> In Greek mythology, who was the first woman on Earth?And the answer: Pandora.Photo courtesy: Public domain. Painting by Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912).TheGreek god of fire and craftsmen, Hephaestus, was asked by Zeus to create a womanout of clay. The result was Pandora, who was gifted a jar containing all themiseries and evils of the world. Out of curiosity, Pandora opened the jar andaccidentally released a swarm of evil spirits, but she was able to put the lidback on before Hope escaped.After Hephaestus breathed life into Pandora, each Greek god bestowed gifts uponher. From Aphrodite, she received the capacity for deep emotion. From Hermescame the gift of language. Athena gifted skills of craftsmanship, and attentionto detail. Also from Hermes, finally, came her name: Pandora.Zeus, the most powerful of the gods, had other plans. He bestowed two gifts untoPandora. The first was the trait of curiosity. The second was a pithos, astorage container similar to large jar or vase (often mistranslated as a box),with a lid screwed tightly shut. The contents, he told her, were not for mortaleyes. She was not to open the box under any circumstance. Over time, Pandora became infatuated with the box. Her curiosity drove herforward; her cunning and intelligence drew her back. Eventually, Pandorarelinquished, and cracked open the box. Evils swarmed out irreparably – Zeus hadgiven the box to her to avenge the betrayal of Prometheus, who had stolen thefire of the gods and given it to humanity. However, Hope remained andpersevered.Today, "Pandora's Box" represents the extreme consequences of tampering with theunknown. But, Pandora's burning curiosity suggests the duality that lies at theheart of human inquiry: are we bound to investigate everything which we do notknow? Or are there mysteries better left unsolved? Learn more about the plight of Pandora and her box below.