PANDORAThe First Woman on Earth Presented by: Prof. Dr. Mr. Maqsood HasniFree Abuzar Barqi kutab'khana Aguest 2017
The First Woman on Earth Painting by John William Waterhouse\"...the woman opened up the cask ,And scattered pains and evils among men.\" Works and Days, Hesiod
QUICK INTRODUCTIONWhen Zeus, the king of the Olympian gods, was young andtrying to establish his rule, he was challenged by a groupof ferocious Titans, who tried to keep him from gainingpower. A long and terrible war ensued, with all theOlympian gods joined against the Titans, who were led byCronus and Atlas.After ten years of fighting, and with the help of theCyclopes and the Hecatoncheires (TheHundred-Handed-Ones), Zeus and his fellow Olympiansdefeated the Titans. Only a few Titans, including Themis,Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus, fought on theside of Zeus - against their fellow Titans - and once Zeuswon, he rewarded them.But soon Prometheus made Zeus very angry by stealingfire from Mount Olympus and giving it to the race ofmortal men living on earth, who were cold and hungry.Zeus had warned Prometheus not to give fire to men, andwas outraged that anyone had the nerve to ignore hiscommand.Still, he would seem ungrateful if he appeared to forget
the importantrole that Prometheus and his brotherEpimetheus had played in the war against the Titans, andhe couldn't just kill the brothers, so he cunningly deviseda scheme to get even! PANDORA IS CREATEDIn revenge, Zeus ordered Hephaestus, the god of smiths,to craft a gorgeous woman out of earth and water. Thebeautiful goddess of Love, Aphrodite, was asked to poseas a model, just to make sure the woman was perfect.Once this was done, the Four Winds (or some sayHephaestus himself) breathed life into her and there shelay sleeping, brand spanking new!The first mortal woman on earth was to be bestowedwith unparalleled charm and beauty, and her unknownmission would be to bring mischief and misery upon thehuman race. Zeus then summoned the other Olympiansand asked them each to give this new creation a gift
Creation of Pandora, interior of Cylix, 470-460 B.C., British Museum, London, EnglandAphrodite adorned her with beauty, grace and desire;Hermes, the Messenger god, gave her cunning andboldness; Demeter showed her how to tend a garden;Athena taught her manual dexterity and to spin; Apollotaught her to sing sweetly and play the lyre; Poseidon'sgift was a pearl necklace and the god of the seapromised her that she would never drown.
But Zeus also made her foolish, mischievous and idle.This was the first woman, divine in appearance but quitehuman in reality.The gods called her Pandora, which means \"All-gifted\",or \"The gift of all\", because each god had given her apower by which she would work the ruin of man, andbecause of the many presents bestowed upon her atOlympus.Lovely Pandora was created to become the wife of theTitan Epimetheus, who was the not-very-bright brotherof Prometheus, the one who had gotten on Zeus' bad side.Before sending her to earth, the gods held a big banquetand Hermes, the Messenger god, presented Pandora witha splendidly crafted jar (some say a box), adorned withwonderful images. But Hermes warned Pandora that shemust never open the jar (box)!She must NEVER open the box...And then Zeus' wife, Hera,gave her the quality of curiosity! Tell me, is that fair?They also gave her silvery raiment and a broidered veil,and in her hair they placed bright garlands of freshflowers and a wonderful crown of gold. Her gowns were
most sumptuous and she was truly a vision from heaven.When Pandora was finally brought out and shown to thegods, resplendent in all the finery she had received,great amazement and wonder took hold of them, suchwas the effect of her beauty...
Desperate, Pandora took the box and locked it inside aheavy wooden chest. She placed chains around the chest,dug a hole, and buried it in her garden. With great effortshe rolled a huge boulder on top of the \"grave\",determined to forget all about this object of herobsession.She couldn't sleep that night. No matter how she tried,
her thoughts kept returning to the buried golden box.She put on her robe and went out to the garden. As if in atrance, Pandora found herself drawn to the boulder. Shereached out and touched the stone and like magic itmoved, revealing the hole. This must be a sign fromHermes!\"You must never open the box!\" As she dug the earth toget to the box, the Messenger god's words rang in hermind. \"Never open the box!\"Pandora wanted to obey the command of the gods, andshe really wasn't wicked, but at last she could no longercontain her curiosity. Taking the little golden key fromaround her neck, she fitted it into the keyhole and gentlyopened the box. Just a tiny bit, so that she could have alittle peek, you see, and then she was going to close it upagain. Just a little, tiny peek...It was her wedding gift,after all...
