Pandora
From Greek and Roman Mythology by William Sherman Fox, 1916.
From: Unknown To: 1916 C.E.
Location: Greece
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
From Greek and Roman Mythology by William Sherman Fox, 1916.
Pandora
By accepting the stolen fire men were legally party to the offence, and to punish them Zeus condemned them to earn their daily bread by the sweat of their brow, besides doing them irreparable harm by bringing evil into their lives.
At his bidding Hephaistos shaped an image of clay and endowed it with human faculties. In appearance the figure was like one of the Olympian goddesses—a beautiful maiden to whom all the Olympians contributed of their several qualities.
The Graces and the Hours decked her out in charming apparel and bright flowers so that desire awoke in the hearts of men, and as the gift of all the gods to the human race she was named Pandora.
Hermes brought her to Epimetheus, who received her in spite of Prometheus's warning to accept nothing from the gods, for, unhappily, it was the nature of Epimetheus to see no evil until it had come upon him.
Pandora, curious to know what was stored in a large jar standing near her (fancy is free to conjecture the origin of the vessel), lifted the lid, and before she could replace it all sorts of evils and diseases flew out and covered land and sea. Only Hope was left, not buoyant, reassuring hope, but that kind which is
“...to much mortal woe
So sweet that none may turn from it nor go."
Such, in the main, is the story of Hesiod. In the late poets the jar is said to have contained every good as well as every evil; the former flew away and were lost, while the latter were scattered among men.
The substance of this tale and that of the phrase cherchez la femme are the same—through woman came and still comes evil into the world. While the advent of the first man was explained in many ways, the first woman was always believed to be the handiwork of the gods.
Fox, William Sherwood. Greek and Roman Mythology. Marshall Jones Co., 1916.
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