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 and Man for accepting the gift. The first woman
was named Pandora. She was made in heaven, every god contributing something to
perfect her. Venus gave her beauty, Mercury persuasion, Apollo music, etc. With
these gifts, she was brought to earth and presented to Epimetheus. He gladly
accepted her, even though he was cautioned by his brother to beware of Jupiter
and his gifts. Epimetheus had in his house a jar in which were kept certain harmful
traits that he had not used to prepare Man for his new home. Pandora was struck
with an eager 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 – such as
gout, rheumatism, and colic for his body, and envy, spite, and revenge for his
mind – escaped from it and scattered far and wide. Pandora hurried to replace
the lid but (alas!) the whole 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
evils are around, hope never entirely leaves us. And while we have that, no
amount of other ills can make us completely miserable.
Another story is that Pandora was
sent in good faith, by Jupiter, to bless Man. She was given a box containing
her marriage presents, into which every god had put some blessing. She opened
the box carelessly, and the blessings all escaped excepting only hope. This
story seems more probable than the former. For how could hope, so precious a
jewel as it is, have been kept in a jar full of all manner of evils?
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