The
Story of Pandora
The story is that Jupiter made Woman. He
sent her to Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus. He wanted to punish them for
stealing fire from heaven. He also wanted to punish Man for accepting the gift.
The first woman was named Pandora. She was made in heaven. Every god
contributed something to make her perfect. Venus gave her beauty, Mercury
persuasion, Apollo music, etc. Then she was brought to earth and given to
Epimetheus. He accepted her gladly. However, Prometheus warned him to be
careful about Jupiter’s gift.
Epimetheus had a jar in his house. He
kept harmful traits in it. He had not used them to prepare Man for his new
home. Pandora was struck with a great curiosity to know what this jar
contained. One day she slipped off the cover and looked in. A great number of
plagues for poor Man escaped from it and scattered far and wide. There were
gout, rheumatism, and colic to attack his body. And there were envy, spite, and
revenge to attack his mind.
Pandora hurried to replace the lid, but
all the contents of the jar had escaped except one thing. Hope was left at the
bottom of the jar. Still we see this day that whatever evil things happen,
there is always hope. And while we have that, no amount of other ills can make
us completely miserable.
Another story is that Pandora was sent
by Jupiter to bless Man. She was given a box containing her marriage presents.
Every god had put some blessing into it. She opened the box carelessly, and the
blessings all escaped except for hope. This story seems more probable than the
other. Hope is such a precious jewel. How could it have been kept in a jar with
evil things?
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