The Story of Pandora and the Box

Pandora was the first woman made, presented to Epimetheus in the guise of a gift from Zeus. Her name, Pandora, is Greek for “all gifts,” and was given her because she was created by the gods, and all of them had contributed to her beauty and accomplishment. She was complete in every way, right down to having a stellar intellect and insatiable curiosity to complement it.

Epimetheus was delighted with the gift, and cared wonderfully for his wife. One day, a man carrying a heavy box approached their home, and they invited him in to refresh himself. The man (who was Zeus in disguise) asked if they would care for his box while he completed his journey; then he would return for it. They agreed.

Now, before he left their home, the man said, “Whatever you do, you must not open this box that I leave in your care. If you should do so, the most dreadful things will happen.”

Epimetheus said, indignantly, “What do you take us for…common thieves? Of course we won’t pry into the contents of your chest. When you return for it, you shall find it just as you left it.”

The man left. He did not return, and as the days grew into weeks, that mysterious and beautifully decorated box began to eat into Pandora’s consciousness. After about a month, she said, “Epimetheus, that man has not yet returned for his box. Oughtn’t we to open it and see if there is a name somewhere, so that we can arrange to send it back to him?” But Epimetheus was adamant that they would not violate the stranger’s trust.

However, Epimetheus had to leave, one day, to check on certain of his and Pandora’s properties. He admonished Pandora to leave the stranger’s box alone, and told her that he would be gone only three days. Pandora was, by now, completely eaten up by curiosity, but she held out for two days. She didn’t want to disappoint Epimetheus, for she loved him.

However, on the third day as she passed by the box, she heard voices saying, “Let us out! Oh, please, release us from this prison!” Filled with compassion for the tiny, pitiful voices, and curious to see what manner of creature the man might have incarcerated in the box, Pandora picked the lock and released the lid.

Immediately, a great black cloud of horrible things flew out: all the evils and troubles that afflict the body and soul of man. Horrified by the hideous ugliness that she had released into the world, Pandora slammed the lid back down onto the box. But it was too late. All of the “prisoners”‘ had escaped, save one.

Hope remained quietly in the corner of the box, and she remains with the human race to this day, offering comfort even as the evils of the world assail us.

Tags: mythology, poetry, Religion