Pandora

PANDORA THE FIRST WOMAN ON EARTH

The Titan Prometheus was first tasked to create man, but he ended up stealing fire just for them, which displeased the gods, especially Zeus. After the said event, Zeus commanded Hephaestus to create a woman.

When Hephaestus and the other gods made this woman, they bequeathed her with amazing gifts. Exactly why they called her Pandora, which meant "all-gifted" or "the gift of all."

These were the gifts given to her:


 * Beauty, grace and desire from Aphrodite
 * Cunning and boldness from Hermes
 * Garden-tending from Demeter
 * Manual dexterity, spinning from Athena
 * Singing and lyre-playing from Apollo
 * A pearl necklace allowing her to never drown from Poseidon
 * Foolishness, mischief, idleness from Zeus
 * Curiosity from Hera

She may look that of a goddess, but Zeus's gifts made her human in reality.

Before she was brought to Earth, they threw a banquet in celebration of her creation. Hermes presented her with a crafted jar/box, which had an array of beautiful images. The other gods also glossed her up with enticing accessories.

Hermes escorted Pandora to Earth to marry Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus. Mainly concerned, Prometheus warned Epimetheus never to accept gifts from the gods, but Epimetheus was the slow-minded one among the two. Upon the presentation of Pandora, Epimetheus was completely overwhelmed by her elegance and beauty that he had no choice but to accept her.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Glorious Zeus feels bad for the sorrow and disgrace that has plagued your family." said Hermes to the Epimetheus. "To make up for it, and to demonstrate that there are no hard feelings toward you for your brother's folly, Zeus presents you with this gift -- This beautiful woman named Pandora, the fairest in all the world, is to become your wife."

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While at home, Pandora did her wifely duties. She would tend gardens, spin cloth, play the lyre, and all those other things, but one thing she never failed to do was to shine the box/jar that was given to her. She always made sure that the it was flawless and shiny, but she also never failed to wonder what lay inside the box/jar. Apparently, Hera's gift of curiosity backfired.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"I bet Hermes really wanted me to open the box," she mused, "he's probably watching right now, waiting for me to look inside so that I can be delightfully surprised and thank him. Surely he's hidden a splendid surprise inside..."

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To push away all the pain it's causing, she resorted to hiding the box/jar in different places, but every time she passed its hiding place, the fire started to burn. It was still killing her!

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">She finally took back the box, but it seemed as if Hermes was telling her not to open it. She felt like it was a sign, but it still couldn't account to the curiosity she had.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">She took the key, inserted it into the hole, and turned it.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In a split second, an eerie aura filled the room. A foul stench adulterated the room's fresh scent.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All the gods added something evil in the box. Once Pandora opened it, the world was contaminated. Old age, sickness, insanity, anything, you name it, it was all let into the real world. It affected her and Epimetheus; it affected everyone. She was full of regret, but as she lay eye on the jar/box, something lay there alone: HOPE.

<span style="display: block; font-family: impact,charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 160%; text-align: center;">Quick Facts
 * Other name: Anesidora, "The Sender of Gifts."
 * Child: Pyrrha - helped keep the human race alive
 * Allusion: Pandora's Box would mean when something is investigated, it leads to lots of troubles; in "Avatar," it's the name of the setting

Words that use Pandora: open Pandora's box- to start something that causes many new and unexpected problems Pandora's box- something that starts many new and unexpected problems

Sources: http://thanasis.com/pandora.htm http://www.theoi.com/Heroine/Pandora.html http://gogreece.about.com/od/mythology/a/mythopandora.htm http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0934910.html http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/Pandora-s-box