The Gods made Pandora: the First Woman

Pandora

Pandora was a
woman made by the
gods. She was
taken to
Epimetheus by
Hermes. He made
her his wife,
against his
brother's advice.
Pandora came with
a sealed vase.
Her husband was
tempted and
opened the vase
from which came
all the troubles,
weariness and
illnesses that
mankind is now
burdened with.
In an other version
of the story, the box
contains all kinds
of blessings which were
subsequently lost to
humans when she
opened the box.

Epimetheus -- Epimetheus was a
stupid Titan, whose name means
"afterthought". He was the son of Iapetus. In
some accounts he is delegated, along with
his brother Prometheus by Zeus to create
mankind. He also accepted the gift of
Pandora from Zeus, which lead to the
introduction of evil into the world.

GIFTS FROM THE GODS

Athena Dressed her in white with a vail and jewels.
Hephaestus Forged a golden crown.
Aphrodite Gave her both Grace and Charm, but also filled
her with ravenous lust
Hermes (God of thieves and Rogues) Gave her an intoxicating
voice, but also with lies, , flattery, seduction, treachery and
shamelessness.
Peitho Gave here a golden necklaces.
The Horae (Seasons) Gave her a wreath of spring flowers
for her head.
The Four Winds Breath life into her.

From Thomas Bullfinch

PROMETHEUS AND PANDORA.

Before earth and sea and heaven were created, all things 
wore one aspect, to which we give the name of Chaos- a 
confused and shapeless mass, nothing but dead weight, in 
which, however, slumbered the seeds of things.

Earth, sea, and air were all mixed up together; so the 
earth was not solid, the sea was not fluid, and the air 
was not transparent.

God and Nature at last interposed, and put an end to this 
discord, separating earth from sea, and heaven from both.

The fiery part, being the lightest, sprang up, and formed 
the skies; the air was next in weight and place. The 
earth, being heavier, sank below; and the water took the 
lowest place, and buoyed up the earth.

Here some god- it is not known which- gave his good 
offices in arranging and disposing the earth. He 
appointed rivers and bays their places, raised mountains, 
scooped out valleys, distributed woods, fountains, 
fertile fields. and stony plains. The air being cleared, 
the stars began to appear, fishes took possession of the 
sea, birds of the air, and four-footed beasts of the 
land.

But a nobler animal was wanted, and Man was made. It is 
not known whether the creator made him of divine 
materials, or whether in the earth, so lately separated 
from heaven, there lurked still some heavenly seeds.

Prometheus took some of this earth, and kneading it up 
with water, made man in the image of the gods. He gave 
him an upright stature, so that while all other animals 
turn their faces downward, and look to the earth, he 
raises his to heaven, and gazes on the stars.

Prometheus was one of the Titans, a gigantic race, who 
inhabited the earth before the creation of man. To him 
and his brother Epimetheus was committed the office of 
making man, and providing him and all other animals with 
the faculties necessary for their preservation. 
Epimetheus undertook to do this, and Prometheus was to 
overlook his work, when it was done.

Epimetheus accordingly proceeded to bestow upon the 
different animals the various gifts of courage, strength, 
swiftness, sagacity; wings to one, claws to another, a 
shelly covering to a third, etc. But when man came to be 
provided for, who was to be superior to all other 
animals, Epimetheus had been so prodigal of his resources 
that he had nothing left to bestow upon him.

In his perplexity he resorted to his brother Prometheus, 
who, with the aid of Minerva, went up to heaven, and 
lighted his torch at the chariot of the sun. and brought 
down fire to man.

With this gift man was more than a match for all other 
animals. It enabled him to make weapons wherewith to 
subdue them; tools with which to cultivate the earth; to 
warm his dwelling, so as to be comparatively independent 
of climate; and finally to introduce the arts and to coin 
money, the means of trade and commerce.

Woman was not yet made. The story (absurd enough!) is 
that Jupiter made her, and sent her to Prometheus and his 
brother, to punish them for their presumption in stealing 
fire from heaven; and man, for accepting the gift

. The first woman was named Pandora. She was made in 
heaven, every god contributing something to perfect her. 
Venus gave her beauty, Mercury persuasion, Apollo music, 
etc. Thus equipped, she was conveyed to earth, and 
presented to Epimetheus, who gladly accepted her, though 
cautioned by his brother to beware of Jupiter and his 
gifts.

Epimetheus had in his house a jar, in which were kept 
certain noxious articles for which, in fitting man for 
his new abode, he had no occasion.

Pandora was seized with an eager curiosity to know what 
this jar contained; and one day she slipped off the cover 
and looked in. Forthwith there escaped a multitude of 
plagues for hapless man,- such as gout, rheumatism, and 
colic for his body, and envy, spite, and revenge for his 
mind,- and scattered themselves far and wide.

Pandora hastened to replace the lid! but, alas! the whole 
contents of the jar had escaped, one thing only excepted, 
which lay at the bottom, and that was hope.

So we see at this day, whatever evils are abroad, hope 
never entirely leaves us; and while we have that, no 
amount of other ills can make us completely wretched.

Another story is that Pandora was sent in good faith, by 
Jupiter, to bless man; that she was furnished with a box 
containing her marriage presents, into which every god 
had put some blessing, She opened the box incautiously, 
and the blessings all escaped, hope only excepted. This 
story seems more probable than the former; for how could 
hope, so precious a jewel as it is, have been kept in a 
jar full of all manner of evils, as in the former 
statement?

Prometheus represented as the friend of mankind,
who interposed in their behalf when Zeus was
incensed against them, and who taught them
civilization and the arts. But by doing so, he
transgressed the will of Zeus, he angered Zeus

Zeus had him chained to a rock on Mount
Caucasus, where a vulture preyed on his liver,
which was renewed as fast as devoured.

Prometheus might have ended the torment at any
time by Prometheus.

If Prometheus had been willing, to submit to his
oppressor; because he had a secret which
involved the stability of Zeus's throne. If he
would have revealed it, he would have been in
Zeus's favor.

Prometheus refused to do so and has become the
symbol of magnanimous endurance of unmerited
suffering, and strength of will resisting
oppression.


Epilog: Hercules arrived on the Cacasus mountains and found 
the Titan, Prometheus chained to the cliff for 30,000 years. 
With a single arrow, Hercules shot and killed the eagle that 
had been eating Prometheus' liver for the last 30 millennia. 
Hercules than talked the Centaur, Cheiron (Who begged to be 
released form the pain caused by the Hydra's poison) into 
taking the place of Prometheus, since he was going to die 
anyway. Hercules than freed Prometheus from his chains 

PS.The Centaur, Cheiron, would automatically go to the 
Elysian Plain. Kind of like heaven. On the western margin of 
the earth, by the stream of Ocean, lay a   happy place named 
the Elysian Plain, whither mortals favored by the   gods were 
transported without tasting of death, to enjoy an   
immortality of bliss. This happy region was also called the 
"Fortunate   Fields," and the "Isles of the Blessed."

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