The myth of Pandora’s Box has always been one that has caught my attention. According to The Free Dictionary by Farlex, Pandora’s Box is defined as “a source of extensive but unforeseen troubles or problems,” (Pandora’s+box, Farlex). To me, it is very fascinating to think that one person, Pandora, can be responsible for majority of the evils in the world. Also the controversy between hope being a good thing or a bad thing catches my attention. These are some of the main reasons that I chose this myth to interpret. I enjoyed having the liberty to be creative and I found myself making connections and interpretations that I found to be interesting. However, deciding and creating the product was not effortless.
I chose to work with Cicely Wilson on creating the adaptation. With a vast number of myths to choose from, the decision was very difficult. We thought about interpreting a myth about Zeus or Poseidon but those ideas did not seem to attract to us as much as some others. However, after much contemplation and much discussion, I suggested the myth of Pandora’s Box of evils. Once we made the decision, we had to figure out to adapt it. We pondered and came up with some ideas, but nothing that caught our attention. I wanted to be original and creative. After thinking for a few days, a decent idea finally came to me. The central element of the myth is the box itself. I suggested my idea of recreating the box that Zeus gave to Pandora and creating a literal and physical adaptation of the myth. After finding our idea, the research and construction began.
One of the common interpretations of the myth is the biblical story of Adam and Eve. God gave Eve a command not to do something and she did it anyways. This adaptation does not really r...
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...ativity to do as we please. I feel that Cicely and I produced a product that the class enjoyed. I discovered many things about the myth that I didn’t know before. Also, I made modern connections to the myth that I would not have thought of unless I had to put a product together for it. I find that I am much more comfortable talking about this myth because I know so much more about it than I ever imagined I would.
Works Cited
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Morford, Mark P., Robert J. Lenardon, and Michael Sham. “Zeus’ Rise to Power: The Creation of Mortals.” Classical Mythology. 10th ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2001. N. pag. Print.
“Pandora’s+box.” The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
Harris, Stephen L., and Gloria Platzner. Classical Mythology: Images and Insights. 2nd ed. Mountain View: Mayfield, 1995
To this day, the story of Pandora fascinates human beings enough to survive in media and culture. However, the modern adaptations of the myth often deviate from the misogynist undertones of Hesiod’s original version. As retaliation for Prometheus stealing fire from Olympus and gifting it to humans, Zeus resolves to afflict mankind with misfortune in the form of Pandora. He instructs Hephaestus to mold a woman out of clay and water, and asks Athena and Aphrodite to give her “painful yearning and consuming obsession”, “a bitch’s mind and knavish nature” and “lies and wily pretenses” (Works and Days, 39). Pandora is given to the misguided and forgetful Epimetheus and, due to her curiosity, releases all the terrible things that trouble mankind. Only hope is left at the end, which becomes trapped in the jar when Pandora replaces the lid. Despite Hesiod’s conclusion that the story proves “there is no way to evade the purpose of Zeus” (Works and Days, 40), it is clear that Pandora taking the form of a woman with negative attributes carries its own, separate significance. Hesiod proves this in the following: “For from her [Pandora] is descended the female sex, a great affliction to mortals as they dwell with their husbands” (Theogony, 20). Hesiod believed that all women were descended from Pandora – a woman he described as being deceitful, troublesome and difficult. By
Greek Myths in Order of Publication. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1 1, 2010, from Storynory LTD: http://storynory.com/category/greek-myths/
From before the dawn of civilization as we know it, humanity has formed myths and legends to explain the natural world around them. Whether it is of Zeus and Hera or Izanami-no-Mikoto and Izanagi-no-mikoto, every civilization and culture upon this world has its own mythos. However, the age of myth is waning as it is overshadowed in this modern era by fundamental religion and empirical science. The word myth has come to connote blatant falsehood; however, it was not always so. Our myths have reflected both the society and values of the culture they are from. We have also reflected our inner psyche, conscious and unconscious, unto the fabric of our myths. This reflection allows us to understand ourselves and other cultures better. Throughout the eons of humanity’s existence, the myths explain natural phenomena and the cultural legends of the epic hero have reflected the foundations and the inner turmoil of the human psyche.
