Pandora (2024)

Pandora was a woman of near-perfection formed out of clay by the gods. She was the one who opened the jar (or pithos) with all the evils in humanity,mistranslated as Pandora's Box.

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods[]

To punish mankind for its part in Prometheus' theft of the secret of fire without revealing his interference, Zeus took Aphrodite's suggestion of using the love of awoman. Hence, Hephaestus molded the very first woman out of clay. Zeus breathed life into her, and all the other gods participated in ensuring that this woman was simply perfect in every way: Aphrodite gave her great beauty and charm to make her irresistible; Apollo taught her how to sing and play the lyre; Demeter taught her how to tend a garden; Poseidon gave her a pearl necklace and promised she would never drown; Athena gave her cleverness and curiosity, and taught her weaving and crafts, and Hermes gave her deceitfulness. She was named "Pandora"and sent to Prometheus' brother, Epimetheus, to become his wife.

Before he was chained, Prometheus warned Epimetheus not to accept any gifts from Zeus, but he ignored his brother's warning as he couldn't resist the dazzlingly lovely, stunning and beautiful Pandora. Aphrodite later gave Pandora a mysterious wedding present in the form of a large ceramic jar (pithos)and warned her that under no circ*mstances was she to open the jar, for it was just for looking at.

However, because the gods had given her curiosity, Pandora eventually opened the jar and indirectly unleashed uncountable evils into the world: misery, disease, sorrow, death, and so on. Zeus' vengeance against mankind was therefore fulfilled, for these evils served as an utter plague on the world, making life for humanity far worse than it had ever been before. However, even in the midst of all this, it was still revealed that Zeus did have some sense of shame over his vengeance - Elpis, the Spirit of Hope, remained in the jar and stayed with humanity so that it wouldn't succumb completely to despairand would always believe in a better future.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians[]

The Last Olympian[]

While Prometheusis talking to Percy Jackson, he gives him a gift, Pandora's Pithos and dismisses the legends of Pandora's "box." He tells him when he wants to surrender in the Battle of Manhattan againstKronos, just open the pithos and Hope will be released, telling Prometheus and Kronos that they have surrenderedand are "giving up hope."

Tired of constant temptation, Percy later gives Pandora's pithos to Hestiawhen he revisits her in Olympus, stating that hope survives best at the hearth.

Appearance[]

Due to having been crafted by Hephaestus and blessed by Aphrodite, Pandora was a woman of pure irresistible, unparalleled beauty, grace, elegance, fairness, great health and perfection. Along with dazzlingly long flowing wavy dark hair, blue eyes, and red lips. She also wore a pearl necklace given to her by Poseidon.

Personality[]

Pandora was made to be simply perfect, gifted, lovely, divine, talented, capable and beautiful and dazzling in every way possible. She is exceptionally intelligent, wise, curious, clever, bold, insightful and smart and deceitful in every way because of the gifts she was blessed with by Athena and Hermes. And Pandora was capable of both singing and playing the lyre so perfectly taught by Apollo. Just as she was taught how to swim and breath deep underneath the sea for as long as she wanted by Poseidon and was promised that she would never drown.

Abilities[]

• Beauty and Allure: Pandora was blessed with pure irresistible and exceptional beauty, grace, allure, elegance, great health, fairness, perfection and radiance by Aphrodite.
• Intelligence: Pandora received cleverness, deceitfulness, exceptional intelligence, brilliance, knowledge, awareness, understanding, insights, logic, wisdom, wits, curiosity, cunning, craftiness, boldness and high education and responsibility from Athena and Hermes.
• Craftsmanship: Pandora was taught crafts, skills, mathematics, science, literacy and the art of weaving by Athena.
• Gardening: Pandora was taught how to tend a garden by Demeter.
• Musical Aptitude: Pandora was taught how to sing so wonderfully and play the lyre greatly by Apollo.
• Underwater Breathing (possibly): Poseidon promised Pandora that she would never drown, so it is highly likely that she had the ability to breath in both water and air, and was capable of staying underwater for as long as she liked.

Etymology[]

Her name loosely translates as "all the gifts" or "the whole package",

Trivia[]

• Although some versions of the myth claim that Pandora is the first ever woman created, Percy isn't sure about it, calling the idea "kind of lame and boring to [him]".^[1]
• Pandora is very similar to Eve, Percy Jackson even mentions this with Epimetheus being similar to Adam. Both women disobeyed an order to due their curiosity and later tried to blame their actions on someone else.
• Prometheus says that she opened a pithos, which is a Greek vase. This is actually true in the original myths. Pandora's Box is a common mistranslation.
• Pandora, a moon of Saturn, is named after her.

References[]