The First Woman on Earth

Presentation: Prof. Dr. Mr. Maqsood Hasni

PANDORA

The First Woman on Earth

 Painting by John William Waterhouse
"...the woman opened up the cask,And scattered pains

and evils among men." --Works and Days, Hesiod

QUICK INTRODUCTION

When Zeus, the king of the Olympian gods, was young and trying to
establish his rule, he was challenged by a group of ferocious Titans,
who tried to keep him from gaining power. A long and terrible war
ensued, with all the Olympian gods joined against the Titans, who
were led by Cronus and Atlas.

After ten years of fighting, and with the help of the Cyclopes and the
Hecatoncheires (The Hundred-Handed-Ones), Zeus and his fellow
Olympians defeated the Titans. Only a few Titans, including Themis,
Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus, fought on the side of Zeus -
against their fellow Titans - and once Zeus won, he rewarded them.

But soon Prometheus made Zeus very angry by stealing fire from
Mount Olympus and giving it to the race of mortal men living on earth,
who were cold and hungry. Zeus had warned Prometheus not to give
fire to men, and was outraged that anyone had the nerve to ignore his
command.

Still, he would seem ungrateful if he appeared to forget the

importantrole that Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus had played
in the war against the Titans, and he couldn't just kill the brothers, so
he cunningly devised a scheme to get even! PANDORA IS CREATED

In revenge, Zeus ordered Hephaestus, the god of smiths, to craft a

gorgeous woman out of earth and water. The beautiful goddess of
Love, Aphrodite, was asked to pose as a model, just to make sure the
woman was perfect. Once this was done, the Four Winds (or some say
Hephaestus himself) breathed life into her and there she lay sleeping,
brand spanking new!

The first mortal woman on earth was to be bestowed with unparalleled

charm and beauty, and her unknown mission would be to bring
mischief and misery upon the human race. Zeus then summoned the
other Olympians and asked them each to give this new creation a gift
Creation of Pandora, interior of Cylix,
470-460 B.C., British Museum, London, England

Aphrodite adorned her with beauty, grace and desire; Hermes, the
Messenger god, gave her cunning and boldness; Demeter showed her
how to tend a garden; Athena taught her manual dexterity and to
spin; Apollo taught her to sing sweetly and play the lyre; Poseidon's
gift was a pearl necklace and the god of the sea promised her that she
would never drown.

But Zeus also made her foolish, mischievous and idle. This was the
first woman, divine in appearance but quite human in reality.

The gods called her Pandora, which means "All-gifted", or "The gift of
all", because each god had given her a power by which she would work
the ruin of man, and because of the many presents bestowed upon her
at Olympus.

Lovely Pandora was created to become the wife of the Titan

Epimetheus, who was the not-very-bright brother of Prometheus, the
one who had gotten on Zeus' bad side. Before sending her to earth,
the gods held a big banquet and Hermes, the Messenger god,
presented Pandora with a splendidly crafted jar (some say a box),
adorned with wonderful images. But Hermes warned Pandora that she
must never open the jar (box)!

She must NEVER open the box...And then Zeus' wife, Hera, gave her
the quality of curiosity! Tell me, is that fair?

They also gave her silvery raiment and a broidered veil, and in her hair
they placed bright garlands of fresh flowers and a wonderful crown of
gold. Her gowns were most sumptuous and she was truly a vision from
heaven.

When Pandora was finally brought out and shown to the gods,
resplendent in all the finery she had received, great amazement and
wonder took hold of them, such was the effect of her beauty...
Desperate, Pandora took the box and locked it inside a heavy wooden
chest. She placed chains around the chest, dug a hole, and buried it in
her garden. With great effort she rolled a huge boulder on top of the
"grave", determined to forget all about this object of her obsession.

She couldn't sleep that night. No matter how she tried, her thoughts
kept returning to the buried golden box. She put on her robe and went
out to the garden. As if in a trance, Pandora found herself drawn to the
boulder. She reached out and touched the stone and like magic it
moved, revealing the hole. This must be a sign from Hermes!
"You must never open the box!" As she dug the earth to get to the
box, the Messenger god's words rang in her mind. "Never open the
box!"

Pandora wanted to obey the command of the gods, and she really
wasn't wicked, but at last she could no longer contain her curiosity.
Taking the little golden key from around her neck, she fitted it into the
keyhole and gently opened the box. Just a tiny bit, so that she could
have a little peek, you see, and then she was going to close it up
again. Just a little, tiny peek...It was her wedding gift, after all...

Painting by John William Waterhouse

Bad move. No sooner had Pandora opened the box, that she realized
her mistake. A foul smell filled the air and she heard swarming and
rustling inside. In horror she slammed the lid shut, but alas it was too
late! The evil had been unleashed!

You see, the vindictive gods had each put something harmful inside
the box. All the plagues and sorrows known to humanity were released
once Pandora opened the jar. Old Age, Sickness, Insanity, Pestilence,
Vice, Passion, Greed, Crime, Death, Theft, Lies, Jealousy, Famine, the
list went on and on...every evil, that until then had been trapped
inside the gift from the gods, was now loosed upon the earth.

Illustration by Padraic Colum (1881–1972) from

The Golden Fleece and the Heroes
Who Lived before Achilles, 1921.

First the scourges stung Pandora and Epimetheus on every part of

their body, then the evils scattered throughout the world and mixed
with the good, so that they were indistinguishable, and humans had a
hard time telling between the two extremes. Entering a house, these
monster hang from the rafters and bide their time, waiting for the
perfect moment to swoop down and sting their victim, bringing pain,
pestilence, sorrow and death.

Woe was Pandora! The poor girl was terror-stricken at what she had
caused, and at this unexpected eruption of evil. But just as she
thought all was lost, one little Sprite, a solitary good thing, hidden at
the bottom of the jar, flew out.

It was Hope! Deep down inside the hateful jar was the only thing that
has sustained humanity in times of sorrow, pain and misery - Hope.
The endless Hope that things will soon get better. And it's this Hope
that keeps us going to this very day, our sole comfort in times of
misfortune.

But before you go blaming all of society's ills on poor lovely Pandora,
the first woman and the ultimate pariah, first consider the following
question: Would you have been disciplined enough to keep the jar/box
shut, or would you, like Pandora, let your curiosity get the best of you?

Hey, if it was MY wedding gift, I'd be opening it! Just so I could send a
Thank You note!

EPILOGUE

Here's an interesting aside: At a still later period, rather than all the
ills of the world, the box was said to have contained all the blessings
of the gods. These were meant to have been preserved for the future
benefit of the human race. Pandora was instructed never to open the
box, but once again her curiosity got the better of her, and she had a
peek.

