Poor Pandora couldn’t resist taking a look at the box that was entrusted to her. And then look what happened.
It’s amazing how long men have been blaming women for their own weakness, and of course, all the ills in the world. Take Pandora for example. The first mortal woman, created by the gods, only did what she was supposed to do. However, her story (first recorded by the Greek writer Hesiod in the 8th and 7th centuries BC) became the excuse for the ruin of humanity and, by extension, the model for the Judeo-Christian tradition of Eve. which opened the way for original sin and expulsion from the Garden of Eden.
The story starts here
Versions of the Pandora story are among the oldest Greek myths of the Titans, the fathers of the gods, and the gods themselves. Prometheus and his brother, Epimetheus, were Titans. Their work consisted of populating the earth with men and animals and, in some stories, they are credited with creating man from clay.
But they quickly came into conflict with Zeus, the most powerful of the gods. In some versions, Zeus was angry that Prometheus showed men how to trick the gods into accepting inferior burnt offerings: “If you wrap those beef bones in nice shiny fat, they will burn enough and you can keep the best cuts. of meat for yourself ».
An angry, and probably hungry, Zeus punished humanity by removing the fire. Then, in the most familiar part of the myth, Prometheus returned fire to humanity, thus allowing all human progress and technology. Zeus punished Prometheus by chaining him to a rock and sending eagles to eat his liver (forever). But clearly, that was not enough for the Zeus. He ordered the creation of Pandora as an additional punishment, not only from Prometheus, but from the rest of us as well.
The birth of pandora
Zeus gave the task of creating Pandora, the first mortal woman, to Hephaestus, her son, and Aphrodite’s husband. Hephaestus, generally represented as the blacksmith of the gods, was also a sculptor. He created a beautiful young woman, capable of evoking a strong desire in all who saw her. Several other gods participated in the creation of Pandora. Athena taught him her feminine skills: sewing and weaving. Aphrodite dressed and adorned her. Hermes, who gave her to earth, called her Pandora, meaning all gifts or all gifts, and gave her the power of shame and deception (later, the kindest versions of the story changed that to curiosity ).
It was presented as a gift to Epimetheus: Prometheus’ brother, do you remember him? It doesn’t get many column inches in most Greek mythology, but it does play a pivotal role in this story. Prometheus warned her not to accept any gifts from Zeus, but, my God, she was terribly cute, so Epimetheus ignored his brother’s good advice and took her for his wife. Interestingly, the name Epimetheus means hindsight and he is often considered the god of afterthought and excuses.
Pandora received a box full of problems. In reality, it was a flask or amphora; The idea of a box comes from later interpretations in Renaissance art. In it, the gods put all the problems and evils of the world, diseases, death, pain in childbirth and worse. Pandora was told not to look inward, but we all know what happened next. He couldn’t resist a glance, and when he realized what he had done and closed the lid, everything in the jar had escaped except hope.
Different versions of the story
By the time the stories of Greek mythology were written, they had already been part of the oral tradition of the culture for centuries, perhaps millennia. As a result, there are many different versions of the story, including the name Pandora, who is sometimes given as Anesidora , the sender of the gifts. The fact that there are more versions of this myth than other traditional stories suggests that it is one of the oldest. In one story, Zeus actually sends her with great gifts for humanity rather than evils.
In most versions, she is considered the first mortal woman, brought to a world inhabited only by gods, goddesses, and mortal men; this is probably the version that has come down to us through the biblical story of Eve.
Where to find Pandora today
Because she was neither a goddess nor a hero, and because she was associated with “trouble and conflict,” there are no temples dedicated to Pandora or heroic bronzes to look at. She is associated with Mount Olympus because it was considered the home of the gods and that is where she was created.
Most depictions of Pandora, with a box, are found in Renaissance paintings rather than classical Greek works of art. His creation is said to have been depicted on the base of the giant gold and ivory statue of Athena Parthenos, created by Phidias for the Parthenon in 447 BC. That statue disappeared around the 5th century AD. But it was described in detail by Greek writers and His image persisted in coins, miniature sculptures and jewels.
The best way to find a picture that can be identified as Pandora is to look at the classical Greek vases in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. She is often depicted as a woman rising from the ground, as Hephaestus created her from the ground, and sometimes she carries a small jar or amphora.
