Cox, George - Aryan Mythology Vol 2.pdf

THE MYTH OF PANDORA. 209
Hermes gave lier the mind of a dog, to cozen, deceive, and CHAP,
ruin those with whom she might come in contact. The .
maiden, thus arrayed, is brought to Epimetheus, and pre-
sented to him under the name Pandora, the gift of all the
gods. 1 Thus was woman brought to man; and the poet of
the Theogony only adds that through woman man was
speedily plunged into woe irremediable. The author of the
Works and Days gives the reasons in detail. In the keep-
ing of Epimetheus was a fatal jar, whose cover could
not be lifted without grievous consequences to mankind.
Pandora of course raises the lid, and a thousand evils are
let loose. Thus far men had been plagued by no diseases :
now the air was filled with the seeds of sickness which every
where produced their baneful fruit ; and the only possible
alleviation of their woe was rendered impossible by the
shutting up of Hope, which alone remained a prisoner within
the cask when Pandora in her terror hastily replaced the
cover. 2 Here manifestly we have an account of the origin
of evil which is altogether at variance with the true Promethean
legend. The disaster thus caused by Pandora
occurs long after the theft of the fire from Olympos, and
at a time when Prometheus was paying the penalty for his
offence. But in the version given by iEschylos Prometheus
mentions, as one of his reasons for wishing to bestow on
men the boon of fire, the crowd of diseases and j)lagues
which they were unable either to mitigate or to cure.
The reconciliation of these two myths, thus sprung from
two different lines of thought, is an impossibility. But the
Hesiodic legend is indeed inconsistent throughout. The
1 In another and a more probable Pandora, he says, does not in Hesiod
tradition Pandora is an epithet of Graia, ' bring with her the cask .... The
the bountiful earth, lavish of her gifts case is analogous to that of the closed
to all her children : it would thus bag of unfavourable winds which iEolus
answer to the phrase ScoTwp 4da>v. gives into the hands of Odysseus, and
2 The opinion that Hope was left a which the guilty companions of the
prisoner out of mercy to men seems un- latter force open, to the entire ruin of
tenable. The genuineness of the line his hopes .... The diseases and
in which Zeus bids Pandora replace the evils are inoperative so long as they
lid is very doubtful, while the whole remain shut up in the cask : the same
legend assuredly represents Zeus as in- mischief-making which lets them out to
exorably hostile to men, and hence as their calamitous work takes care that
most unlikely to interfere in their be- Hope shall still continue a powerless
half. In Mr. Grote's opinion the point prisoner in the inside.' Hist. Gr. i.
is one which does not admit of question. 104.
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