The winged blessings at once took flight and escaped, rarely to be

seen again. If only Pandora had kept the box closed! Who knows what
our world would be like!
 Image from an ancient Greek vase

"And in her breast, the messenger, killer of Argos, created lies;

deceiving words, a deceitful heart, just as Zeus with his angry
mutterings had wished. Then the herald of the gods gave her the
power of speech and the name of Pandora, because that name
represented all the inhabitants of Olympus who, with this gift, made a
present of misfortune to mankind."

Hessiod, Theogony

Topic:

Examine the sequence of myths concerning Prometheus' trick of the

sacrifice, his theft of fire and the creation of woman (Hesiod,
Theogony 535-616, Works and Days 42-105), considering the
following issues:
How are these myths related thematically to each other?
And in particular:
How do they collectively define and justify the relationships between
men and gods, men and animals, men and women?
Compare and contrast what you consider to be the purpose of these
myths with that of the myth of Eden and Adam and Eve in Genesis.

The works of Hesiod regarding the trick of the sacrifice, the theft of fire
and the creation of women have long been regarded by analysts as
being thematically linked through the concept of the deceptive gift, the
fall of mankind from an era of utopia and the establishment of
relationships. In a purposive analysis, it is equally possible to compare
these myths and that of Adam and Eve in the Eden of Genesis, with a
number of striking parallels and contrasts occurring. This essay will
attempt to account for the above thematic links, and draw conclusions
regarding the state of mankind in Greek and Hebrew thinking.

Thematically, the myths found in Theogony 535-616 and Works and Days
42-105 are interwoven, and it is generally accepted that the differing
versions of the trick of the sacrifice, theft of fire and creation of
woman (and the ensuing results of this line of events) are
complementary, and that each myth elaborates the barely-
mentionedelements of the other. Three major themes which are found
in these myths are those of deceptive gifts, the gradual fall of mankind,
and the establishment of relationships between gods, men, women
(once created), and animals. Regarding the theme of deceptive gifts, it
is possible to discern a pattern which runs through the myths in
question, namely that each event is triggered in response to a trap,
trick or deception, finally establishing social norms and causing
humans to suffer more grievances than in the past.

Although the different versions of the myths (Theogony and Works

and Days) do not agree whether men and gods begin in a state of
harmony or opposition1, both versions agree that a state of tension
between Prometheus and Zeus occurs when the Titan attempts to publicly
deceive Zeus2 during the sharing of ox portions. It is the deceptive gift
offered by Prometheus to the father of the gods - bones, not meat,
concealed under fat - that sets in motion a series of events that will
have serious ramifications for social hierarchies and ritual practices;
additionally, in allotting the various shares of ox for both gods and
men, men and gods are finally split from an age where they dined
together in harmony.

The theme of the deceptive gift is developed further in the myths, with
Zeus no longer giving (I.e., hiding3) fire from the mortal men on earth,
who have benefited thanks to their protector's "tricking" of Zeus. It is
through this action that men are reduced to a state of primitive
bestiality, in that they are no longer able to cook meat (thus eating raw
meat, the practice of omophagia, just like animals) and can no longer
communicate to the gods through sacrifice. Not on par with gods in that
they cannot breach the gap between mortality and immortality, men
are no longer stationed above wild beasts, but are their equal. This
lowering of status is reversed by Prometheus, who steals fire and
carries it to give to men by hiding it in a fennel stalk4, infuriating Zeus.
In a way, however, the gods also benefit from this theft, as they may
now receive once more the smoke of the burnt sacrifices.

The final deceptive gift is the woman created by various gods on the
command of Zeus - Pandora, "all-gifted"5, as she is named in Works and
Days. Created from the earth by Hephaestos and animated by the power
of the gods, Pandora is not just given the face of a goddess and the
body of a beautiful virgin girl, but she is also given the talents of
deception, of lying, of consuming both food and sex6, yet contributes
nothing to the household. Pandora is the ultimate dolos (trap), as she
is irresistible, quite literally: not only is she physically attractive to
men, they must marry for if they do not, then they are doomed to a
miserable aged existence. With the face of a goddess, Pandora is
linked to the immortals; with the "morals of a bitch" (Hesiod, Works
and Days), she is linked to animals. Thus, as with man, woman is
given a social status halfway between the gods and the beasts that
walk the earth - not quite either, but a complex mixture of both. It is
the human condition, then, to be apart and ambiguous.

Marriage, sacrifice and ills that plague mankind are the by-products of
the standoff between Prometheus and Zeus. Marriage, a crucial
institution, governs the relationship between men and women7, and is
the second evil that Zeus sends to men as a punishment,
simultaneously to the giving of Pandora – in the very best scenario,
marriage is described by Hesiod as being a mixture of good and evil.
When Prometheus' foolish brother Epimetheus (ignoring his older
brother's warning to accept nothing from Zeus) accepts Pandora, he
sets the precedent for marriage, which is considered to be unprofitable
- indeed, it is a liability. Pandora is portrayed as a gaster8, a stomach
which is never satisfied. She has a relentless appetite for food (and
implicitly, sex), yet contributes nothing to the household9. Even the
children which she may bear are ambiguous in nature: on the one
hand, they will care for their parents during their old age; on the
other, the division of the estate may occur if there is more than one
heir (it could also be insensitively argued that if a child dies, then they
may be considered to be an economic loss to the household). Beautiful
on the outside, internally Pandora is worth no more than the dirt from
which she was formed, and exists solely to make the lot of men harder
in life. It is thus that she is a deceptive gift, and that the relationship
between men and women are defined - this relationship is one of
hardship.

