Pandora’s box is a Greek myth connected with the myth of Pandora in Hesiod’s c. 700 B.C. Pandora’s Box means something that creates a lot of new problems that you did not expect:
The king of the gods, Zeus, was furious because a Titan named Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans. Zeus wanted to get even, but he didn’t want to just zap everyone with lightning; he wanted to be sneaky. Zeus ordered the gods to create the first woman out of clay. Her name was Pandora, which means “all-gifted.”
Zeus gave her one specific trait: extreme curiosity. One god gave her a beautiful voice. Another gave her a clever mind.
Zeus sent Pandora down to Earth to marry Prometheus’s brother, Epimetheus. As a wedding present, Zeus gave them a large, sealed jar (later called a “box”) and told Pandora: “Whatever you do, never open this.”
One day, she couldn’t take it anymore. She figured one tiny peek wouldn’t hurt. She cracked the lid open, and—WHOOSH!—instead of treasure, out flew every bad thing you can imagine: sickness, jealousy, hatred, and sadness. They spread across the world in an instant.
Pandora was horrified and slammed the lid shut as fast as she could. But the jar wasn’t quite empty. One tiny thing was left shivering at the bottom: Hope.
The Moral: Even though the world can be full of “monsters” (hard times and bad luck), we always have Hope to help us get through them. If a Greek god gives you a gift and tells you not to touch it… just walk away!