Painting by John William WaterhouseBad move. No sooner had Pandora opened the box, thatshe realized her mistake. A foul smell filled the air andshe heard swarming and rustling inside. In horror sheslammed the lid shut, but alas it was too late! The evil hadbeen unleashed!You see, the vindictive gods had each put somethingharmful inside the box. All the plagues and sorrowsknown to humanity were released once Pandora openedthe jar. Old Age, Sickness, Insanity, Pestilence, Vice,
Passion, Greed, Crime, Death, Theft, Lies, Jealousy,Famine, the list went on and on...every evil, that until thenhad been trapped inside the gift from the gods, was nowloosed upon the earth. Illustration by Padraic Colum (1881–1972) from The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived before Achilles, 1921.First the scourges stung Pandora and Epimetheus onevery part of their body, then the evils scatteredthroughout the world and mixed with the good, so thatthey were indistinguishable, and humans had a hard timetelling between the two extremes. Entering a house,
these monster hang from the rafters and bide their time,waiting for the perfect moment to swoop down and stingtheir victim, bringing pain, pestilence, sorrow and death.Woe was Pandora! The poor girl was terror-stricken atwhat she had caused, and at this unexpected eruption ofevil. But just as she thought all was lost, one little Sprite,a solitary good thing, hidden at the bottom of the jar, flewout.It was Hope! Deep down inside the hateful jar was theonly thing that has sustained humanity in times ofsorrow, pain and misery - Hope. The endless Hope thatthings will soon get better. And it's this Hope that keepsus going to this very day, our sole comfort in times ofmisfortune.But before you go blaming all of society's ills on poorlovely Pandora, the first woman and the ultimate pariah,first consider the following question: Would you havebeen disciplined enough to keep the jar/box shut, orwould you, like Pandora, let your curiosity get the best ofyou?Hey, if it was MY wedding gift, I'd be opening it! Just so I
could send a Thank You note! EPILOGUEHere's an interesting aside: At a still later period, ratherthan all the ills of the world, the box was said to havecontained all the blessings of the gods. These weremeant to have been preserved for the future benefit ofthe human race. Pandora was instructed never to openthe box, but once again her curiosity got the better ofher, and she had a peek.The winged blessings at once took flight and escaped,rarely to be seen again. If only Pandora had kept the boxclosed! Who knows what our world would be like!
Image from an ancient Greek vase\"And in her breast, the messenger, killer of Argos,created lies; deceiving words, a deceitful heart, just asZeus with his angry mutterings had wished. Then theherald of the gods gave her the power of speech and thename of Pandora, because that name represented all theinhabitants of Olympus who, with this gift, made apresent of misfortune to mankind.\"Hessiod, TheogonyTopic:Examine the sequence of myths concerning Prometheus'trick of the sacrifice, his theft of fire and the creation ofwoman (Hesiod, Theogony 535-616, Works and Days42-105), considering the following issues:How are these myths related thematically to each other?And in particular:How do they collectively define and justify therelationships between men and gods, men and animals,men and women?Compare and contrast what you consider to be thepurpose of these myths with that of the myth of Eden and
Adam and Eve in Genesis.The works of Hesiod regarding the trick of the sacrifice,the theft of fire and the creation of women have longbeen regarded by analysts as being thematically linkedthrough the concept of the deceptive gift, the fall ofmankind from an era of utopia and the establishment ofrelationships. In a purposive analysis, it is equallypossible to compare these myths and that of Adam andEve in the Eden of Genesis, with a number of strikingparallels and contrasts occurring. This essay willattempt to account for the above thematic links, anddraw conclusions regarding the state of mankind inGreek and Hebrew thinking.Thematically, the myths found in Theogony 535-616 andWorks and Days 42-105 are interwoven, and it isgenerally accepted that the differing versions of thetrick of the sacrifice, theft of fire and creation of woman(and the ensuing results of this line of events) arecomplementary, and that each myth elaborates thebarely-mentionedelements of the other. Three majorthemes which are found in these myths are those ofdeceptive gifts, the gradual fall of mankind, and the
establishment of relationships between gods, men,women (once created), and animals. Regarding thetheme of deceptive gifts, it is possible to discern apattern which runs through the myths in question,namely that each event is triggered in response to atrap, trick or deception, finally establishing social normsand causing humans to suffer more grievances than inthe past.Although the different versions of the myths (Theogonyand Works and Days) do not agree whether men andgods begin in a state of harmony or opposition1, bothversions agree that a state of tension betweenPrometheus and Zeus occurs when the Titan attempts topublicly deceive Zeus2 during the sharing of ox portions.It is the deceptive gift offered by Prometheus to thefather of the gods - bones, not meat, concealed under fat- that sets in motion a series of events that will haveserious ramifications for social hierarchies and ritualpractices; additionally, in allotting the various shares ofox for both gods and men, men and gods are finally splitfrom an age where they dined together in harmony.The theme of the deceptive gift is developed further in
