Pandora I Pandora first woman acc to Hesiod creation myth II Hesiod gives two different versions of myth a Theogony and Works and Days b in both versions 1 no women just men 2 woman as punishment c misogynistic strain in Greek culture III Pandora in Works and Days a Zeus has first woman created punishment for Prometheus theft of fire b Hephaistos blacksmith god forms woman clay and water like Adam in Genesis c gods endow woman with gifts 1 Athena goddess of weaving gives her skill at weaving 2 Aphrodite gives her charm and beauty 3 Hermes trickster deceitful nature d According to Hesiod Pandora all pan gifts dora 1 Probably false etymology 2 Pandora might have been originally the name of an earth goddess e Hermes messenger god takes Pandora to Epimetheus f Epimetheus afterthought dumb brother 1 warned by brother Prometheus forethought smart brother 2 gifts Zeus g before women men no diseases toil h Pandora s jar 1 2 c 1500 CE Erasmus mistranslation pyxis box for pithos jar i Pandora removes lid evils 1 2 Elpis Hope goddess a good or evil Hesiod doesn t say b absent or present Is she still in the jar after Pandora replaces the lid c Hesiod might be vague so we have to think about it j Pandora as pithos 1 2 3 clay vessel life size decorated IV First Woman in Theogony a briefer account beginning the same 1 Zeus has woman created bc Prometheus stole fire 2 Hephaistos clay and water b only Athena and Hephaistos adorn woman 1 Athena clothes 2 Hephaistos golden crown life like animals in crown look like you can see them move a b artificial deceptive like woman 3 Only these 2 gods adorned Pandora because they re both craftsman maker gods 4 She s only given physical objects not qualities talents gifts in stories differ in kind c Hesiod terms woman a beautiful evil kalon kakon d woman unnamed no Pandora 1 She doesn t get gifts from all the gods e woman herself is source of evil no jar no Epimetheus V Myth of the Races in Hesiod s Works and Days a Hesiod s Works and Days 1 2 didactic moral farmer s almanac a Crops animals b What to do as a farmer c Works part 3 folk wisdom a b Days part 4 contains some myths 1 five races ages of people a Golden Race Olympians b Silver Race Olympians c Bronze Race Zeus d Race of Heroes Zeus e Iron Race Zeus Lucky unlucky days marriage conceiving child creation myth Myth of the Races creation of human beings b c Myth of the Races aka Myth of the Ages 2 Olympians create a and b 3 Zeus creates c d and e 4 Men and women apparently created at the same time 5 devolution of people Silver worse than Gold etc except race of heroes 6 7 Race of Heroes no decline doesn t fit Iron Race worst of all d Golden Race Olympians in time of Kronos king 1 2 paradisal peace and abundance 3 no aging death like sleep e Silver Race Olympians in time of Zeus king people as babies 100 years adults only briefly foolish won t honor gods 1 2 3 4 5 Zeus destroys them f Bronze Race Zeus 1 war like race from ash trees 2 kill each other off g Race of Heroes Zeus 1 heroes from Greek myth nobler than Bronze Race 2 3 some die at Troy others live on in Isles of Blessed paradise at ends of earth 4 h Iron Race Zeus our own race age 1 2 people will become utterly impious 3 4 Zeus will destroy race then when babies have grey hair at birth 1 2 i Myth of Races Near Eastern idea transposed onto Greek myth Race of Heroes does not fit a b c d e Heracles Achilles Odyseus etc real historical figures to Greeks ancestors of Greek aristocrats Last heros existed during the time of the trojan war myth ancient history VI Hesiod s Works and Days Why Life is Hard a Hesiod gives two explanations for why life is so hard 1 Pandora 2 Myth of the Races Ages a The iron race is inferior to all the races before it b We have devolved 3 explanations juxtaposed b contradictory explanations 1 Pandora men then women are created 2 Golden Race men and women created at the same time c cf creation myths in Genesis and JEDP Theory a Explains because a woman opened a jar and released all the evils JDEP if there are contradictions try to figure out the different sources 1 2 But Hesiod could be combining both stories to procide a fuller ciew
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