The communications between gods and men through the newly

established ritual of sacrifice (the product of Prometheus' trick at
Mecone, and final splitting of men from the gods) is another relationship
set up due to the sequence of events told by Hesiod in these myths. In
apportioning the shares of ox, men and gods are irrevocably split. Yet
more curiously, however, is the fall of mankind, a theme which finds
parallels in the myth told in Genesis. Pandora carries with her, or within
her, a pithos (jar10) which contains all the evils of the world in addition
to the enigmatic elpis (hope). It is these evils, when released by
Pandora, which further contribute to the degeneration of the state of
man (as well as a women, now that they exist), and this theme is
analogous to that of Adam and Eve. Moreover, hope is now the
perpetual state of human existence, and also defines man as being
halfway between gods and animals: "Whoever is immortal, as the gods
are, has no need of Elpis. Nor is there any [... for beasts who are]
ignorant of their mortality."11
Genesis begins, as Hesiod, with a utopian setting, the Garden of Eden,
where man rules over animals, yet is lesser than God. Woman, Eve12, is
created not as a deceptive gift to punish man, but as a companion for
Adam13 - unlike Pandora who is "unquestionably inferior"14 to men.
Despite this contrast between the myths, a parallel lies in the fact that
in both cases, it is woman who directly causes the fall of mankind,
ignoring the progression of preceding events. Pandora wilfully opens
the mysterious jar (any admonition that she should not do so has
either never existed, or has been left out by Hesiod on the assumption
that the audience would know of the jar and its significance), causing
evils to roam the earth by night and day, harming humans
forevermore - no longer do men die peacefully as they once did before
the advent of woman. This releasing of evil is comparable to Eve
partaking of the fruit15 on the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Although
forbidden to eat this fruit, Eve does so, and additionally encourages
Adam to follow suit. Upon eating the fruit, Adam and Eve lose their
state of child-like innocence, and become aware of their nakedness - this
fall from innocence compounds to be a fall from a blissful existence,
when the couple are banned from the Garden of Eden and punished
further by God's decree.

The punishments of Adam and Eve - to have to work hard to gain

sustenance (Adam), and to bear children with hard labour (Eve) -
correspond to the punishments on humans which resulted from the
original Promethean trick of the sacrifice. Henceforth, men must work
hard to obtain food from the ground which had once simply given
grains without any difficulty16. Agriculture has been established, another
point of differentiation between man and beast, who does not
cultivate, but kills at random. Not only must the ground be ploughed in
order to gain anything worthwhile, but the fertile ground of Pandora
must also be seeded in order for children to eventuate, a necessity
ordained by Zeus - if man has no children, then his estate will be in
jeopardy in the future, and he will have nobody to look after him in his
old age. Like with Pandora, Adam and Eve are forced to have children
by God's decree "...in labour you shall bear children." (Genesis 3:16)

The concept of the deceptive gift may also reside in Genesis - why is
the tree of knowledge of good and evil placed in the Garden of Eden in
the first place? Yet the more prominent parallel theme to that of the
Hesiodic myths, aside from the fall of mankind, is the establishment of
relationships. Adam, like Pandora, is a creation of earth - God forms
him, animates him, and places him in charge of the animals in Eden,
as shown by the fact that Adam is able to name them (and thus hold
mastery over them). Adam is thus subordinate to God, yet above
animals. The situation with Eve is more ambiguous: it is interesting to
note that after their fall from grace, Adam names Eve, perhaps
implying mastery. This viewpoint has been questioned, as discussed
earlier in the essay.

The sequence of myths in Hesiod regarding the trick of the sacrifice,

the theft of fire and the creation of woman are thematically linked
through relationships, deceptive gifts and the fall of man from a state
of near-perfect existence. A parallel to this set of myths may be found
in Genesis, in the myth of Adam, Eve, and the Garden of Eden. In
both, man originally exists in a world without trouble; after the
creation of woman, humans begin to suffer as the woman in question
(either Pandora or Eve) sets in motion events which lead to a
worsened situation and future. Additionally, these myths show that
man holds a tenuous and ambiguous position between the gods and
beasts, and lives in a possibly unequal partnership with his wife. The
establishment of important social customs such as marriage,
agriculture and sacrifice are the direct result of the original deception
of Prometheus. In sum, the myths contained in Theogony, Works and
Days, and Genesis are thematically intertwined, all explaining why
humans stand alone between immortality and bestiality, why they
must suffer, and what roles both sexes must play. This is perhaps best
summarised by Jean-Pierre Vernant, who said

Henceforward, there is a reverse aspect to everything: contact can

only be made with the gods through sacrifice which at the same time
consecrates the impassable barrier between mortals and immortals;
there can be no happiness without unhappiness, no birth without death, no
abundance without toil, no Prometheus without Epimetheus—in a
word, no Man without Pandora.17

Endnotes:
1. In Theogony, men and gods are still united when they meet to
share the ox, whereas in Hesiod's Works and Days, the scene is
different, apparently a confrontation in metis (wisdom) between
the Titan Prometheus (representing men) and the Olympian Zeus
(representing the gods).
2. It has long been a point of scholarly contention as to whether or
not Zeus was fooled by Prometheus at this point. Zeus,
embodying wisdom, technically cannot be tricked according to
Hesiod, who says that "...there is no way to flee the mind of
 Zeus..." (Hesiod, Works and Days). Others argue that this is
simply a glossing-over, and that Zeus has been fooled, exactly
like his father and grandfather before him.
3. That the text uses the word "giving" is significant, as it links in
with the theme of gifts: "He bore the trick in mind, and would
not give, / To wretched men who live on earth, the power / of
fire, which never wearies." (Hesiod, Theogony)
4. It has been argued that gift giving is a cultural refinement of the
act of taking, and that in giving a gift, social obligations are
imposed (refer to Nagy, p. 191 for further discussion). Here,
Prometheus takes what is not given, then gives it through
deception (hiding it in the fennel stalk).
5. Hermes names Pandora this as she receives a skill, item or
element from many different gods. It is interesting to note that
"Pandora" was also a title connected with the concept of the earth
mother, in that the earth gave life to all. Hesiod does not
recognise this connection, nor does he recognise that men
henceforth are from women born - Pandora is said to be the
progenitor of the female "race" – "From her comes all the race of
womankind..." (Hesiod, Theogony).
6. For further discussion of the concept of Pandora as an economic
liability to men, refer to Zeitlin, pp. 49-55
7. It is additionally a point of separation between men and beasts,
who often mate somewhat at random. For the purposes of this
essay, I defined 'marriage' in a traditional way.
8. This word corresponds to the gaster in which the ox meat is
hidden during the trick of the sacrifice.
9. Hesiod choses to ignore the fact that Athena is said to have
taught Pandora how to weave.
10. The jar has long been under academic scrutiny. Many
analysts believe it to represent female sexuality, and yet others
connect it to the general concept of fertility. For further
discussion of these matters see Reeder, pp. 195-99 and Powell,
pp. 121-23.
11. Vernant, p. 184
12. Eve means "mother of all", a link to the earth goddess
connections regarding the name Pandora.
13. It has long been a matter of debate as to whether Eve,
created from the rib of Adam, is subordinate to him or not.
Although traditionally regarded as such, it has been argued that
"...the woman is created as the man's full, equal partner..."
O'Brien and Major, p. 92
14. Reeder, p. 278
15. Long regarded as being an apple, the more general word 'fruit'
has been used to acknowledge the belief of several academics
that this naming is formed merely from the fact that in Latin, the
word malum is used to mean both 'apple' and 'bad'.
16. In Hesiod's Works and Days, the situation is given at the trick of
the sacrifice that men and gods are already split, as the gods are
portrayed as having hidden bios (grains) from humans. This may
be considered to mean that the ability to easily gain food by
cultivation is no longer an option for men.
17. Vernant, p. 185

Bibliography:
Primary Sources:

• References to Hesiod (Theogony 535-616 and Works and Days

42-105) and Genesis are from my Classics lecture handout -
sorry, I can't give specific bibliographic details.

