Pandora’s Hope Part II

I had to do a second post on Pandora’s Hope. I did a ton of research before starting this piece and decided to share it with you.

If someone opens Pandora’s box, they have done something to cause problems that were unknown or nonexistent to appear. So why have I centered Pandora’s Hope on a jar instead of the obvious box?

When ancient tales are translated into modern languages, mistakes sometimes occur. Pandora originally opened a pithos; a large jar used to store grain, wine, or oil. A pithos was also sometimes used in place of a casket in a burial. In the sixteenth century pithos(jar) was mistranslated to pyxis(casket or box). During the Renaissance artists used classical literature as inspiration for their artworks. Like today it was the popular and easily accessible versions of the myth that were most familiar to the artists. Paintings made during this time helped to spread the mistranslation.

The jar in Pandora’s Hope is a miniature version of a pithos, complete with a stopper and handles. Hope is seen through the broken side braced against the walls of her entombment as one of the evils from the jar snarles up at viewers.

As I stated in my first post there are two important female characters in the myth of Pandora. Pandora is the first, Hope is the second.

When I first learned the myth, all of the emphasis was placed on Pandora unleashing evil into the world. But when I went and read more, Hope’s significance stood out to me. Without hope, a person would live in misery and never wish for more. Hope gives courage, strength, and inspiration. That’s why Hope is the center character in Pandora’s Hope.