The Myth of Pandora

The Titan Prometheus was once assigned the task of creating the race of man. He afterwards grew displeased with the mean life imposed on them by the gods and so he stole fire from heaven. Zeus was angry and commanded Hephaistos (Hephaestus)and the other gods create the first woman Pandora, endowing her with beauty and cunning.

Athena, goddess of wisdom, dressed Pandora in a beautiful silvery gown, a veil and a crown, and taught her the art of weaving. Other gods also contributed to Pandora's creation, by endowing her with such gifts as deceitful nature and a speech of lies.

However, Pandora’s negative characteristics were not the problem for humanity. The gods also offered her a storage jar (pithos) that held within it numerous evils, like diseases and other pains. With the jar in hand, Pandora was given to Epimetheus, Prometheus' brother, who accepted the divine gift despite his brother's warnings. One day, out of curiosity and not of malice, Pandora opened the lid of the jar, releasing all evils into the world. Shocked by what had happened, she quickly tried to put the lid back, only managing to trap Hope in it. This is how the ancient Greeks believed there was evil in the world.

The event of releasing the evils into the world marks the end of the so-called Golden Age of Man in the world, and the beginning of the Silver Age.