Secondary Sources:

• G.S. Kirk, Myth – Its Meaning and Functions in Ancient and

Other Cultures (London, 1970) pp. 172-251
• G.S. Kirk, The Nature of Greek Myths (Harmondsworth, 1974)
pp. 136-143
• J.F. Nagy, 'The Deceptive Gift in Greek Mythology' in Arethusa
Vol. 14 (1981) pp. 191-204
• J. O'Brien and W. Major, In the Beginning – Creation Myths from
Ancient Mesopotamia, Israel and Greece (1982) pp. 80-122
• B.B. Powell, Classical Myth (Upper Saddle River, 2004) pp. 111-
23
• E.D. Reeder, 'Pandora' in Pandora – Women in Classical Greece,
ed. E.D. Reeder (Baltimore, 1995) pp. 277-279
• E.D. Reeder, 'Women as Containers' in Pandora – Women in
Classical Greece, ed. E.D. Reeder (Baltimore, 1995) pp. 195-199
• J-P. Vernant, Myth and Society in Ancient Greece, trans. T. Lloyd
(Brighton, 1980) pp. 168-85
• F.I. Zeitlin, 'The Economics of Hesiod's Pandora' in Pandora –
Women in Classical Greece, ed. E.D. Reeder (Baltimore, 1995)
pp. 49-55
Pandora,
the first woman on Earth

The story of Pandora came into prominence in “Theogeny”, Hesiod’s

epic poem, written circa 800 BC. The myth dates back to the first
centuries of humanity, just after the Titanomachy, the Great War
between the Titans and the Olympians. It is interesting to note that
the reference to Pandora’s “Box” came only in the 16th century from
Erasmus of Rotterdam. The bottom line is that the entire story about
Pandora was fabricated. It may be considered as a misogynist stand
that the creation of woman was the harbinger of all evil on this world.

The creation of Pandora

All started from a gathering of the gods, where the Titans were also
invited. The gathering had been organized to decide who would be
favored with the better portion of a sacrifice. Prometheus, the Titan
who later stole the fire from the Gods and gave it to humanity, had
deviously presented the sacrifice in such a manner that Zeus chose the
portion that looked more appealing when in fact it was just bones
presented in a tempting manner. Outraged at this mockery, Zeus
decided to take revenge and get even with Prometheus. Zeus charged
Hephaestus, the god of smiths and master of crafts, with creating a
dazzlingly beautiful woman, one that would appear irresistible to either
god or man. To accomplish this feat Aphrodite, the goddess of love,
posed as a model for the creation of the statue.

The woman was molded of earth and water and once the body was
ready, the Four Winds breathed life into it. She was then given gifts
from all the Olympian gods. Aphrodite gave to her unparalleled
beauty, grace and desire. Hermes, the messenger god, gave her a
cunning, deceitful mind and a crafty tongue. Athena clothed her and
taught her to be deft with her hands. Poseidon bestowed on her a
pearl necklace that would prevent her from drowning. Apollo taught
her to play the lyre and to sing. Zeus gave her a foolish, mischievous
and idle nature and last but not least, Hera gave her the wiliest gift,
curiosity. Thus, the first mortal woman was born and she descended
down to earth. Her name was Pandora, meaning all-gifted, implying all
the gifts she had received from gods. Along with her, Hermes gave a
gilded and intricately carved box, a gift from Zeus with an explicit
warning that she must never open it, come what may. Draped in
raiment fit for the gods, she was presented to Epimetheus,
Prometheus' half-brother.

Opening the box

Epimetheus had been told by his brother never to accept any gift from
Zeus. Prometheus was well aware that Zeus was still angry with him
for his effrontery at the gathering and would try to get his revenge.
However, one look at Pandora was all it took for Epimetheus to fall in
crazy love with her and marry her without thought or consideration.
He was truly enchanted with her. To congratulate them, Hermes came
to the wedding ceremony and told Epimetheus that Pandora was a gift
from Zeus, a peace-offer signifying that there were no more ill feelings
between the chief of the gods and Prometheus. He also told
Epimetheus that the gilded box of Pandora was a wedding gift from the
Olympian King. Being a bit credulous, Epimetheus believed Hermes’
words to be true. Unfortunately, Prometheus’ advice had fallen on deaf
ears.

The days were passing quickly and the two were leading a happy,
married life but one thought was still at the back of Pandora’s mind:
what was in the box that Zeus had given her? She kept thinking that
maybe the box had money in it, nice clothes or even jewelry. Without
thought or reason, she would find herself walking past the box and
involuntarily reaching out to open it. Every time, she was reminding
herself that she had vowed never to open the box. Hera’s gift of
curiosity had worked and one day, unable to take it any more, she
decided to have just a brief look inside. When nobody was around, she
fitted a golden key hanging around her neck to the lock on the box.
Turning the key slowly, she unlocked the box and lifted the lid only for
a while. Before she knew it, there was a hissing sound and a horrible
odor permeated the air around her. Terrified, she slammed the lid
down but it was too late.

Pandora had released all the wickedness and malevolence that Zeus
had locked into the box. That time, she understood that she was a
mere pawn in a great game played by the gods. In that gilded box,
Zeus had hidden all everything that would plague man forever:
sickness, death, turmoil, strife, jealousy, hatred, famine, passion…
everywhere the evil spread. Pandora felt the weight of the world on
her shoulders and looked at the gilded box that had turned rusty and
hideous. As if sensing her need, a warm and calming feeling shrouded
her and she knew that not all was lost. Unknown to her, along with the
evil feelings, she had also revealed hope, the only good thing that
Zeus had trapped inside the box. From now on, hole would live with
man forever, to give him succor just when he felt that everything was
coming to an end.