the myths, with Zeus no longer giving (I.e., hiding3) firefrom the mortal men on earth, who have benefitedthanks to their protector's \"tricking\" of Zeus. It isthrough this action that men are reduced to a state ofprimitive bestiality, in that they are no longer able tocook meat (thus eating raw meat, the practice ofomophagia, just like animals) and can no longercommunicate to the gods through sacrifice. Not on parwith gods in that they cannot breach the gap betweenmortality and immortality, men are no longer stationedabove wild beasts, but are their equal. This lowering ofstatus is reversed by Prometheus, who steals fire andcarries it to give to men by hiding it in a fennel stalk4,infuriating Zeus. In a way, however, the gods also benefitfrom this theft, as they may now receive once more thesmoke of the burnt sacrifices.The final deceptive gift is the woman created by variousgods on the command of Zeus - Pandora, \"all-gifted\"5, asshe is named in Works and Days. Created from the earthby Hephaestos and animated by the power of the gods,Pandora is not just given the face of a goddess and thebody of a beautiful virgin girl, but she is also given the
talents of deception, of lying, of consuming both food andsex6, yet contributes nothing to the household. Pandorais the ultimate dolos (trap), as she is irresistible, quiteliterally: not only is she physically attractive to men, theymust marry for if they do not, then they are doomed to amiserable aged existence. With the face of a goddess,Pandora is linked to the immortals; with the \"morals of abitch\" (Hesiod, Works and Days), she is linked to animals.Thus, as with man, woman is given a social statushalfway between the gods and the beasts that walk theearth - not quite either, but a complex mixture of both. Itis the human condition, then, to be apart and ambiguous.Marriage, sacrifice and ills that plague mankind are theby-products of the standoff between Prometheus andZeus. Marriage, a crucial institution, governs therelationship between men and women7, and is the secondevil that Zeus sends to men as a punishment,simultaneously to the giving of Pandora – in the verybest scenario, marriage is described by Hesiod as beinga mixture of good and evil. When Prometheus' foolishbrother Epimetheus (ignoring his older brother'swarning to accept nothing from Zeus) accepts Pandora,
he sets the precedent for marriage, which is consideredto be unprofitable - indeed, it is a liability. Pandora isportrayed as a gaster8, a stomach which is neversatisfied. She has a relentless appetite for food (andimplicitly, sex), yet contributes nothing to thehousehold9. Even the children which she may bear areambiguous in nature: on the one hand, they will care fortheir parents during their old age; on the other, thedivision of the estate may occur if there is more thanone heir (it could also be insensitively argued that if achild dies, then they may be considered to be aneconomic loss to the household). Beautiful on theoutside, internally Pandora is worth no more than thedirt from which she was formed, and exists solely tomake the lot of men harder in life. It is thus that she is adeceptive gift, and that the relationship between men andwomen are defined - this relationship is one of hardship.The communications between gods and men through thenewly established ritual of sacrifice (the product ofPrometheus' trick at Mecone, and final splitting of menfrom the gods) is another relationship set up due to thesequence of events told by Hesiod in these myths. In
apportioning the shares of ox, men and gods areirrevocably split. Yet more curiously, however, is the fallof mankind, a theme which finds parallels in the myth toldin Genesis. Pandora carries with her, or within her, apithos (jar10) which contains all the evils of the world inaddition to the enigmatic elpis (hope). It is these evils,when released by Pandora, which further contribute tothe degeneration of the state of man (as well as awomen, now that they exist), and this theme is analogousto that of Adam and Eve. Moreover, hope is now theperpetual state of human existence, and also defines manas being halfway between gods and animals: \"Whoever isimmortal, as the gods are, has no need of Elpis. Nor isthere any [... for beasts who are] ignorant of theirmortality.\"11Genesis begins, as Hesiod, with a utopian setting, theGarden of Eden, where man rules over animals, yet islesser than God. Woman, Eve12, is created not as adeceptive gift to punish man, but as a companion forAdam13 - unlike Pandora who is \"unquestionablyinferior\"14 to men. Despite this contrast between themyths, a parallel lies in the fact that in both cases, it is
woman who directly causes the fall of mankind, ignoringthe progression of preceding events. Pandora wilfullyopens the mysterious jar (any admonition that sheshould not do so has either never existed, or has beenleft out by Hesiod on the assumption that the audiencewould know of the jar and its significance), causing evilsto roam the earth by night and day, harming humansforevermore - no longer do men die peacefully as theyonce did before the advent of woman. This releasing ofevil is comparable to Eve partaking of the fruit15 on thetree of knowledge of good and evil. Although forbidden toeat this fruit, Eve does so, and additionally encouragesAdam to follow suit. Upon eating the fruit, Adam and Evelose their state of child-like innocence, and becomeaware of their nakedness - this fall from innocencecompounds to be a fall from a blissful existence, whenthe couple are banned from the Garden of Eden andpunished further by God's decree.The punishments of Adam and Eve - to have to work hardto gain sustenance (Adam), and to bear children withhard labour (Eve) - correspond to the punishments onhumans which resulted from the original Promethean
