Long ago, before the gods ruled on Mount Olympus, before humans walked the earth, the Titans brought the world out of chaos. They were the children of Uranus, the sky, and Gaia, the earth. They ruled the world with benevolence, and lived among its oceans, fields, and mountains during a golden age. Cronus, the youngest, battled his father to become ruler of the Titans, and then, with his sister Rhea as his wife, he fathered many children. His mother had warned him, however, that his own son would one day overthrow him, just as he had defeated Uranus. So, as each of his children was born, he picked the baby up and swallowed the infant whole. Only his youngest son, Zeus, was saved, when Rhea tricked her husband by giving him a stone wrapped in a blanket to swallow instead.
Rhea sent Zeus away to the island of Crete, where he could grow up safely in secret. He was raised on goats' milk and honey and learned to be a fierce warrior. When Zeus was old enough, he returned to seek vengeance on his father. After a long and mighty struggle, he defeated Cronus and the many Titans who fought alongside him. Then he plunged his sword into his father's abdomen, sliced his belly open, and released his brothers and sisters.
Zeus became the king of the gods and ruled the Olympians. He condemned the defeated Titans to the underworld, but permitted those few who had not fought alongside Cronus to live at the foot of the mountain. Of these, the brothers Prometheus and Epimetheus were Zeus' favorites, and he allowed them many freedoms. Epimetheus was grateful and satisfied with his new life, but the clever Prometheus grew bored. The inventive Titan needed something to entertain him, so one day, he picked up a handful of clay and molded it into the shape of a man. Prometheus made many men, giving them each two legs, two arms, and five senses. Then Athena, the goddess of wisdom, breathed life into these shapes. Soon, the men learned to cook food, build homes, and survive on their own.
Zeus watched with a wary eye as these new beings flourished, but Prometheus was aware of his unease. To keep his creations safe from Zeus' wrath, he taught the men to worship the king of the gods, and he showed them how to build temples and sacrifice animals to the deities of Mount Olympus. For a long time, the men appeased Zeus with their reverence, but the quiet did not last. One night, the leader of the men came to Prometheus with a request. Men were hungry for the taste of meat, and Prometheus' visitor begged him to let them eat the sacrificial animals. Prometheus, who loved these beings very much, did not want to see them unhappy. So he told them to give him the animal for their next sacrifice. He took the meat and divided it into two piles: the first pile contained all the good meat, but covered by the animal's unappetizing stomach and innards; the second pile was only bones, hidden under a delectable layer of juicy fat. When Zeus came to judge which portion should be for the gods and which for the men, he chose, of course, the second pile. When he returned with it to Mount Olympus and discovered that he had been fooled, he burst into a rage. From his mountain peak, he sent thunderbolts and a fierce rain down onto the earth below.
Prometheus visited the men after the storm and was distraught to see them huddled together in misery. The men were cold and hungry. Prometheus asked Epimetheus to watch over his suffering creations and then, quickly and quietly, climbed to the top of Mount Olympus. At the summit, he snatched a bundle of burning branches from Zeus' hearth and hurried back down the mountain. He passed the god's fire to the men.
When Prometheus returned to his home at the base of Mount Olympus, he found the king of the gods blocking the way. Zeus grabbed Prometheus by the neck and lifted him high off the ground. Then he hurled the Titan into the underworld, calling on Hades, the god of the underworld, to punish Prometheus with an eternity of pain. Prometheus was chained to a tall rock, and every morning, a great eagle tore his liver from his body, only for it to grow back each night and be plucked out again the next day.
Epimetheus was devastated by his brother's punishment, but thankful to have escaped Zeus' retribution himself. Zeus, however, was plotting a very different sort of punishment for Epimetheus. First, Zeus paid a visit to the god of fire and forge, Hephaestus, and demanded that he create a mortal woman. Then, he asked his fellow gods and goddesses to adorn her with gifts. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, gave her the beauty to attract any man to her side; Athena gave her the skills she would need on earth; and Hermes, the messenger of the gods, gave her the power of speech. They named her Pandora. Her final gift came from Zeus: a sealed jar.
Prometheus had long warned his brother not to accept gifts from the gods, but when Zeus presented Pandora to him, Epimetheus was captivated by her beauty and eloquence. They were married within days, and the humans rejoiced at the favor Zeus had shown to their protector. Epimetheus asked Pandora about the jar, and she explained that Zeus had given her explicit instructions that the jar was to be admired but never opened. Epimetheus took the jar and placed it high on a shelf in his home, where he could look upon it fondly.
Pandora was beautiful and intelligent and loved to learn. She explored nearby mountains and discovered new herbs to grow in the garden. She read the tablets carved in the temples and understood the importance of sacrificing to the gods. She was always curious. So when she looked at the jar sitting on the shelf, she wondered what secrets it held. "What could be inside?" she asked herself. "Why did Zeus tell us never to open it?"
Pandora reached up and lifted the jar from its perch on the shelf. Holding it carefully in her hands, she carried it to a chair by the fireplace and sat down. Pandora knew she should not defy the wishes of Zeus and her husband, but her curiosity overwhelmed her. Slowly, she loosened the lid and lifted it just enough to peek inside. A great force rushed from the jar! In a thick, black cloud, all the evils of the world poured out: hatred, jealousy, fear, greed, and anger. Pandora quickly realized her mistake and slammed the lid back on the jar, trapping one last item inside.
Watching from Mount Olympus, Zeus smiled. His punishment was complete; humankind would be beset with strife and plagued by sorrow for all eternity. Pandora carefully replaced the jar on the shelf with its one treasure still inside. Inside the jar remained hope.