Pandora's box

The modern phrase “Pandora’s box” derives from this myth. It is used
to say that a certain action provoked many evils, just like Pandora’s
action to open the box released all the evils of humanity. However,
despite these evils, we humans still have hope to encourage us. This
phrase was produced by the Dutch humanist and theologian Erasmus
of Rotterdam in the 16th century, when he translated the poem of
Hesiod.

Pandora and Eve

In this myth, we can observe some similarities with the Christian story
of Adam and Eve. Just like Pandora in ancient Greece, Eve was known
as the first woman on earth in Hebrew history. Even the creation of
the two women is similar:
Pandora was made of earth and water and Eve from the rib of Adam,
the first man on earth, who was in his turn made of slay.
Another similarity is that they both disobeyed god: Pandora opened
the box and unleashed evil in the world and Eve tempted Adam to eat
the forbidden apple, against God’s will.

Some accounts maintain that Pandora tempted Epimetheus into

opening the box. However, both women brought ruin and misfortune
upon men who had so far lived in a paradisiacal world, free from all
sins.

Pandora and Eve are considered as the progenitors of the human race
and because of their curiosity, the world is cursed today. Interestingly,
Pandora was created with vicious intentions but not so Eve, who was
simply created to be Adam’s companion.

The treachery lay in the role of Hermes and the Snake respectively. In
Pandora, Hermes instilled that she must never open the box and had
Hera not gifted her “curiosity”, it may have remained closed forever.
In the Garden of Eden, the Snake tempted Eve to eat the forbidden
fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and Life, bringing about realization
and shame. From these two stories, we can imply that women have
forever been seen as perpetrators of all that is deceitful and therefore
women are to blame for every evil on this world
Pandora & Hephaestus

Pandora & Hephaestus, Athenian red-figureamphora C5th B.C.,

Ashmolean Museum

PANDORA was the very first woman who was formed out of clay by the
gods. The Titan Prometheus had originally been assigned with the task
of creating man. But because he was displeased with their lot, stole
fire from heaven. Zeus was angered, and commanded Hephaistos and
the other gods to create a woman, Pandora, and endow her with the
beauty and cunning. He then delivered her to Epimetheus, the foolish
younger brother of Prometheus, for a bride. When he had received her
into his house, Pandora opened the pithos (storage jar) which Zeus
had given her as a wedding present, and released the swarm of evil
spirits trapped within. They would ever afterwards plague mankind.
Only Elpis (Hope) remained behind, a single blessing to succor
mankind in their suffering.
Pandora's daughter Pyrrha (Fire) was the first-born mortal child. She
and her husband Deukalion alone survived the Great Deluge. To
repopulate the earth they each cast stones over their shoulder. Those
cast by Deukalion formed men, and those of Pyrrha women.

In ancient Greek vase painting Pandora was depicted in the scene of

her creation as either a statue-like figure surrounded by gods, or
as a woman rising out of the earth (the anodos). Sometimes she
is surrounded by dancing Satyroi, in a scene from a lost S

ENCYCLOPEDIA

PANDO′RA (Pandôra), i. e. the giver of all, or endowed with every

thing, is the name of the first woman on earth. When Prometheus had
stolen the fire from heaven, Zeus in revenge caused Hephaestus to
make a woman out of earth, who by her charms and beauty should
bring misery upon the human race (Hes. Theog. 571, &c.; Stob. Serin.
1). Aphrodite adorned her with beauty, Hermes gave her boldness and
cunning, and the gods called her Pandora, as each of the Olympians
had given her some power by which she was to work the ruin of man.
Hermes took her to Epimetheus, who forgot the advice of his brother
Prometheus, not to accept any gift from Zeus, and from that moment
all miseries came down upon men (Hes. Op. et Dies, 50, &c.).
According to some mythographers, Epimetheus became by her the
father of Pyrrha and Deucalion (Hygin. Fab. 142; Apollod. i. 7. § 2 ;
Procl. ad Hes. Op. p. 30, ed. Heinsius; Ov. Met. i. 350); others make
Pandora a daughter of Pyrrha and Deucalion (Eustath. ad Hom. p. 23).
Later writers speak of a vessel of Pandora, containing all the blessings
of the gods, which would have been preserved for the human race,
had not Pandora opened the vessel, so that the winged blessings
escaped irrecoverably. The birth of Pandora was represented on the
pedestal of the statue of Athena, in the Parthenon at Athens (Paus. i.
24. § 7). In the Orphic poems Pandora occurs as an infernal awful
divinity, and is associated with Hecate and the Erinnyes (Orph. Argon.
974). Pandora also occurs as a surname of Gaea (Earth), as the giver
of all.atyr-play of Sophokles. (Schol. ad Aristoph. Av. 970; Philostr.
Vit. Apoll. vi. 39; Hesych. s.v.)

Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.

Homer, The Iliad 24. 527 ff (trans. Lattimore) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) :
"There are two urns (pithoi) that stand on the door-sill of Zeus. They
are unlike for the gifts they bestow : an urn of evils (kakoi), an urn of
blessings (dôroi). If Zeus who delights in thunder mingles these and
bestows them on man, he shifts, and moves now in evil, again in good
fortune. But when Zeus bestows from the urn of sorrows, he makes a
failure of man, and hte evil hunger drives him over the shining earth,
and he wanders resepected neither of gods nor mortals."
[N.B. Later writers describe Zeus giving one of these two jars to
Pandora. The poets were at odds as to which jar she received--Hesiod
says the jar of evils (kakoi), but Theognis and Aesop claim it was the
jar of blessings (dôroi). The name Pan-dôra ("all-gifts") naturally
suggests the latter.]

Hesiod, Works & Days 54 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or

C7th B.C.) :
"The gods keep hidden from men the means of life . . . Zeus in the
anger of his heart hid it, because Prometheus the crafty deceived him;
therefore he planned sorrow and mischief against men. He hid fire; but
that the noble son of Iapetus stole again for men from Zeus the
counsellor in a hollow fennel-stalk, so that Zeus who delights in
thunder did not see it. But afterwards Zeus who gathers the clouds
said to him in anger : `Son of Iapetos, surpassing all in cunning, you
are glad that you have outwitted me and stolen fire--a great plague to
you yourself and to men that shall be. But I will give men as the price
for fire an evil thing in which they may all be glad of heart while they

embrace their own destruction.'