trick of the sacrifice. Henceforth, men must work hardto obtain food from the ground which had once simplygiven grains without any difficulty16. Agriculture has beenestablished, another point of differentiation between manand beast, who does not cultivate, but kills at random.Not only must the ground be ploughed in order to gainanything worthwhile, but the fertile ground of Pandoramust also be seeded in order for children to eventuate, anecessity ordained by Zeus - if man has no children, thenhis estate will be in jeopardy in the future, and he willhave nobody to look after him in his old age. Like withPandora, Adam and Eve are forced to have children byGod's decree \"...in labour you shall bear children.\"(Genesis 3:16)The concept of the deceptive gift may also reside inGenesis - why is the tree of knowledge of good and evilplaced in the Garden of Eden in the first place? Yet themore prominent parallel theme to that of the Hesiodicmyths, aside from the fall of mankind, is theestablishment of relationships. Adam, like Pandora, is acreation of earth - God forms him, animates him, andplaces him in charge of the animals in Eden, as shown by
the fact that Adam is able to name them (and thus holdmastery over them). Adam is thus subordinate to God,yet above animals. The situation with Eve is moreambiguous: it is interesting to note that after their fallfrom grace, Adam names Eve, perhaps implying mastery.This viewpoint has been questioned, as discussed earlierin the essay.The sequence of myths in Hesiod regarding the trick ofthe sacrifice, the theft of fire and the creation of womanare thematically linked through relationships, deceptivegifts and the fall of man from a state of near-perfectexistence. A parallel to this set of myths may be found inGenesis, in the myth of Adam, Eve, and the Garden ofEden. In both, man originally exists in a world withouttrouble; after the creation of woman, humans begin tosuffer as the woman in question (either Pandora or Eve)sets in motion events which lead to a worsened situationand future. Additionally, these myths show that manholds a tenuous and ambiguous position between thegods and beasts, and lives in a possibly unequalpartnership with his wife. The establishment of importantsocial customs such as marriage, agriculture and
sacrifice are the direct result of the original deceptionof Prometheus. In sum, the myths contained in Theogony,Works and Days, and Genesis are thematicallyintertwined, all explaining why humans stand alonebetween immortality and bestiality, why they mustsuffer, and what roles both sexes must play. This isperhaps best summarised by Jean-Pierre Vernant, whosaidHenceforward, there is a reverse aspect to everything:contact can only be made with the gods through sacrificewhich at the same time consecrates the impassablebarrier between mortals and immortals; there can be nohappiness without unhappiness, no birth without death,no abundance without toil, no Prometheus withoutEpimetheus—in a word, no Man without Pandora.17Endnotes: 1. In Theogony, men and gods are still united when they meet to share the ox, whereas in Hesiod's Works and Days, the scene is different, apparently a confrontation in metis (wisdom) between the Titan Prometheus (representing men) and the Olympian Zeus (representing the gods).
2. It has long been a point of scholarly contention as to whether or not Zeus was fooled by Prometheus at this point. Zeus, embodying wisdom, technically cannot be tricked according to Hesiod, who says that \"...there is no way to flee the mind of Zeus...\" (Hesiod, Works and Days). Others argue that this is simply a glossing-over, and that Zeus has been fooled, exactly like his father and grandfather before him.3. That the text uses the word \"giving\" is significant, as it links in with the theme of gifts: \"He bore the trick in mind, and would not give, / To wretched men who live on earth, the power / of fire, which never wearies.\" (Hesiod, Theogony)4. It has been argued that gift giving is a cultural refinement of the act of taking, and that in giving a gift, social obligations are imposed (refer to Nagy, p. 191 for further discussion). Here, Prometheus takes what is not given, then gives it through deception (hiding it in the fennel stalk).5. Hermes names Pandora this as she receives a skill, item or element from many different gods. It is
interesting to note that \"Pandora\" was also a title connected with the concept of the earth mother, in that the earth gave life to all. Hesiod does not recognise this connection, nor does he recognise that men henceforth are from women born - Pandora is said to be the progenitor of the female \"race\" – \"From her comes all the race of womankind...\" (Hesiod, Theogony).6. For further discussion of the concept of Pandora as an economic liability to men, refer to Zeitlin, pp. 49-557. It is additionally a point of separation between men and beasts, who often mate somewhat at random. For the purposes of this essay, I defined 'marriage' in a traditional way.8.This word corresponds to the gaster in which the ox meat is hidden during the trick of the sacrifice.9. Hesiod choses to ignore the fact that Athena is said to have taught Pandora how to weave.10. The jar has long been under academic scrutiny. Many analysts believe it to represent female sexuality, and yet others connect it to the general
