Where did Pandoras box originate?

Answer 1

A Pandoras box is basically finding out some information which you wanted to know the answer to, but then once you knew you wished you actually didnt know, because it opens up a 'pandoras box' a philosophical notion that it was best left alone in the first place...a statement of regret really.

In Greek Mythology Pandora was the first woman. she was created by the Gods and sent to earth in possession of a 'box'. when the box was opened all manner of evils were released to beset humanity; the only thing left in the box was hope. * "What About Pandora's Box?" What about it indeed. Wasn't there a warning not to open it? Now what better way could you think of to make sure that it got opened! There was some sort of surprise there when it was opened, I dimly recall. And it wasn't very nice.

* "Who or What is Pandora's Box?" Who or what indeed. Wasn't it really a box? Perhaps it was a box that was a metaphor for something else, something that we yearn to know, but when known, wish we didn't. Because it isn't very nice.

* "Tell Me What I Want to Know about Pandora's Box." That is not really a question -- you should be more careful about how you ask.

ANSWER I love questions like this because they are so open ended. I didn't exactly interpret the question to mean "Tell Me What I Want to Know about Pandora's Box." It seems to be an open question inviting open interpretations. Here then is my interpretation of Pandora's box.

The similarities between Pandora and Eve are striking. Both being the first woman created by God, or gods and both held responsible for bringing evil into the world. This is a common characteristic of mythology, that it is shared and common among the vastly different cultures of the world. Mythology is as important to us as is sustenance which is probably why the authors of the fall from grace and expulsion of eden chose a fruit tree to represent the tree of knowledge of good and evil. In early early renditions of Pandora the 'box' is actually a jar that keeps in it all the evil and death and suffering brought upon us by evil. At some point, and against all warnings Pandora opens the jar, or box and releases the evil, everything escaping but that of hope. In the expulsion from the garden of Eden, hope is expressed through the covenant with God and then later extended to all people through Jesus Christ. The similarity to the Pandora myth is the vessel that keeps hope. In the Pandora myth that vessel is a jar or box and in the Biblical sense that vessel is us. The academic interpretations would suggest that hope imprisoned in a jar or box suggests that we are stuck in a world of evil without hope at worst, and that at best we keep hope in a jar or cling to hope as we ourselves remain hopelessly hopeless. Then there are those who reject the notion that it was actually hope kept in the jar and perhaps a better translation would be the expectation of evil. This effort to find a more positive interpretation is still negative in tone. It suggests that while all kinds of evils were released into our world, at least we don't have to deal with the expectation of evil, which would be hell on earth. It is a lesser of two evils argument. The theologians also seem to prefer the negative over the positive when interpreting The Bible. The expulsion from the garden of Eden is interpreted to be a punishment from God for disobeying his command. The assumption is we are born with original sin because Adam and Eve dared to know as much as God and that God in his anger rejected them and thrust them out of the garden. But the only assertion that God didn't want Adam and Eve to know what God knew was asserted by the serpent Satan. In reality, the garden of Eden was idyllic because it was a place with out evil. It could be argued that since Satan was in the garden that there was evil in the garden. But Satan's presence in the garden is in the nature of the serpent who tempts, and temptation is not evil. Acting on temptations that cause destruction or death is evil. God did not command Adam and Eve to not eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, God warned them that if they were happy in Eden and wanted to stay it was imperative they not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. That both Adam and Eve wanted to know what God knew was not the problem, the problem lies in possessing that knowledge. Since the garden of Eden was a place without evil, once the fruit was eaten, Adam and Eve could no longer stay in Eden because they chose knowledge of both good and evil. Living in Eden would bring no knowledge of evil. It is somewhat sad and tragic that so many wish to interpret the expulsion from Eden as punishment rather than a hard lesson in accepting responsibility for ones actions. We are, all of us, defined by the choices we make. Our inheritance from Adam and Eve is not original sin but the knowledge of good and evil.

My knowledge of the Pandora myth is more limited but the similarities to Eve and Eden are still there. Pandora opened the jar or box because she yearned to know what was inside. Her choice was our inheritance. What we do with the knowledge of good and evil is primary factor in deciding our character. To want to know is not bad it is good. To know is not bad it is good. To know the difference between good and evil is not bad it is good. To know the difference between good and evil and chose evil is not good, that is bad.