So said the father of men and gods, and laughed aloud. And he bade
famous Hephaistos 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 Athene 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. And he charged Hermes the guide, the Slayer of
Argus, to put in her a shameless mind and a deceitful nature. So he
ordered. And they obeyed the lord Zeus the son of Kronos. Forthwith
the famous Lame God moulded clay in the likeness of a modest maid,
as the son of Kronos purposed. And the goddess bright-eyed Athene
girded and clothed her, and the divine Kharites (Graces) and queenly
Peitho (Persuasion) put necklaces of gold upon her, and the rich-haired
Horai (Seasons) crowned her head with spring flowers. And Pallas
Athene bedecked her form with all manners of finery. Also the Guide,
the Slayer of Argus [Hermes], 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 he called this woman
Pandora (All-Gifts), because all they who dwelt on Olympus gave each
a gift, a plague to men who eat bread.

But when he had finished the sheer, hopeless snare, the Father sent
glorious Argus-Slayer [Hermes], the swift messenger of the gods, to
take it to Epimetheus as a gift. And Epimetheus did not think on what
Prometheus had said to him, bidding him never take a gift of Olympian
Zeus, but to send it back for fear it might prove to be something
harmful to men. But he took the gift, and afterwards, when the evil
thing was already his, he understood. For ere this the tribes of men
lived on earth remote and free from ills (kakoi) and hard toil (ponoi)
and heavy sickness (nosoi) which bring the Keres (Fates) upon men;
for in misery men grow old quickly. But the woman took off the great
lid of the jar (pithos) with her hands and scattered all these and her
thought caused sorrow and mischief to men. Only Elpis (Hope)
remained there in an unbreakable home within under the rim of the
great jar, and did not fly out at the door; for ere that, the lid of the jar
stopped her, by the will of Aigis-holding Zeus who gathers the clouds.
But the rest, countless plagues (lugra), wander amongst men; for
earth is full of evils and the sea is full. Of themselves diseases (nosoi)
come upon men continually by day and by night, bringing mischief to
mortals silently; for wise Zeus took away speech from them. So is
there no way to escape the will of Zeus."

T22.1 T22.2 T22.3 T1.4

PANDORA, PANDORA, PANDORA, PANDORA,
HEPHAISTOS, APHRODITE, HEPHAISTOS, DANCING
HERMES ARES ATHENE SATYRS

Hesiod, Theogony 510 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or

C7th B.C.) :
"Scatter-brained Epimetheus who from the first was a mischief to men
who eat bread; for it was he who first took of Zeus the woman [i.e.
Pandora], the maiden whom he had formed."
Hesiod, Theogony 560 ff :
"[Zeus] was always mindful of the trick [of Prometheus who won for
mankind the meat of the sacrificial beast], and would not give the
power of unwearying fire to the Melian race of mortal men who live on
the earth. But the noble son of Iapetos [Prometheus] outwitted him
and stole the far-seen gleam of unwearying fire in a hollow fennel
stalk. And Zeus who thunders on high was stung in spirit, and his dear
heart was angered when he saw amongst men the far-seen ray of
fire. Forthwith he made an evil thing for men as the price of fire; for
the very famous Limping God [Hephaistos] formed of earth the
likeness of a shy maiden [i.e. Pandora] as the son of Kronos willed.
And the goddess bright-eyed Athene girded and clothed her with
silvery raiment, and down from her head she spread with her hands an
embroidered veil, a wonder to see; and she, Pallas Athene, put about
her head lovely garlands, flowers of new-grown herbs. Also she put
upon her head a crown of gold which the very famous Limping God
made himself and worked with his own hands as a favor to Zeus his
father. On it was much curious work, wonderful to see; for of the
many creatures which the land and sea rear up, he put most upon it,
wonderful things, ike living beings with voices: and great beauty shone
out from it.

But when he had made the beautiful evil to be the price for the
blessing, he brought her out, delighting in the finery which the bright-
eyed daughter of a mighty father had given her, to the place where
the other gods and men were. And wonder took hold of the deathless
gods and mortal men when they saw that which was sheer guile, not
to be withstood by men. For from her is the race of women and female
kind : of her is the deadly race and tribe of women who live amongst
mortal men to their great trouble, no helpmeets in hateful poverty, but
only in wealth. And as in thatched hives bees feed the drones whose
nature is to do mischief--by day and throughout the day until the sun
goes down the bees are busy and lay the white combs, while the
drones stay at home in the covered hives and reap the toil of others
into their own bellies--even so Zeus who thunders on high made
women to be an evil to mortal men, with a nature to do evil. And l he
gave them a second evil to be the price for the good they had:
whoever avoids marriage and the sorrows that women cause, and will
not wed, reaches deadly old age without anyone to tend his years, and
though he at least has no lack of livelihood while he lives, yet, when
he is dead, his kinsfolk divide his possessions amongst them. And as
for the man who chooses the lot of marriage and takes a good wife
suited to his mind, evil continually contends with good; for whoever
happens to have mischievous children, lives always with unceasing
grief in his spirit and heart within him; and this evil cannot be healed.
So it is not possible to deceive or go beyond the will of Zeus : for not
even the son of Iapetos, kindly Prometheus, escaped his heavy anger,
but of necessity strong bands confined him, although he knew many a
wile."

Theognis, Fragment 1. 1135 (trans. Gerber, Vol. Greek Elegiac)

(Greek elegy C6th B.C.) :
"Elpis (Hope) is the only good god remaining among mankind; the
others have left and gone to Olympos. Pistis (Trust), a mighty god has
gone, Sophrosyne (Restraint) has gone from men, and the Kharites
(Graces), my friend, have abandoned the earth. Men’s judicial oaths
are no longer to be trusted, nor does anyone revere the immortal
gods; the race of pious men has perished and men no longer recognize
the rules of conduct or acts of piety." [N.B. Theognis' account is the
inverse of Hesiod's : the good spirits escaped from Pandora's jar,
abandoning mankind in their flight to heaven.]

Aesop, Fables 526 (from Babrius 58) (trans. Gibbs) (Greek fable C6th
B.C.) :
"Zeus gathered all the useful things together in a jar and put a lid on
it. He then left the jar in human hands. But man had no self-control
and he wanted to know what was in that jar, so he pushed the lid
aside, letting those things go back to the abode of the gods. So all the
good things flew away, soaring high above the earth, and Elpis (Hope)
was the only thing left. When the lid was put back on the jar, Elpis
(Hope) was kept inside. That is why Elpis (Hope) alone is still found
among the people, promising that she will bestow on each of us the
good things that have gone away." [N.B. By "in human hands," the
story o Pandora delivering the jar to mankind is implied. However, in
this version it is apparently the husband who opens it.]