concept of fertility. For further discussion of these matters see Reeder, pp. 195-99 and Powell, pp. 121-23.11.Vernant, p. 18412. Eve means \"mother of all\", a link to the earth goddess connections regarding the name Pandora.13. It has long been a matter of debate as to whether Eve, created from the rib of Adam, is subordinate to him or not. Although traditionally regarded as such, it has been argued that \"...the woman is created as the man's full, equal partner...\" O'Brien and Major, p. 9214. Reeder, p. 27815. Long regarded as being an apple, the more general word 'fruit' has been used to acknowledge the belief of several academics that this naming is formed merely from the fact that in Latin, the word malum is used to mean both 'apple' and 'bad'.16. In Hesiod's Works and Days, the situation is given at the trick of the sacrifice that men and gods are already split, as the gods are portrayed as having hidden bios (grains) from humans. This may
be considered to mean that the ability to easily gain food by cultivation is no longer an option for men.17. Vernant, p. 185 Bibliography: Primary Sources:· References to Hesiod (Theogony 535-616 and Works and Days 42-105) and Genesis are from my Classics lecture handout - sorry, I can't give specific bibliographic details. Secondary Sources:· G.S. Kirk, Myth – Its Meaning and Functions in Ancient and Other Cultures (London, 1970) pp. 172-251· G.S. Kirk, The Nature of Greek Myths (Harmondsworth, 1974) pp. 136-143· J.F. Nagy, 'The Deceptive Gift in Greek Mythology' in Arethusa Vol. 14 (1981) pp. 191-204· J. O'Brien and W. Major, In the Beginning – Creation Myths from Ancient Mesopotamia, Israel and Greece
(1982) pp. 80-122· B.B. Powell, Classical Myth (Upper Saddle River, 2004) pp. 111-23· E.D. Reeder, 'Pandora' in Pandora – Women in Classical Greece, ed. E.D. Reeder (Baltimore, 1995) pp. 277-279· E.D. Reeder, 'Women as Containers' in Pandora – Women in Classical Greece, ed. E.D. Reeder (Baltimore, 1995) pp. 195-199· J-P. Vernant, Myth and Society in Ancient Greece, trans. T. Lloyd (Brighton, 1980) pp. 168-85· F.I. Zeitlin, 'The Economics of Hesiod's Pandora' in Pandora – Women in Classical Greece, ed. E.D. Reeder (Baltimore, 1995) pp. 49-55
Pandora, the first woman on EarthThe story of Pandora came into prominence in“Theogeny”, Hesiod’s epic poem, written circa 800 BC.The myth dates back to the first centuries of humanity,just after the Titanomachy, the Great War between theTitans and the Olympians. It is interesting to note that thereference to Pandora’s “Box” came only in the 16thcentury from Erasmus of Rotterdam. The bottom line isthat the entire story about Pandora was fabricated. Itmay be considered as a misogynist stand that thecreation of woman was the harbinger of all evil on this
world.The creation of PandoraAll started from a gathering of the gods, where theTitans were also invited. The gathering had beenorganized to decide who would be favored with the betterportion of a sacrifice. Prometheus, the Titan who laterstole the fire from the Gods and gave it to humanity, haddeviously presented the sacrifice in such a manner thatZeus chose the portion that looked more appealing whenin fact it was just bones presented in a tempting manner.Outraged at this mockery, Zeus decided to take revengeand get even with Prometheus. Zeus chargedHephaestus, the god of smiths and master of crafts, withcreating a dazzlingly beautiful woman, one that wouldappear irresistible to either god or man. To accomplishthis feat Aphrodite, the goddess of love, posed as amodel for the creation of the statue.The woman was molded of earth and water and once thebody was ready, the Four Winds breathed life into it. She
was then given gifts from all the Olympian gods.Aphrodite gave to her unparalleled beauty, grace anddesire. Hermes, the messenger god, gave her a cunning,deceitful mind and a crafty tongue. Athena clothed herand taught her to be deft with her hands. Poseidonbestowed on her a pearl necklace that would prevent herfrom drowning. Apollo taught her to play the lyre and tosing. Zeus gave her a foolish, mischievous and idlenature and last but not least, Hera gave her the wiliestgift, curiosity. Thus, the first mortal woman was bornand she descended down to earth. Her name wasPandora, meaning all-gifted, implying all the gifts she hadreceived from gods. Along with her, Hermes gave agilded and intricately carved box, a gift from Zeus withan explicit warning that she must never open it, comewhat may. Draped in raiment fit for the gods, she waspresented to Epimetheus, Prometheus' half-brother.Opening the boxEpimetheus had been told by his brother never to acceptany gift from Zeus. Prometheus was well aware that Zeus
was still angry with him for his effrontery at thegathering and would try to get his revenge. However, onelook at Pandora was all it took for Epimetheus to fall incrazy love with her and marry her without thought orconsideration. He was truly enchanted with her. Tocongratulate them, Hermes came to the weddingceremony and told Epimetheus that Pandora was a giftfrom Zeus, a peace-offer signifying that there were nomore ill feelings between the chief of the gods andPrometheus. He also told Epimetheus that the gilded boxof Pandora was a wedding gift from the Olympian King.Being a bit credulous, Epimetheus believed Hermes’words to be true. Unfortunately, Prometheus’ advice hadfallen on deaf ears.The days were passing quickly and the two were leadinga happy, married life but one thought was still at theback of Pandora’s mind: what was in the box that Zeushad given her? She kept thinking that maybe the box hadmoney in it, nice clothes or even jewelry. Without thoughtor reason, she would find herself walking past the boxand involuntarily reaching out to open it. Every time, she
