The following discussion will focus on the Greek mythology of Pandora a goddess created to bring punishment upon people for t

Title: Mythology 

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Introduction

Myths are so dominant and prevalent in almost all the cultures of the world. Usually a myth seeks to explain the origin of certain social phenomena. It is a set of statements that are not substantiated by facts but which are strongly held by the group members and they influence how people think and act. The following discussion will focus on the Greek mythology of Pandora a goddess created to bring punishment upon people for their disobedient.

Discussion

Pandora is said to be the first woman in Greece in the ancient times. The myth is a kind of theodicy for the fact that it seeks to explain the origin of evil in the world. Pandora had a number of meanings with some meaning the ‘endowed one’ of the ‘giver of all.’ She was the most beautiful creature that existed endowed with all the features that define beauty.

The myth begins by explaining that Pandora was created to bring punishment to men for the evil that they had committed. Apparently, Prometheus a representative of the human-kind is said to have stolen the secret fire from Zeus and give it to the mortal men. Zeus according to the Greek mythology was the god of the sky who is also said to oversee the whole universe. He had power over the other gods and therefore assigned them different roles.

Prometheus therefore was the originator of the evil and the man behind the reason why Pandora was created. Out of anger and the need for vengeance Zeus commanded his son Hephaestus who is said to have been lame to mould Pandora out of the earth. He was a great blacksmith and an expert in technology of that time. The other gods also joined in offering her the most seductive gifts.

Pandora’s myth has had many versions and many explanations according to the conceptualization of the different scholars. It is alleged that she was the giver of life hence the name ‘all giving.’ She was the symbol of fertility and min this, she had the power over productivity both in the human race and in agriculture. People looked to her to release blessings on their farms so that they would have enough to eat and to store. On the other hand, those that did not have children, believed that she was in a position to bless them to procreate. This is the reason she got the name of ‘giver’ and also adored by the Greeks.

Pandora is also said to own a jar that contained all the kinds of evils that befall on man. It included all the plagues, diseases and all kinds of depressions that cause instability in the lives of people. This tends to contradict what other scholars have tried to explain that she was the representative of good. However, this is consistent with the initial objective of her creation by Zeus. As it was explained before, her main duty was to bring punishment upon men for their disobedient to the gods.

She therefore had power to control all the stress causing agents in the whole land of Greece. For instance, when people did wrong, she had the prerogative to withhold the rains and this exposed the people to drought and famine. She also brought sicknesses to the people that claimed the lives of the children, the young and the old people.

The myth therefore can be said to be an explanation of why different catastrophes attacked the people. Pandora was a representative of the god Zeus on earth and she was supposed to administer punishment to the society for the failure to obey the stipulated rules and secondly as a vengeance for the original sin committed by Prometheus.

The jar of evil that Pandora held is however said to have contained what has been referred to as elpis. This is a Greek meaning for hope. Though the jar meant wrath for the people, there was a sigh of relief due to the presence of hope that was present there. This was great to people as it offered a second chance to them even after they underwent difficult moments of punishments. They would remain optimistic that life would be better because of the hope that they were assured of in the jar as it is said, ‘Hope is the only good god remaining among mankind; the others have left and gone to Olympus.’ (Hesiod 96-99).

The myth continue to explain that people had lost the respect for the gods and in all their activities, they demonstrated denial for their power, ‘Men’s judicial oaths are no longer to be trusted, nor does anyone revere the immortal gods; the race of pious men has perished,’ (Hesiod 100). This sheds some light that the main reason for the creation of Pandora is to bring punishment to the people for their disobedient to the gods. The negative sanctions were meant to control the code of conduct of the people and cause them to honor the gods.

What ‘hope’ means for the people is not known according to Hesiod (103). It is thought that hope could represent either evil or good although many interpretations explain that it represented a relief for people. However, everything was predetermined and men had no control of the events that were to befall them, ‘Thus it is not possible to escape the mind of Zeus.’(Hesiod 105). No matter what people did, they could not escape the wrath of the gods and therefore they were obliged to follow all the rules governing their behavior.

The myth therefore can be said to offer an explanation as to why there are so much social problems. Many natural catastrophes such as the earthquakes and famine can be attributed to the explanation of Pandora’s myth. It can however be viewed as a way of letting people become conscious of their evil acts by making them believe that it is because of their sins that they faced the disasters. This would make them transform and behave well so that they would receive the blessings that were contained in the ‘hope’. The gods were out to maintain social harmony and to see to it that people led pure lives and therefore they had to device ways to consolidate the society and remind them of their obligations through punishments.

Conclusion

A myth is an explanation of the origin of particular beliefs strongly held by certain groups of people in the society. These values define that particular group, and set them apart from any other. It also serves the purpose of giving the community their identity and also regulates their behaviors due to the expected implications.

References

Jeffrey M. Hurwit, “Beautiful Evil: Pandora and the Athena Parthenos” American Journal of Archaeology. p. 177. 1999

Hesiod, Works and days http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hes.+WD+1&redirect=true

Eric A. Kimmel, Pep Montserrat: The McElderry Book of Greek Myths M.K. McElderry Books, 2008