodite gave this woman beauty, Hermes gave her cunning and boldness and the gods called her Pandora, as each of the Olympians had given her some power by which she was to work the ruin of man. Hermes took her to Epimetheus, Prometheus' brother, who instantly forgot his brother's advice to reject gifts from Zeus. Thus began man's misery.

According to some mythographers, Epimetheus became by her the father of Pyrrha and Deucalion (Theogony of Hesiod. Metamorphoses by Ovid I) Others make Pandora a daughter of Pyrrha and Deucalion.

Later writers speak of a vessel of Pandora, containing all the blessings of the gods, which would have been preserved for the human race, had not Pandora opened the vessel, so that the winged blessings escaped irrecoverably.

The birth of Pandora was represented on the pedestal of the statue of Athena, in the Parthenon at Athens. In the Orphic poems Pandora occurs as an infernal awful divinity, and is associated with Hecate and the Erinnyes. Pandora also occurs as a surname of Gaea (Earth), as the giver of all.

The story Pandora's 'box' gives a further explanation of human misery: curious at what might be inside a large earthenware pot, Pandora lifted the lid. Alas, it was Epimetheus' pot, containing all the evils in the world and just one good, namely Hope. When the lid was removed, all the evils escaped, leaving just hope at the bottom.