was reminding herself that she had vowed never to openthe box. Hera’s gift of curiosity had worked and one day,unable to take it any more, she decided to have just abrief look inside. When nobody was around, she fitted agolden key hanging around her neck to the lock on thebox. Turning the key slowly, she unlocked the box andlifted the lid only for a while. Before she knew it, therewas a hissing sound and a horrible odor permeated theair around her. Terrified, she slammed the lid down but itwas too late.Pandora had released all the wickedness andmalevolence that Zeus had locked into the box. That time,she understood that she was a mere pawn in a greatgame played by the gods. In that gilded box, Zeus hadhidden all everything that would plague man forever:sickness, death, turmoil, strife, jealousy, hatred, famine,passion… everywhere the evil spread. Pandora felt theweight of the world on her shoulders and looked at thegilded box that had turned rusty and hideous. As ifsensing her need, a warm and calming feeling shroudedher and she knew that not all was lost. Unknown to her,
along with the evil feelings, she had also revealed hope,the only good thing that Zeus had trapped inside the box.From now on, hole would live with man forever, to givehim succor just when he felt that everything was comingto an end.Pandora's boxThe modern phrase “Pandora’s box” derives from thismyth. It is used to say that a certain action provokedmany evils, just like Pandora’s action to open the boxreleased all the evils of humanity. However, despitethese evils, we humans still have hope to encourage us.This phrase was produced by the Dutch humanist andtheologian Erasmus of Rotterdam in the 16th century,when he translated the poem of Hesiod.Pandora and EveIn this myth, we can observe some similarities with theChristian story of Adam and Eve. Just like Pandora inancient Greece, Eve was known as the first woman on
earth in Hebrew history. Even the creation of the twowomen is similar:Pandora was made of earth and water and Eve from therib of Adam, the first man on earth, who was in his turnmade of slay.Another similarity is that they both disobeyed god:Pandora opened the box and unleashed evil in the worldand Eve tempted Adam to eat the forbidden apple, againstGod’s will.Some accounts maintain that Pandora temptedEpimetheus into opening the box. However, both womenbrought ruin and misfortune upon men who had so farlived in a paradisiacal world, free from all sins.Pandora and Eve are considered as the progenitors ofthe human race and because of their curiosity, the worldis cursed today. Interestingly, Pandora was created withvicious intentions but not so Eve, who was simply createdto be Adam’s companion.
The treachery lay in the role of Hermes and the Snakerespectively. In Pandora, Hermes instilled that she mustnever open the box and had Hera not gifted her“curiosity”, it may have remained closed forever. In theGarden of Eden, the Snake tempted Eve to eat theforbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and Life,bringing about realization and shame. From these twostories, we can imply that women have forever beenseen as perpetrators of all that is deceitful andtherefore women are to blame for every evil on thisworld
Pandora & HephaestusPandora & Hephaestus, Athenian red-figureamphoraC5th B.C., Ashmolean MuseumPANDORA was the very first woman who was formed outof clay by the gods. The Titan Prometheus had originallybeen assigned with the task of creating man. Butbecause he was displeased with their lot, stole fire fromheaven. Zeus was angered, and commanded Hephaistosand the other gods to create a woman, Pandora, and
endow her with the beauty and cunning. He thendelivered her to Epimetheus, the foolish younger brotherof Prometheus, for a bride. When he had received herinto his house, Pandora opened the pithos (storage jar)which Zeus had given her as a wedding present, andreleased the swarm of evil spirits trapped within. Theywould ever afterwards plague mankind. Only Elpis (Hope)remained behind, a single blessing to succor mankind intheir suffering.Pandora's daughter Pyrrha (Fire) was the first-bornmortal child. She and her husband Deukalion alonesurvived the Great Deluge. To repopulate the earth theyeach cast stones over their shoulder. Those cast byDeukalion formed men, and those of Pyrrha women.In ancient Greek vase painting Pandora was depicted inthe scene of her creation as either a statue-like figuresurrounded by gods, or as a woman rising out of theearth (the anodos). Sometimes she is surrounded bydancing Satyroi, in a scene from a lost S ENCYCLOPEDIAPANDO′RA (Pandôra), i. e. the giver of all, or endowed
