Pandora

The story of Pandora, the first woman on Earth, who opened the forbidden box and so released all of the sorrows and misfortunes into the world, is one which has entered into folklore. But the familiar myth needs some revision. The 'box' is actually a mistranslation from the original Greek, which specifies the vessel as a lidded pot or jar. And the parallels with the story of Eve in Eden are unmistakable: it is a woman’s curiosity that is to blame for all the ills that afflict humankind. But as with the Eden story, perhaps the truth is less simplistic. Eve in her wisdom released all the human travails, knowing that the encounter with these was needed in order for the soul to progress in experience. Wise Pandora acted out of the same motives, and with the same result: she has been blamed ever since for all the ills which afflict humankind. But Pandora was wise in another detail of the myth: she kept Hope in the jar. Hope is a mixed blessing, which can prove to be as deceitful as it can be rewarding. ‘False hope’ is not just a phrase, and Pandora perhaps deserves our gratitude, rather than our blame.