She was the first woman on Earth, but Pandora wasn’t just an arbitrary creation - she was specifically designed by Zeus as retribution against Prometheus for stealing fire from the gods and giving it to mankind. Her name, meaning "all-gifted," reflects the fact that she was endowed with gifts from each Olympian to make her irresistible.

Pandora was given in marriage to Epimetheus, Prometheus's brother. As a wedding gift, she received a jar (often mistranslated as a "box") with strict "do not open" instructions. Naturally, curiosity bit, and Pandora unleashed evil into the world, just as Zeus intended. So, Pandora became the cautionary tale of unintended consequences, or as we might say now, opening a can of worms (though, honestly, worms sound delightful compared to that jar's contents).