with every thing, is the name of the first woman on earth.When Prometheus had stolen the fire from heaven, Zeusin revenge caused Hephaestus to make a woman out ofearth, who by her charms and beauty should bringmisery upon the human race (Hes. Theog. 571, &c.; Stob.Serin. 1). Aphrodite adorned her with beauty, Hermesgave her boldness and cunning, and the gods called herPandora, as each of the Olympians had given her somepower by which she was to work the ruin of man. Hermestook her to Epimetheus, who forgot the advice of hisbrother Prometheus, not to accept any gift from Zeus,and from that moment all miseries came down upon men(Hes. Op. et Dies, 50, &c.). According to somemythographers, Epimetheus became by her the father ofPyrrha and Deucalion (Hygin. Fab. 142; Apollod. i. 7. § 2 ;Procl. ad Hes. Op. p. 30, ed. Heinsius; Ov. Met. i. 350);others make Pandora a daughter of Pyrrha andDeucalion (Eustath. ad Hom. p. 23). Later writers speakof a vessel of Pandora, containing all the blessings of thegods, which would have been preserved for the humanrace, had not Pandora opened the vessel, so that thewinged blessings escaped irrecoverably. The birth of
Pandora was represented on the pedestal of the statueof Athena, in the Parthenon at Athens (Paus. i. 24. § 7). Inthe Orphic poems Pandora occurs as an infernal awfuldivinity, and is associated with Hecate and the Erinnyes(Orph. Argon. 974). Pandora also occurs as a surnameof Gaea (Earth), as the giver of all.atyr-play ofSophokles. (Schol. ad Aristoph. Av. 970; Philostr. Vit.Apoll. vi. 39; Hesych. s.v.)Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography andMythology.Homer, The Iliad 24. 527 ff (trans. Lattimore) (Greekepic C8th B.C.) :\"There are two urns (pithoi) that stand on the door-sillof Zeus. They are unlike for the gifts they bestow : an urnof evils (kakoi), an urn of blessings (dôroi). If Zeus whodelights in thunder mingles these and bestows them onman, he shifts, and moves now in evil, again in goodfortune. But when Zeus bestows from the urn ofsorrows, he makes a failure of man, and hte evil hungerdrives him over the shining earth, and he wandersresepected neither of gods nor mortals.\"
[N.B. Later writers describe Zeus giving one of these twojars to Pandora. The poets were at odds as to which jarshe received--Hesiod says the jar of evils (kakoi), butTheognis and Aesop claim it was the jar of blessings(dôroi). The name Pan-dôra (\"all-gifts\") naturallysuggests the latter.]Hesiod, Works & Days 54 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greekepic C8th or C7th B.C.) :\"The gods keep hidden from men the means of life . . .Zeus in the anger of his heart hid it, because Prometheusthe crafty deceived him; therefore he planned sorrowand mischief against men. He hid fire; but that the nobleson of Iapetus stole again for men from Zeus thecounsellor in a hollow fennel-stalk, so that Zeus whodelights in thunder did not see it. But afterwards Zeuswho gathers the clouds said to him in anger : `Son ofIapetos, surpassing all in cunning, you are glad that youhave outwitted me and stolen fire--a great plague to youyourself and to men that shall be. But I will give men asthe price for fire an evil thing in which they may all beglad of heart while they
embrace their own destruction.'So said the father of men and gods, and laughed aloud.And he bade famous Hephaistos make haste and mixearth with water and to put in it the voice and strength ofhuman kind, and fashion a sweet, lovely maiden-shape,like to the immortal goddesses in face; and Athene toteach her needlework and the weaving of the varied web;and golden Aphrodite to shed grace upon her head andcruel longing and cares that weary the limbs. And hecharged Hermes the guide, the Slayer of Argus, to put inher a shameless mind and a deceitful nature. So heordered. And they obeyed the lord Zeus the son ofKronos. Forthwith the famous Lame God moulded clay inthe likeness of a modest maid, as the son of Kronospurposed. And the goddess bright-eyed Athene girdedand clothed her, and the divine Kharites (Graces) andqueenly Peitho (Persuasion) put necklaces of gold uponher, and the rich-haired Horai (Seasons) crowned herhead with spring flowers. And Pallas Athene bedeckedher form with all manners of finery. Also the Guide, theSlayer of Argus [Hermes], contrived within her lies andcrafty words and a deceitful nature at the will of loud
thundering Zeus, and the Herald of the gods put speechin her. And he called this woman Pandora (All-Gifts),because all they who dwelt on Olympus gave each a gift,a plague to men who eat bread.But when he had finished the sheer, hopeless snare, theFather sent glorious Argus-Slayer [Hermes], the swiftmessenger of the gods, to take it to Epimetheus as a gift.And Epimetheus did not think on what Prometheus hadsaid to him, bidding him never take a gift of OlympianZeus, but to send it back for fear it might prove to besomething harmful to men. But he took the gift, andafterwards, when the evil thing was already his, heunderstood. For ere this the tribes of men lived on earthremote and free from ills (kakoi) and hard toil (ponoi)and heavy sickness (nosoi) which bring the Keres (Fates)upon men; for in misery men grow old quickly. But thewoman took off the great lid of the jar (pithos) with herhands and scattered all these and her thought causedsorrow and mischief to men. Only Elpis (Hope) remainedthere in an unbreakable home within under the rim of thegreat jar, and did not fly out at the door; for ere that, the
lid of the jar stopped her, by the will of Aigis-holding Zeuswho gathers the clouds. But the rest, countless plagues(lugra), wander amongst men; for earth is full of evilsand the sea is full. Of themselves diseases (nosoi) comeupon men continually by day and by night, bringingmischief to mortals silently; for wise Zeus took awayspeech from them. So is there no way to escape the willof Zeus.\" T1.4 PANDORA, T22.1 T22.2 T22.3 DANCINGPANDORA, PANDORA, PANDORA, SATYRSHEPHAIST APHRODIT HEPHAISTOS, E, ARES OS,HERMES ATHENE