Aesop, Fables 525 (from Chambry 1) (trans. Gibbs) (Greek fable C6th
B.C.) :
"The Good Things were too weak to defend themselves from the Bad
Things, so the Bad Things drove them off to heaven. The Good Things
then asked Zeus how they could reach mankind. Zeus told them that
they should not go together all at once, only one at a time. This is why
people are constantly besieged by Bad Things, since they are nearby,
while Good Things come more rarely, since they must descend to us
from heaven one by one." [N.B. This fable describes the spirits which
had fled Pandora's jar. It also refers to the two jars by the throne of
Zeus in the Iliad, one containing Good Things, the other Evils.]
Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 250 ff (trans. Weir Smyth) (Greek
tragedy C5th B.C.) :
"Prometheus : Yes, I caused mortals to cease foreseeing their doom
(moros).f Chorus : Of what sort was the cure that you found for this
affliction?
Prometheus : I caused blind hopes (elpides) to dwell within their
breasts.
Chorus : A great benefit was this you gave to mortals."
[N.B. This is presumably a reference to Pandora's jar, a curse
concocted by Zeus to punish mankind for the theft of fire. Prometheus
seems to be saying that he was the one who stayed Hope inside the
jar, when the other evils escaped.]

Aeschylus, Fragment 204 (from Proclus, Commentary on Hesiod’s

Works and Days 156) :
"A mortal woman from out a seed moulded of clay [i.e Pandora]."

Sophocles, Pandora (lost play) (C5th B.C.) :

Sophocles wrote a Satyr-play entitled Pandora or Sphyrocopi which
dramatised the story of the first woman. Plato, Protagoras 320c - 322a
(trans. Lamb) (Greek philosopher C4th B.C.) :
"Prometheus stole the mechanical arts of Hephaistos and Athene, and
fire with them (they could neither have been acquired nor used
without fire), and gave them to man . . . But Prometheus is said to
have been afterwards prosecuted for theft, owing to the blunder of
Epimetheus [i.e. because he accepted Pandora from Zeus]."

Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1. 46 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek

mythographer C2nd A.D.) :
"Prometheus had a son Deukalion, who was king of the lands round
Phthia and was married to Pyrrha, the daughter of Epimetheus and
Pandora, the first woman created by the gods."

Euphorion of Chalcis, Fragments (trans. Page, Vol. Select Papyri III,

No. 121 (2b)) (Greek epic C3rd B.C.): "Pandora, donor of evil
(kakodôros), man’s sorrow self-imposed."

Strabo, Geography 9. 5. 23 (trans. Jones) (Greek geographer C1st

B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"[The region of] Thessalia. But speaking of it as a whole, I may say
that in earlier times it was called Pyrrhaia, after Pyrrha the wife of
Deukalion . . . But some writers, dividing it into two parts, say that
Deukalion obtained the portion towards the south and called it Pandora
after his mother [i.e. his mother-in-law], and that the other part fell to
Haimon, after whom it was called Haimonia, but that the former name
was changed to Hellas, after Hellen the son of Deukalion, and the
latter to Thessalia, after the son of Haimon." [N.B. Pyrrha was the
daughter of Pandora, and wife of Deukalion. Deukalion named parts of
the region of Thessalia after his wife and mother-in-law.]

Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. 24. 7 (trans. Jones) (Greek

travelogue C2nd A.D.) :
"On the pedestal [of the statue of Athena on the Akropolis, Athens] is
the birth of Pandora in relief. Hesiod and others have sung how this
Pandora was the first woman; before Pandora was born there was as
yet no womankind."

Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 142 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer

C2nd A.D.) :
"Prometheus, son of Iapetus, first fashioned men from clay. Later
Vulcanus [Hephaistos], at Jove’s [Zeus'] command, made a woman’s
form from clay. Minerva [Athene] gave it life, and the rest of the gods
each gave come other gift. Because of this they named her Pandora.
She was given in marriage to Prometheus’ brother Epimetheus. Pyrrha
was her daughter, and was said to be the first mortal born." Nonnus,
Dionysiaca 7. 7 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.) :
"[Aion, Father Time, addresses Zeus :] `But, some may say, a
medicine [Hope] has been planted to make long-suffering mortals
forget their troubles, to save their lives. Would that Pandora had never
opened the heavenly cover of that jar--she the sweet bane of
mankind!'"

o Homer, The Iliad - Greek Epic C8th B.C.

o Hesiod, Theogony - Greek Epic C8th-7th B.C.
o Hesiod, Works & Days - Greek Epic C8th-7th B.C.
o Greek Elegaic Theognis, Fragments – Greek Elegaic C6th B.C.
o Aesop, Fables - Greek Fables C6th B.C.
o Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound - Greek Tragedy C5th B.C.
o Aeschylus, Fragments - Greek Tragedy C5th B.C.
o Plato, Protagoras - Greek Philosophy C4th B.C.
o Apollodorus, The Library - Greek Mythography C2nd A.D.
o Greek Papyri III Euphorion, Fragments - Greek Epic C3rd B.C.
o Strabo, Geography - Greek Geography C1st B.C. - C1st A.D.
o Pausanias, Description of Greece - Greek Travelogue C2nd A.D.
o Hyginus, Fabulae - Latin Mythography C2nd A.D.
o Ovid, Metamorphoses - Latin Epic C1st B.C. - C1st A.D.
o Nonnos, Dionysiaca - Greek Epic C5th A.D.
Did Pandora bring trouble or transformation for
women?

BY SANDRA GEYER MILLER, MA

When Pandora opened the box and released the spites, was she
merely the bringer of spites or the bringer of the vessel of
transformation of feminine energies?

During my studies of goddess mythology I was struck by the myth of

Pandora and her "box". Here was a myth of the first woman that
continues to haunt the image of women even today. Foolish Pandora,
who opened the forbidden casket and released the Spites - Old Age,
Labor, Sickness, Insanity, Vice, and Passion - to spread and cover the
earth. Was she merely the bringer of spites, the revengeful curse of
Zeus, or was she as the mother of life also bringer of the vessel of
transformation of feminine energies?

Only examination of the Greek version of the myth within the larger
framework of "creation and fall" mythic themes, can reveal to us clues
about the feminine psyche and its evolution. All of the psychological
literature of the last twenty-five years has not dispelled the cultural
and spiritual shadow that surrounds the image of woman.

