Pandora’s
Jar
By: Denise Hernandez and Yenifer Gonzalez
Along time ago, the gods and goddesses ruled the world. They were in charge of everything, even humans.
One day, the humans wanted to use fire, so Prometheus went to go ask Zeus if they could. Zeus didn’t want to share fire with the humans. He sent Prometheus away.
Later on, Prometheus snuck in and stole fire from Zeus.
This made Zeus angry. He wanted to punish Prometheus for giving the gift of fire to the humans on earth. Zeus chained Prometheus to a tree in the middle of nowhere. He sent a bird to eat his liver everyday and cursed him so it would always grow back.
Zeus was still angry, so he decided to make the first human woman. She would be the punishment for all humans.
Hephaestus, the god of art, molded her to pure perfection out of clay. She was named Pandora. Her lips were made from rubies, bright red. Her skin, made from clay, smooth and soft. Her eyes were made from crystals, bright and sparkly.
Zeus gave her life and had the gods and goddesses give her gifts.
Aphrodite gave her beauty. She was pure beauty.
Athena gave her the skill of art. She was a master at painting.
Hermes gave her speech. She had the sweetest voice with the best flow.
Then Zeus gave her curiosity and a sealed jar. He told her to never open it. No one knew what was in it, except Zeus.
After Pandora got all of her gifts, Zeus sent her to get married. She would be getting married to Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus, the man who stole fire. Prometheus told his brother to never accept a gift from Zeus, but he married Pandora anyways.
The wedding was amazing. There was bright green grass laid above soft brown dirt, and bright colorful flowers grew from the ground. The wind was soft with a scent of the salt sea water mixed with the smell of freshly baked bread.
Pandora wore a beautiful gown. It was as white as a pearl with lace running along the edges. The silky finish sparkled when the rays from the pale yellow sun hit it.
After the wedding, Pandora couldn’t control her curiosity. She had to open the jar that Zeus gave her.
She grabbed the cold, soil, clay jar. She chipped at the edges of the brown container knowing she shouldn't open the jar. But she held the lid, and she slowly twisted it off.
Suddenly, the lid flew off. Dark clouds and smoke filled the air as demonic creatures crawled out, it began with illness...
Then war and hate...
Then finally anger.
Pandora quickly capped the jar with the lid. She feared what she had done.
When she cracked the lid, a bright light glowed onto her face. She looked inside and found only one thing left…
Hope.
Hope was the only good thing left in the world.
But then, Epimetheus entered his home, which was filled with the horrible clouds, smoke, and destruction. He was furious. He looked at Pandora with anger and said...
“Now no one will remember me as the brother of Prometheus, who gave the world the gift of fire! They will only think of me as your husband. The husband of the woman who gave the world all its pain and destruction!” Then he left her.
Pandora’s eyes filled with tears, but she knew that she had to keep the jar sealed, so the humans would still have the gift of hope.
Looking down at her from his home, Hephaestus felt bad about his creation, so he came down to earth to take Pandora. He took her to Olympus to live with the gods.
Zeus became furious because all the humans were pure sin now that Pandora opened the jar. He flooded all of the earth because he couldn't stand to see the humans this way. The only survivors of the flood were Deucalion and Pyrrha, and it was their job to make the world right again.
Work Cited
The gods and humans try to live in peace until one punishes the others. Pandora, the first human woman, ends up alone and in tears. All of humanity turns into monsters. Everyone was punished. Was it worth it?
“Full of twists and turns.”
-New York Times