Hesiod, Theogony 510 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greekepic C8th or C7th B.C.) :\"Scatter-brained Epimetheus who from the first was amischief to men who eat bread; for it was he who firsttook of Zeus the woman [i.e. Pandora], the maiden whomhe had formed.\"Hesiod, Theogony 560 ff :\"[Zeus] was always mindful of the trick [of Prometheuswho won for mankind the meat of the sacrificial beast],and would not give the power of unwearying fire to theMelian race of mortal men who live on the earth. But thenoble son of Iapetos [Prometheus] outwitted him andstole the far-seen gleam of unwearying fire in a hollowfennel stalk. And Zeus who thunders on high was stung inspirit, and his dear heart was angered when he sawamongst men the far-seen ray of fire. Forthwith he madean evil thing for men as the price of fire; for the veryfamous Limping God [Hephaistos] formed of earth thelikeness of a shy maiden [i.e. Pandora] as the son ofKronos willed. And the goddess bright-eyed Athene
girded and clothed her with silvery raiment, and downfrom her head she spread with her hands anembroidered veil, a wonder to see; and she, PallasAthene, put about her head lovely garlands, flowers ofnew-grown herbs. Also she put upon her head a crown ofgold which the very famous Limping God madehimself and worked with his own hands as a favor to Zeushis father. On it was much curious work, wonderful tosee; for of the many creatures which the land and searear up, he put most upon it, wonderful things, ike livingbeings with voices: and great beauty shone out from it.But when he had made the beautiful evil to be the pricefor the blessing, he brought her out, delighting in thefinery which the bright-eyed daughter of a mighty fatherhad given her, to the place where the other gods andmen were. And wonder took hold of the deathless godsand mortal men when they saw that which was sheerguile, not to be withstood by men. For from her is therace of women and female kind : of her is the deadly raceand tribe of women who live amongst mortal men to theirgreat trouble, no helpmeets in hateful poverty, but only
in wealth. And as in thatched hives bees feed the droneswhose nature is to do mischief--by day and throughoutthe day until the sun goes down the bees are busy andlay the white combs, while the drones stay at home in thecovered hives and reap the toil of others into their ownbellies--even so Zeus who thunders on high made womento be an evil to mortal men, with a nature to do evil. And lhe gave them a second evil to be the price for the goodthey had: whoever avoids marriage and the sorrows thatwomen cause, and will not wed, reaches deadly oldagewithout anyone to tend his years, and though he atleast has no lack of livelihood while he lives, yet, when heis dead, his kinsfolk divide his possessions amongstthem. And as for the man who chooses the lot ofmarriage and takes a good wife suited to his mind, evilcontinually contends with good; for whoever happens tohave mischievous children, lives always with unceasinggrief in his spirit and heart within him; and this evilcannot be healed. So it is not possible to deceive or gobeyond the will of Zeus : for not even the son of Iapetos,kindly Prometheus, escaped his heavy anger, but ofnecessity strong bands confined him, although he knew
many a wile.\"Theognis, Fragment 1. 1135 (trans. Gerber, Vol. GreekElegiac) (Greek elegy C6th B.C.) :\"Elpis (Hope) is the only good god remaining amongmankind; the others have left and gone to Olympos. Pistis(Trust), a mighty god has gone, Sophrosyne (Restraint)has gone from men, and the Kharites (Graces), myfriend, have abandoned the earth. Men’s judicial oathsare no longer to be trusted, nor does anyone revere theimmortal gods; the race of pious men has perished andmen no longer recognize the rules of conduct or acts ofpiety.\" [N.B. Theognis' account is the inverse of Hesiod's :the good spirits escaped from Pandora's jar, abandoningmankind in their flight to heaven.]Aesop, Fables 526 (from Babrius 58) (trans. Gibbs)(Greek fable C6th B.C.) :\"Zeus gathered all the useful things together in a jar andput a lid on it. He then left the jar in human hands. Butman had no self-control and he wanted to know what wasin that jar, so he pushed the lid aside, letting those thingsgo back to the abode of the gods. So all the good things
flew away, soaring high above the earth, and Elpis (Hope)was the only thing left. When the lid was put back on thejar, Elpis (Hope) was kept inside. That is why Elpis (Hope)alone is still found among the people, promising that shewill bestow on each of us the good things that have goneaway.\" [N.B. By \"in human hands,\" the story o Pandoradelivering the jar to mankind is implied. However, in thisversion it is apparently the husband who opens it.]Aesop, Fables 525 (from Chambry 1) (trans. Gibbs)(Greek fable C6th B.C.) :\"The Good Things were too weak to defend themselvesfrom the Bad Things, so the Bad Things drove them off toheaven. The Good Things then asked Zeus how they couldreach mankind. Zeus told them that they should not gotogether all at once, only one at a time. This is whypeople are constantly besieged by Bad Things, since theyare nearby, while Good Things come more rarely, sincethey must descend to us from heaven one by one.\" [N.B.This fable describes the spirits which had fled Pandora'sjar. It also refers to the two jars by the throne of Zeus inthe Iliad, one containing Good Things, the other Evils.]
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