![]() And so he decided to create Pandora, the first woman, who would unleash all evils upon mankind. īut since human beings had benefited from Prometheus’ misdeeds, Zeus wanted to punish them too. Prometheus was thus trapped in an endless cycle of agony. Since Prometheus was immortal, his liver would grow back, only to be devoured again the following day. He had the Titan chained to a great cliff every day, an eagle would swoop down and devour his liver. Then, when Zeus retaliated by taking fire away from human beings, Prometheus stole the fire from the gods so he could give it back. First, he tricked Zeus into accepting the less desirable parts of an animal as the gods’ share of a sacrificial offering. After the creation of humanity, Prometheus entered into an ill-advised battle of wits with Zeus. The myth of Pandora begins with the Titan Prometheus. After surviving a flood that wiped out the rest of the human race, Pyrrha and Deucalion went on to become the ancestors of a new humanity. Pyrrha eventually married her cousin Deucalion, the son of Epimetheus’ brother Prometheus. She married the Greek Titan Epimetheus and together they had Pyrrha, the first woman to be born rather than created. Since she was created by the gods, Pandora did not have any parents. The myth of her birth was a popular subject, appearing, for instance, on the pedestal of the famous statue of Athena Parthenos in Athens. In ancient art, Pandora was represented as a beautiful young woman. According to this (highly misogynistic) logic, before Pandora-that is, before women were created-mortal men lived a completely carefree existence, which women somehow ruined.Ĭalyx-krater showing the creation of Pandora, attributed to the Niobid Painter (ca. This first woman was designed to be a “beautiful evil” who would make the lives of mortal men miserable. Zeus ordered the creation of Pandora as a punishment for mortals. ![]() Also the Guide, the Slayer of Argus, contrived within her lies and crafty words and a deceitful nature at the will of loud thundering Zeus, and the Herald of the gods put speech in her. And Pallas Athena bedecked her form with all manner of finery. And the goddess bright eyed Athena girded and clothed her, and the divine Graces and queenly Persuasion put necklaces of gold upon her, and the rich-haired Hours crowned her head with spring flowers. Forthwith the famous Lame God moulded clay in the likeness of a modest maid, as the son of Cronos purposed. And they obeyed the lord Zeus the son of Cronos. And he charged Hermes the guide, the Slayer of Argus, to put in her a shameless mind and a deceitful nature. bade famous Hephaestus make haste and mix earth with water and to put in it the voice and strength of human kind, and fashion a sweet, lovely maiden-shape, like to the immortal goddesses in face and Athena to teach her needlework and the weaving of the varied web and golden Aphrodite to shed grace upon her head and cruel longing and cares that weary the limbs. The epic poet Hesiod gives the most complete account: From Hephaestus, Pandora received a lovely shape from Athena, knowledge of crafts from Aphrodite, irresistible grace and charm from Hermes, cunning and deceitfulness and so on. ![]() Indeed, her name was interpreted by the ancient Greeks as a reference to the fact that, when she was created, each of the gods gave her a different attribute as a gift. Pandora, perhaps more than any other figure in Greek mythology, was defined by her attributes. Pandora was sometimes known by the alternate name “Anesidora,” meaning “she who sends up gifts.” Attributes and Iconography Pandōra) is derived from the Greek words pan, meaning “all,” and dōron, meaning “gift.” The name can thus be translated as “all-gifted” or “all-giving.” According to Hesiod, Pandora received this name because, when she was created, “all they who dwelt on Olympus gave each a gift.” Pronunciation ![]() ![]() The name “Pandora” (Greek Πανδώρα, translit. ![]()
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