The Mythology of Pandora's Box
"High-thundering Zeus made an evil: women, the partners of evil works"
After Promethus stole fire from Zeus, the ruler of gods orders Hephaestus to mold the figure of a beautiful virgin. Each of the gods is then instucted to give to this figure one gift. Aphrodite gives her seductive charms; Athene dresses and adorns her; and Hermes gives her a deceitful mind. A product of gifts from all the gods, she is named Pandora. She carries with her a box that Zeus fills with evils.
Although his brother Prometheus warns him not to, Epimetheus accepts this gift from Zeus. Pandora opens the box and sickness, disease, misery, and other evils escape before she can again close the lid, trapping inside the only good thing the box had contained, Elpis, hope.
Consequences For Men
Pandora is created as a punishment for men. Not only does she bring evils to the world, but she also begins the race of women, a race that is dependent on the work of men for food, shelter, and other necessities. Hesiod describes a man's dilemma as "Men are forced to marry for the women are necessary to produce children and continue the race of men. Their only choice is to not marry and thus have no heir, or to marry and hope that their wives are not the wicked sort".
Consequences For Women
This story of the creation of women makes all women evil from the very start. They are a burden and a threat because they carry evils with them, just as Pandora carries her box. Thus Women become objects that must be controlled. Their unpredictable behavior can have dire consequences for the city. Therefore, women must remain in the home where they have the specific duties of spinning, weaving, and cooking. Outside the home, they should ony be associated with the wildest places, where they cannot disrupt the peace of the cities.
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