Pandora's Box

Pandora's Box

This story is from Greek mythology, and has given rise to the idiom ‘to open a Pandora’s box.’

Epimetheus and his brother, Prometheus, lived on earth a long time ago. They were kind men and Prometheus helped people learn how to create fire. This got them in trouble with Zeus, the king of the gods, who did not want people to know how to do this.

To punish the brothers for this Zeus had a beautiful woman created by a man called Hephaestus. This woman was called Pandora, and she was sent to earth to meet the brothers. She was very charming and Epimetheus fell in love with her and married her.

As a wedding gift Zeus sent Epimetheus a box. This box came with a message from the gods that it was never to be opened. The gods were hoping that Epimetheus would be too curios to leave the box unopened. However, it was Pandora who was most curious and one day she could wait no longer and opened the box.

Pandora had imagined that there would be great riches in the box but when she opened it all that was in there were some moths. These moths represented all the awful things in the world and Pandora had let them all loose. She closed the box as quickly as she could but it was too late.

When her husband returned, she told him what she had done and opened the box to show him. There was one small moth left in the box which was ‘hope’ and they released this into the world too.

As you might have guessed by this time, the idiom ‘to open a Pandora’s box’ means ‘to unleash a lot of unforeseen problems’. A modern version of this idiom is ‘to open a can of worms’.

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Pandora's Box - Takeaway for Class 1,2,3

Always remember to think before you act, just like Pandora should have!

Pandora's Box - Takeaway for Class 4,5,6

Be careful when curiosity leads you to explore the unknown, as the consequences may be greater than you expect.

Pandora's Box - Takeaway for Class 7,8,9

Be careful about giving in to curiosity and always think before acting.

3 Fun Facts

• Pandora's Box is a famous Greek myth about a woman named Pandora who opens a box given to her by the gods, releasing all the evils of the world except for one - hope.
• In some versions of the story, Pandora is depicted as a curious woman who couldn't resist opening the box despite being warned not to do so.
• The myth of Pandora's Box serves as a reminder of the consequences of curiosity and the importance of hope in challenging times.

Quiz for Class 1,2,3

• What did Pandora find inside the beautifully crafted box she was given as a gift?
• Why did Pandora open the box even though she was warned not to?
• What flew out of the box when Pandora opened it, spreading trouble and sadness all over the world?

Quiz for Class 4,5,6

• What did Pandora find inside the beautiful box given to her as a gift?
• How did Hope manage to emerge from Pandora's box?
• How did the story of Pandora's box teach us a valuable lesson about curiosity and consequences?

Quiz for Class 7,8,9

• What did Pandora find inside the beautiful box given to her as a gift?
• How did Hope manage to emerge from Pandora's box?
• How did the story of Pandora's box teach us a valuable lesson about curiosity and consequences?