Pandora's box facts for kids
In ancient Greek mythology, the story of Pandora's box is a famous tale. It describes a large jar that was given to Pandora, the first woman. This jar was said to hold all the bad things, or "evils," that could be released into the world to trouble humankind. When Pandora opened it, all these troubles flew out. However, one thing remained inside the jar: hope. The ancient Greek writer Hesiod first told this story, but he didn't list exactly what evils were inside.
Why is it called a "box" if it was a jar?
The original Greek word used in the story was pithos (pronounced PEE-thos). A pithos was a very large jar, often made of clay. People in ancient Greece used these big jars to store important things like wine, olive oil, or grain. Sometimes, they were even used for funerals. In Pandora's story, this pithos might have been a simple storage jar, or perhaps a strong bronze container meant to be an unbreakable prison for its contents.
So, how did a large jar become known as a "box"? This change happened because of a mistake made in the 16th century. A famous scholar named Erasmus of Rotterdam was translating Hesiod's Greek story into Latin. When he came across the word pithos, he accidentally translated it as pyxis, which means "box" in Latin.
Because of Erasmus's translation, the phrase "Pandora's box" became popular and has been used ever since. This idea of a "box" was also made even more famous by later artworks, like the painting Pandora by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
Images for kids
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Lawrence Alma-Tadema's water-colour of an ambivalent Pandora, 1881
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Giulio Bonasone’s 16th century engraving of Epimetheus opening the fatal jar
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Pandora seated with her husband Epimetheus, who has just opened her jar of curses; an etching by Sébastien Le Clerc (1676)
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James Gillray political cartoon, 1809
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John William Waterhouse, 1896
See also
In Spanish: Caja de Pandora para niños
