Prometheus had stolen fire from Olympus to give to mortals whom he had created, so they would have warmth and illumination. Zeus did not like the idea of mortals being enlightened like the gods were (or thought they were). Motivated by revenge, he created a beautiful maiden out of earth, water, and air. He asked the Olympians to give her the very best of gifts they had to offer. From Aphrodite she received beauty and knowledge of the feminine mysteries, Hermes gave her the power of persuasion and cleverness, Hades gave her an appreciation for fine jewels, and Demeter gave her a love of all growing things. Zeus gave her insatiable curiosity, and a jar. Then he bade her to never open it.

The maiden’s name was Pandora, which means “the possesor of all good gifts”. All good except one, it seems. You see, the jar was filled with the evil Spites. They were terrible afflictions that were best left in Tartarus, but Zeus had put them into the jar before Pandora was brought down from Olympus.

She was brought to Epimetheus, who was Prometheus’ brother. He didn’t have the foresight of his brother, however, and married her on the spot. She proved to be a good wife, but her Zeus-given curiosity got the better of her. I must say, against Hermes advice, she opened the lid of the jar.

Many terrible things flew out, like Hate, Sicknesses, Intolerance, Greed, Ignorance, and many others too terrible to mention. She put the lid back on, but too late. The Spites tore into Pandora, and she was only saved when Epimetheus came running and fought them off.

Zeus chuckled to himself, his revenge against Prometheus and his creations was satisfied for now.

But one of the Olympians (I won’t say who) managed to sneak a spirit called Hope into the jar. Unfortunately, Pandora never opened the jar again in her lifetime. But her daughter, named Pyrrah, did open it just after the deluge. And that was when Hope was needed most of all.

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