There’s Always Hope

Some time back one of the nieces or nephews had asked about Pandora’s Box and a few weeks ago, I had written about “hope.” I thought now might be a good time to talk about Pandora’s Box and hope. There is a connection, and I thought about it the other night when I was attempting to fall asleep….

First a bit of background — you probably know that I’m kind of a fan of mythology and their various “gods.” In particular, I like the Greek “gods.” You may remember from your school days the Titans — the brothers, Prometheus and Epimetheus, were Titans. I always liked Epimetheus because he was the Titan god of afterthought and excuses. But that’s another story…..

According to Greek mythology, Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus were assigned the task of creating man — and — they were also to provide for man, and all animals, the skills and abilities needed for their survival. So Epimetheus gave the various animals courage, strength, speed, wisdom, and armor. But Prometheus created a higher being in godlike form. He took some clay and water and formed it into the image of a god. He gave the new creature, man, an upright stature, so that he could keep his eyes focused on the stars. He looked for gifts to bestow on his new creation, but his brother had already given everything away to the animals. Since he had no gift, he decided to steal some fire from heaven. If he gave his man fire, he might almost be a god. 

When Prometheus stole the fire, Jupiter (ruler of all gods and men) as you might imagine, was more than a little ticked off. However, once man had fire, Jupiter couldn’t take it back. But — he could punish Prometheus. He ordered his son Vulcan, the god of the forge, to chain Prometheus to Mount Caucasus. Then he decreed that every day a vulture should devour Prometheus’s liver, but that night the liver should grow again — to be devoured once more the following day. 

But that’s not all — Jupiter also resolved to bring misery upon mankind, something that Prometheus had feared would happen. In fact, he had warned his brother, Epimetheus, not to accept any presents from the chief deity, because Jupiter might be planning some indirect, clever form of retaliation. 

His fear was well-founded but Epimetheus didn’t pay much attention and he wasn’t able to refuse a gift that Jupiter offered him. The gift was a bride, a mortal woman named Pandora. “Pandora” means “all-gifted” — because the gods, commissioned by Jupiter, had bestowed their choicest treasures upon her. She was the sum of all the virtues — charming, accomplished, and beautiful. But — she also had curiosity.

As part of Jupiter’s plan, the gods gave Pandora a box, which, they warned her, she was not to open. Even though she was happy as the wife of Epimetheus, Pandora occasionally allowed her glance to wander to the mysterious closed box. She had been forbidden to open the box, but she had an irresistible — and human — urge to open it. One day her curiosity got the best of her, and she walked over to the box, opened the lid and looked in. What flew out of the box was all kinds of misery to afflict mankind. Envy, discontent, pain, anger, hunger, plague, crime, desolation — all these and many other ills flew out over the earth before Pandora could slam down the lid. She was horrified at the evils she had let loose, and cried for the harm she had done to man, but she couldn’t call back the ills.
She did, however, shut the lid down just in time to prevent the escape of one thing — hope.
So despite all the ills, troubles and problems of mankind, there is always hope.
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