Pandora
Pandora is intricately linked with that of the Titan, Prometheus, whose tale begins at Mekone,
and may perhaps be placed sometimes after the Silver Age. It was at this place that Prometheus cut up
an ox and divided it into two portions. The smaller portion contained the meat of the animal wrapped up
in the ox's stomach, whilst the larger one had the animal bones covered by a layer of glistening fat.
Prometheus succeeded in tricking the gods, as they chose the bigger portion, whilst mankind was left with
the edible meat.
Enraged by Prometheus trickery Zeus withheld fire from man so that they could not cook the meat.
This prompted Prometheus to steal fire from the gods, resulting in his punishment by being bound in chains
and having an eagle eat his liver, which would grow back in the night. Prometheus was eventually freed by
the hero Heracles. Zeus was not contented with punishing Prometheus alone, but decided to punish mankind
as well.
Zeus fashioned a maiden out of earth and water, and gave her a human voice and strength. The gods
showered her with gifts. Athena taught her the crafts, Aphrodite bestowed on her "charm about her head"
as well as "painful yearning and consuming obsession", whereas Hermes gave her "a bitch's mind and a
knavish nature". The maiden was then dressed and adorned by the gods. As the maiden was laden with
numerous gifts from the gods, she was called Pandora, literally meaning "All Gift".
Pandora was indeed a sight to behold, though a dangerous one.
Both immortal gods and mortal men were seized with wonder when they saw that precipitous trap,
more than mankind can manage. For from her is descended the female flower, a great affliction to
mortals as they dwell with their husbands-no fit partners for accursed poverty, but only for Plenty.
Pandora was sent by Hermes to Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus, as a gift. Although Prometheus
had warned his brother not to accept any gift from Zeus, Epimetheus had forgotten the warning, and
took Pandora as his wife.
The forbidden Box
Zeus, pleased that his trap was working, gave Pandora a wedding gift of a beautiful box.(In Hesiod's
original version, the gift was actually a 'pithos' or jar, it was not until the 16th century, that the word
was mistranslated to mean 'box'.) There was just one very important condition. Pandora was
forbidden from opening the jar/box.
Lawrence Alma-Tadema's watercolour of an ambivalent Pandora, 1881
A pithos from Crete, c. 675 BC. Louvre
http://www.ancient-origins.net/human-or ... ity-002902