The second creation myth I will examine in this essay is of Greek origin and is known as The Five Ages of Man. This myth begins wit...
Rosenberg, Donna. "The Creation of the Titans and the Gods." World Mythology. 3rd ed. Chicago: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc., 1999. 82-89. Print.
Nothing can be more life changing than when a god chooses to interact with a mortal man. Much of Greek mythology describes the natures of these interactions. The Olympian Gods meddle with the mortals they rule over constantly, but what is the result for these interactions, and how do they impact the mortals? The question that this paper tries to address is what is the nature of these divine interaction, and how does each side truly perceive each other? The Gods and mortals interact in a variety of ways, but the true natures of these interactions truly describe how the ancient Greeks perceived their gods.
On the other hand, Zeus is a strong, albeit authoritarian leader for both the other gods and mortals. Zeus is required to rule, sometimes absolutely, and when someone under his rule commits an act of treason, he is required to address the issue. When Zeus the leader acts forcefully, the rest of those under his reign will get the message. Prometheus’s act of handing o...
Myths relate to events, conditions, and deeds of gods or superhuman beings that are outside ordinary human life and yet basics to it” ("Myth," 2012). Mythology is said to have two particular meanings, “the corpus of myths, and the study of the myths, of a particular area: Amerindian mythology, Egyptian mythology, and so on as well as the study of myth itself” ("Mythology," 1993). In contrast, while the term myth can be used in a variety of academic settings, its main purpose is to analyze different cultures and their ways of thinking. Within the academic setting, a myth is known as a fact and over time has been changed through the many different views within a society as an effort to answer the questions of human existence. The word myth in an academic context is used as “ancient narratives that attempt to answer the enduring and fundamental human questions: How did the universe and the world come to be? How did we come to be here? Who are we? What are our proper, necessary, or inescapable roles as we relate to one another and to the world at large? What should our values be? How should we behave? How should we not behave? What are the consequences of behaving and not behaving in such ways” (Leonard, 2004 p.1)? My definition of a myth is a collection of false ideas put together to create
According to Chaffey, Pandora was the first woman created by the gods. She was blessed with many gifts and was created by water and earth. In the interpretation of her name, “pan” means all and “dora” means gift. Pandora was given a large box or jar that was said to have contained all of the evils of the world within it. She was warned by the gods never to open the box, but her curiosity was too great. She gave in to temptation and opened the dreadful box. By doing so, she released all the terrible evils into the world. In both of these stories, there are some obvious differences, but there are some similarities as well. The two stories tell of the first women on earth and how they were tempted to complete a task they had been asked not to do. They both make a conscious decision to go against the instructions of their maker, and unleash evil into the
Hunt, J.M. "Greek Mythology Zeus Lovers." SDSU College of Education: Home Page. Web. 19 June 2011.
Grant, Michael, and John Hazel. "Athena." Gods and Mortals in Classical Mythology. Springfield, MA: G. & C. Merriam, 1973. Print.
The Idols of the Cave represent the illusions of the individual. Everyone has their own "cave" which alters their opinions differently, depending upon their...
The mythical event represents the Greek hero Oedipus confronted by the Sphinx outside the kingdom of Thebes. Oedipus must solve the Sphinx’s riddle in order to live. (Morford, Lenardon, and Sham 422). The painted image shows the fallen victims who previously tried and failed to answer the riddle correctly. The myth behind the painting starts with a son that was born to Queen Jocasta and King Laius of Thebes (Morford, Lenardon, and Sham 420). The oracle told King Laius that a child born to him would grow up, murder him, and marry his own mother. (Morford, Lenardon, and Sham 420). In order to avoid this fate, King Laius ordered the child to the elements on Mount Cithaeron with a spike through his ankles. (Morford, Lenardon, and Sham 420). A servant ordered with this request, felt sympathy for the child and left him with a Corinthian shepherd, who then presented the child to King