The Story of the Greek Mythology: Short

Pandora's Box

Of course Zeus was unreasonable when angry, but he didn't care. He was powerful and didn't want anyone to doubt it. From Prometheus, Zeus turned his anger upon mankind. Men were far too comfortable, so far as he was concerned.

Zeus thought of a clever plot to punish them for their disobedience, and he chuckled at his own cleverness. He would send a creation of his own to live among Prometheus's men. Zeus ordered Hephaestus to design a beautiful creature, a woman.

"She is lovely," said all the gods and goddesses when they saw her. "Let us help." Hestia gave the woman gentleness, Hermes made her light-footed, Aphrodite made her lovable, Apollo gave her a musical nature, and so on. They named her Pandora, or "all-gifted."

"Perfect," said Zeus, still chuckling. Then he sent Pandora as a gift to Prometheus's slow-witted brother Epimetheus. Epimetheus had been warned not to accept presents from Zeus, but when he saw Pandora he forgot the warning entirely. "What a fine present!" he said, and married her on the spot. For a short time they live happily.

In Epimetheus's house there was a box left from the time when he and Prometheus had created the first creatures. They had used all the good things, but the evils were still stored in this box. When Prometheus was taken away, his parting words to Epimetheus were, "Guard the box with your life."

Epimetheus said, "Oh, I will." But he forgot all about it, leaving the box to stand, gathering dust in an unused attic.

When Epimetheus was at home, Pandora made him happy by singing sweet songs, arranging the cushions in his chair to make him comfortable, and bringing him good tidbits in golden platters. But as soon as Epimetheus left the house, Pandora was off poking into cupboards, reading old letters, and in general prying into things, instead of trending to her household work. Like all the women who came after her, Pandora had great curiosity.

Ond day when Epimetheus was gone, Pandora found a box. It was tied round with ropes and padlocked shut with a thick chain. Pandora ran and got a knife from the kitchen. One by one she cut through the ropes on the box and let them fall. Then she took Epimetheus's ring of keys from the closet. He had many keys, and she tried nearly a hundred before one turned in the lock. With a loud chatter, the chain fell to the floor. Now there remained only the latch, which she could easily move.

For a long time Pandora just sat there, looking at the dusty box. She had as strong feeling she should leave it alone. But what might it contain? A present for her? Jewels? Or perhaps something Epimetheus was ashamed of?

She lifted the lid just a crack, thinking to take a quick peek and shut it again. Instantly all sorts of evil things rushed out and flew into the world: old age, sickness, envy, revenge, worry, pain, greed, hate, and everything else bad that you can think of. These things have been loose in the world ever since, and man has never been completely happy.

But Prometheus had foreseen the day when someone might unloose these evils, and he had put into the box one good thing - hope, which even today helps a man to bear the sorrows of his life.

The end :)