The two myths still prevalent today are the Adam/Eve/Serpent and
Pandora/Epimetheus/Prometheus stories depicting the first woman and
the fall. In these myths the primordial images of beauty/hag,
innocence/temptation, and obedience/disobedience are developed.
With the coming of woman, man's paradise is ruptured, and the
duality of time/eternity, good/evil and birth/death is begun. Much has
been written about the Adam and Eve story, but little has been written
about Pandora. The Greek and Judeo-Christian versions of the Eve and
Pandora myths serve to propagandize the message of the early
patriarchy about the status of women at that time.

Forthwith he made an evil thing for men as the Price of fire; for the
very famous Limping God formed of earth the likeness of a shy maiden
as the son of Cronus willed. And the goddess bright-eyed Athene
girded and clothed her with silvery raiment, and down from her head
she spread with her hands a embroidered veil, a wonder to see;

And she, Pallas Athene, put about her head lovely garlands, flowers of
new grown herbs.

Also she put upon her head a crown of gold which the very famous
Limping God made himself and worked with his own hands as a favor
to Zeus his father. On it was much curious work wonderful to see; for
of the many creatures which the land and sea rear up, he put most
upon it, wonderful things, like living beings with voices: and great
beauty shone out from it. (Evelyn-White, 1950, pp. 120ff)

Pandora is portrayed as the product of Hephaestus' craft and Zeus's

guile, - Zeus's curse for the theft of fire by Prometheus. She was
fashioned as a bewitching beauty endowed with gifts from all the gods
and goddesses.

Feminists have said that women today can "have it all" which contains
an element of truth, as Pandora means "all gifts", but given the
requirements of the patriarchal society, today's Pandora can manifest
only a few gifts if she is lucky.

And as for beauty, modern day Pandora is fashioned by the incarnate

Hephaestus skilled as plastic surgeon with liposuction, face lifts, plastic
implants and body contouring. The seductive beautification process
has become limited to the physical body. Instead of Pandora as an
image of the all-gifted, we have the anorexic, addicted star, princess
or first lady who fight the ravages of time and duality with physical
escapes. The quasi-feminist business woman who adorns herself in
men's clothing and adopts men's behavior, crashes into the invisible
corporate barrier and is dazed and perplexed. She doesn't realize that
her male competitors sense that it may be Pandora with her box that
is knocking on the doors of power.

The ritual of the bachelor party is still prevalent today, where the
groom is given one last good fling before he goes to his doom.
Professor Henry Higgins in the modern musical, based on "Pygmalion",
Lerner and Lowe's "My Fair Lady" quips....

Let a woman in your life and you're plunging in a knife. Let the others
of my sex tie the knot around their necks, I'd prefer a new edition of
the Spanish Inquisition than to ever let a woman in my life!.....Women
are irrational, that's all there is to that. Their heads are full of cotton,
hay and rags. They're nothing but exasperating, irritating, fascinating,
calculating, agitating, maddening, and infuriating hags! (Lerner and
Lowe, 1959, p. 112)

The curse is alive today and Pandora is still the "fatal attraction",
adorned by the fashion designers whose models may be anorexias in
beauty's garb. Poor Pandora was she really meant to become the
projected vision of an angular masculine twig with no bosom, no
rounded hip, no fertility? What has become of her magic girdle, her
crown of gold, her iridescent gown, woven by Athene herself, the
master weaver? And what of the aging crone with Aphrodite fading
who has nothing left but the blame because she may be deserted by
her husband who goes off with another Pandora, she is left with Rhea-
coronis, the death aspect.

Owning the myth of Pandora for today's woman means to be willing to

live with the knowledge of the curses and the gifts, to be wholly
conscious of the dark and the light side of her own psyche, and to be
willing to enter into the process of transformation of the feminine as
expressed within her and as expressed within the collective. Without
fight or flight, without revenge, without sex change or facsimile,
without taking on the appearances or mannerisms of the masculine,
each woman is challenged as never before to embrace Pandora. To get
in touch with the inner Pandora is to embrace one's seductress,
insatiable curiosity, deceiving beauty, cunning Trickster, spinner and
weaver, politician, creator/destroyer, daughter/mother, and
virgin/whore parts.

For the hope shut up within the box is delusive Hope to keep us hoping
for a return to lost paradise. As Hillman so aptly puts it:

"Because hope has this core of illusion it favors repression. By hoping

for the 'status quo ante', we repress the present state of weakness
and suffering and all it can bring. Postures of strength are responsible
for many major complaints today - ulcers, vascular and coronary
conditions, high blood-pressure, stress syndrome, alcoholism, highway
and sport accidents, mental breakdown. The will to fall ill, like the
suicide impulse, leads patient and physician face to face with
morbidity, which stubbornly returns in spite of all hope to the
contrary." (Hillman, 1976, p.158).

While Hope is considered to be an inherent and instinctual gift of

optimism in humans, it has been misunderstood in the context of the
Pandora myth. This misunderstanding is still with us today
commemorated in the custom of the bride's Hope Chest, filled with
gifts and adornments to grace a future home.
A delusional Hope is born of the Trickster archetype. Anthropologist
Angeles Arrien approaches the subject this way: In Wokini, Olympic
runner Billy Mills offers eight lies of Iktumi (the trickster or liar figure)
from the Lakota tradition that can jeopardize happiness or set up
obstacles in a person's life. Iktumi's ancient invitation to self-deception
follows:

If only I were rich, then I would be happy.

If only I were famous, then I would be happy.

If only I could find the right person to marry, then I would be happy.

If only I had more friends, then I would be happy.

If only I were more attractive, then I would be happy.

If only I weren't physically handicapped in any way, then I would be

happy.

If only someone close to me hadn't died, then I could be happy.

If only the world were a better place, then I would be happy.

None of these illusions is true in relationship to our happiness and

salvation. We obsessively strive at work and at home for as many of
the eight illusions as we can... things that Iktumi tells us will make us
happy. Once these goals are attained we are often stunned to find
ourselves still without satisfaction, still without meaning, or still
without happiness. According to Iktomi's ways, ceasing to strive for
meaning and happiness allows us to become liberated from our own
fear and false attachments.

If women can understand that the underlying power and wholeness of

the feminine is the mediatrix of life/death, consciousness/un-
consciousness then they no longer will carry the reflection of the
masculine projection of the evil "bringer". In turn, the men may be
forced inward to own the feminine aspects within themselves.

The new emerging mythic psychology calls for us to penetrate these

inner domains and encounter the sacred images normally hidden from
view. Like shamans, and like Orpheus and Persephane, we learn to
journey to the underworld reality and return to the waking world. We
learn to incorporate the mythic dimension within the physical, and be
the knower of both.

© Copyright 1995, Sandra Geyer Miller, MA