The Beginning of Misery
Human suffering has been around since the beginning of time. People have fought diseases, death, and conflict. Parents teach their children to expect these things and children find their own ways of dealing with these problems. In Greek Mythology, Pandora made all of these things possible when she opened the box that held all of these miseries. The story of Pandora’s box helps explain to those who are interested in mythology where the sufferings of the world originated.
Pandora’s story starts with the creation of humans. Zeus, the god of the skies, requested that Prometheus create humans to walk the earth. The brother of Prometheus, Epimetheus, was tasked with creating animals and while he was creating them, he gave …show more content…
Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock for many years, but wasn’t satisfied with the results. Zeus decided to take revenge on the humans Prometheus had created. He called on Hephaestus to help him by creating misery for humans. Hephaestus, along with the other gods created the first female human to live on the earth. Each god gave the woman a gift and she was given the name Pandora, which means “She who has given all gifts.” Pandora received silver clothing and learned weaving from Athena. She was crowned with a gold crown by Hephaestus and given grace and emotions by Aphrodite. Hermes gave her gifts that would be dangerous to the men on earth, such as the ability to tell lies and beauty. The gift that would turn out to be her biggest fault however, was the gift of curiosity. (“The Meaning of Pandora’s Box - A Curse from Zeus on Mankind”).
Zeus then presented Pandora to Epimetheus as a bride. Epimetheus had been told not to take any gifts from the gods by his brother, but Pandora was so beautiful that he could not resist. They got married and Zeus gave them a jar, which later translated to a box, as a wedding present. He told Pandora that she must never open the locked box because he knew the suspense would be too much for Pandora to ignore (“Pandora’s …show more content…
Most people believe that when Pandora opened the box, all the miseries of the world flew out. Humans suffered from things like envy, sickness, hate, disease, and death. Pandora was only able to catch one thing, which was Hope (“Pandora’s Box: Ancient Greek Myths for Kids”). Others believe that Pandora only let Hope out after Epimetheus returned home and decided that the remaining spirit couldn’t be worse everything else she had let escape (“Pandora’s Box).
Another interesting theory is that when Pandora opened the box, she let all of the good spirits out. Every spirit managed to escape without return except for one. Pandora managed to catch Hope, which was the last good spirit left for humans and the only thing left for them to rely on in times of suffering. (“Pandora”).
No matter how it happened, Pandora managed to bring trouble and conflict to all men on earth. These miseries have continued to plague humans throughout history and cannot be reversed. Pandora’s story is often compared to the biblical version, “Adam and Eve”. Adam and Eve created sin when they ate from the forbidden tree, which is similar to the opening of the box. Either way a person chooses to believe, they are able to find an explanation of the suffering they face throughout their
Human suffering has been around since the beginning of time. People have fought diseases, death, and conflict. Parents teach their children to expect these things and children find their own ways of dealing with these problems. In Greek Mythology, Pandora made all of these things possible when she opened the box that held all of these miseries. The story of Pandora’s box helps explain to those who are interested in mythology where the sufferings of the world originated.
Pandora’s story starts with the creation of humans. Zeus, the god of the skies, requested that Prometheus create humans to walk the earth. The brother of Prometheus, Epimetheus, was tasked with creating animals and while he was creating them, he gave …show more content…
Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock for many years, but wasn’t satisfied with the results. Zeus decided to take revenge on the humans Prometheus had created. He called on Hephaestus to help him by creating misery for humans. Hephaestus, along with the other gods created the first female human to live on the earth. Each god gave the woman a gift and she was given the name Pandora, which means “She who has given all gifts.” Pandora received silver clothing and learned weaving from Athena. She was crowned with a gold crown by Hephaestus and given grace and emotions by Aphrodite. Hermes gave her gifts that would be dangerous to the men on earth, such as the ability to tell lies and beauty. The gift that would turn out to be her biggest fault however, was the gift of curiosity. (“The Meaning of Pandora’s Box - A Curse from Zeus on Mankind”).
Zeus then presented Pandora to Epimetheus as a bride. Epimetheus had been told not to take any gifts from the gods by his brother, but Pandora was so beautiful that he could not resist. They got married and Zeus gave them a jar, which later translated to a box, as a wedding present. He told Pandora that she must never open the locked box because he knew the suspense would be too much for Pandora to ignore (“Pandora’s …show more content…
Most people believe that when Pandora opened the box, all the miseries of the world flew out. Humans suffered from things like envy, sickness, hate, disease, and death. Pandora was only able to catch one thing, which was Hope (“Pandora’s Box: Ancient Greek Myths for Kids”). Others believe that Pandora only let Hope out after Epimetheus returned home and decided that the remaining spirit couldn’t be worse everything else she had let escape (“Pandora’s Box).
Another interesting theory is that when Pandora opened the box, she let all of the good spirits out. Every spirit managed to escape without return except for one. Pandora managed to catch Hope, which was the last good spirit left for humans and the only thing left for them to rely on in times of suffering. (“Pandora”).
No matter how it happened, Pandora managed to bring trouble and conflict to all men on earth. These miseries have continued to plague humans throughout history and cannot be reversed. Pandora’s story is often compared to the biblical version, “Adam and Eve”. Adam and Eve created sin when they ate from the forbidden tree, which is similar to the opening of the box. Either way a person chooses to believe, they are able to find an explanation of the suffering they face throughout their