It is narrative justice of sorts that the daughter of Pandora and Epimetheus, Pyrrha, and the son of Prometheus, Deucalion, together escape the anger of the gods during the Great Flood and together re-establish the human race. This version puts the blame on the woman doubly by making her open a gift that was not even given to her and releasing all the evils into the world, leaving only hope behind. Some versions of the myth state that the box belonged to Epimetheus and it was the uncontrollable curiosity on the part of Pandora that made her open this possession of her husband’s, given to him by Zeus himself. Prometheus warned his brother not to accept any gift from Zeus but Epimetheus was too swept away by the beauty of Pandora to heed the warning. But the Pandora story makes it clear that she who was created to wreak vengeance on humanity was not presented to Epimetheus because of any love or benevolence on the part of Zeus. Since Zeus and the Titan god of fire were on such bad terms, it is worth wondering why Zeus presented Pandora as the wife of his brother. Pandora was the wife of Prometheus’ brother Epimetheus. But the myth behind it makes it clear that this is not as blessed a name as may appear at first sight. The meaning of the Greek word ‘Pandora’ is either ‘the one who bears all the gifts’ or ‘the one who was given all the gifts.’ Being the first woman to be created by the gods and having been given the gifts of the gods, her name is exceedingly apt. Thus, in a way, Pandora herself was the first mother of the human race. While this ‘mother’ is interpreted by most myths as being Mother Earth, Gaia, herself, it is fascinating that it is linked to Pandora’s daughter Pyrrha. Ovid’s Metamorphoses tells the story of how the two of them were instructed by Themis to throw the bones of their great mother to the ground so other beings may be born. Pyrrha and her husband Deucalion escaped the flood sent by the gods by building a boat. Interestingly, as per Greek myth about the Great Flood, Pandora was also the mother of Pyrrha. Considering Zeus’s jealous and vengeful nature, it is not at all surprising that he came up with such a creative and extravagant form of punishment for the slight to his authority. So these evils would soon descend upon mankind and cause them all manner of troubles. Zeus knew very well that Pandora’s curiosity would be too much for her to resist. They were all the afflictions and ills that humanity could ever know, kept inside one large jar with a lid covering them. However, these gifts were apparently not benevolent gifts at all. Pandora was to take care of the box but never open it. Zeus then gifted Pandora a box and asked the other gods to place inside the box gifts for the humans. Athena gifted her beautiful robes and taught her weaving. Aphrodite taught her grace and femininity. Zeus commanded Hephaestus, the smith of the Greek gods, to create Pandora, the first woman, as a punishment to be visited upon mankind.Ī human body was crafted from clay by Hephaestus, while Hermes taught Pandora lying and trickery. Who was Pandora in Greek Mythology?Īccording to Greek mythology, Zeus, the king of the gods, was so angry when Prometheus stole fire from heaven and gifted it to mankind that he decided the human race needed to be punished for this. And it can all be traced back to the one whom the Greeks thought was the first woman ever created, Pandora. The Pandora myth is a lesson on human weaknesses but it is also an explanation for why men lead difficult and hard lives, full of misfortunes and sorrow. The most well-known source of this myth is perhaps the ancient Greek poet, Hesiod’s, Works and Days.įor the Greeks, it was an essential story to show the downfalls of human nature and curiosity. The story of Pandora and her box is a very important one in Greek mythology.
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