The following story tells of the origin of the phrase, "The Pandora's Box." It comes from a Greek myth encouraging mankind to think carefully before doing anything:
In most of the ancient Greek myths, man was created first, then woman. The first mortal woman was created by Hephaestos from earth and sea. She was named Pandora, on account of the fact that she was endowed with every gift, including beauty, grace, sweetness, persuasiveness, perceptiveness, intelligence and, generally, all the positive elements of womanhood. However, after that, Hera added curiosity while Hermes added craftiness and lies to the endowment.
Zeus sent Epimitheas to Pandora as a gift and won by her charms, he married her. At the wedding, along with other gifts, Pandora was given a beautiful gift box by the immortals, locked, with a key, and she was commanded never to open it, if she wanted to remain completely happy.
So the couple lived many years together, in bliss, until Pandora's curiosity got the better of her and she opened the box. What flew out from it were all the misfortunes of the world: sickness, pain, calamity and whatever else. The last to emerge, however, was a little bird, "hope," which gives solace and courage to mankind.
Source: Greek Mythology - Gods, Heroes, Iliad, Odyssey
In most of the ancient Greek myths, man was created first, then woman. The first mortal woman was created by Hephaestos from earth and sea. She was named Pandora, on account of the fact that she was endowed with every gift, including beauty, grace, sweetness, persuasiveness, perceptiveness, intelligence and, generally, all the positive elements of womanhood. However, after that, Hera added curiosity while Hermes added craftiness and lies to the endowment.
Zeus sent Epimitheas to Pandora as a gift and won by her charms, he married her. At the wedding, along with other gifts, Pandora was given a beautiful gift box by the immortals, locked, with a key, and she was commanded never to open it, if she wanted to remain completely happy.
So the couple lived many years together, in bliss, until Pandora's curiosity got the better of her and she opened the box. What flew out from it were all the misfortunes of the world: sickness, pain, calamity and whatever else. The last to emerge, however, was a little bird, "hope," which gives solace and courage to mankind.
Source: Greek Mythology - Gods, Heroes, Iliad, Odyssey
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