Prometheus, the trickster, created men out of clay and in defiance of the gods carried to them the gift of civilizing arts and of fire. In revenge, Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock and sent an eagle to devour his ever-renewed liver each day. To punish mankind, Zeus created a woman, Pandora, upon whom each god bestowed a wedding gift, as she was betrothed to Prometheus’ brother, Epimetheus.

Athena clothed her and taught her needlework and weaving; Aphrodite shed grace upon her head and cruel longing and cares that weary the limbs; Hermes gave her a name (the All-giving), the power of speech and the ability to deceive; Persuasion and the Charities adorned her with necklaces and finery; the Horae adorned her with a garland crown; vengeful Zeus gave her a wedding gift of a storage jar, which contained burdensome toil and diseases, myriad other pains, and death.

Prometheus (forethought) had warned his brother Epimetheus (hindsight) not to accept any gifts from Zeus. But foolish Epimetheus did not listen; he accepted the beautiful Pandora, whose curiosity about the jar’s contents caused her to open it, scattering the contents. As a result, Hesiod tells us, "the earth and sea are full of evils.”

One item, however, did not escape the jar: only Hope was left within her unbreakable house, she remained under the lip of the jar, and did not fly away. (Hesiod, Works and Days, c. 750-650 BC)