Video: "Pandora's Box" - what is the meaning and origin of this meaning?
2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55
What secrets did the ominous box hide, and why could it not be opened? When Should You Use the Expression "Pandora's Box"? What is meant by this phrase? To get an answer to these questions, you need to find out the history of the origin of the phraseological unit. The myths of Ancient Greece will help us.
An ancient legend tells of the beautiful young maiden Pandora, whose curiosity almost ruined the entire human race.
"Pandora" - painting by J. William Waterhouse, 1896
As punishment for Prometheus, who taught people to use fire, the enraged Zeus doomed the titan to eternal suffering. By order of the lord of Olympus, his servants seized and chained Prometheus to one of the Caucasus mountains. For saving mankind from disasters and misfortunes, for teaching people various crafts, the titan had to pay severely: every day an eagle flew up to the cliff, he tore into small pieces the liver of Prometheus, which grew back in the morning.
The next day, the torment was repeated again. Only several centuries later, Hercules, with the permission of Zeus, managed to free the titan. However, the supreme god of Olympus was never able to forgive humanity. In retaliation for the knowledge he gained, he decided to send down evil and misfortune to people.
"Prometheus Brings Fire to People", Heinrich Fueger, 1817
At the request of Zeus, the gods created an incredibly beautiful girl named Pandora, who was supposed to cause human disaster. From mixed water and earth, the blacksmith Hephaestus fashioned a maiden. Pallas Athena herself worked on creating clothes for Pandora.
Endowed with a divine appearance, intelligence, charming voice, the girl was taught love tricks. Aphrodite herself gave her advice on seducing men. Pandora's only drawback is the curiosity that her Olympic inhabitants deliberately bestowed.
According to Zeus's plan, the maiden was released to earth, where she was introduced to Epitemeus, the short-sighted and stupid brother of Prometheus. Thanks to her beauty and cunning, Pandora managed to seduce him. Despite all the warnings of the titan, who many times warned his brother about the treachery of the Olympians, Epitemeus surrendered to the spell of Pandora, begged her to become his wife. The girl agreed and soon became a full-fledged mistress of the house.
Pandora Crowned by the Seasons by William Etty, 1824
Bringing harmony to the new possessions, Pandora carefully examined everything around. Epitemeus' wife ended up in the basement, where she saw a huge chest. A heavy lid hid its contents. Curiosity haunted the girl, she wanted to find out what was stored in the box. With this question she turned to her husband. Epitemeus himself did not know what was hidden there. He only knew that under no circumstances should the chest be opened.
He gave such an order to his beloved. Not listening to her husband's warnings, Pandora was again in the basement. With great effort, she pushed aside the massive lid of the box a little. Wars, diseases and many other misfortunes, imprisoned by Zeus in this box, immediately flew out of a small gap. They instantly spread across the land. Only one hope was not released by the frightened girl, having managed to slam the lid of the casket.
"Pandora Opens the Box," Frederick Stuart Church, 19th century.
Pandora did not know about the insidious plans of Zeus, and her husband did not know about it either. The gods used the maiden to carry out evil designs. Pandora's curiosity played a cruel joke on people. The cunning Olympians specially awarded this quality to the girl. Having released all misfortunes to freedom, she doomed humanity to suffering and death.
As you can see, the expression "Pandora's Box" is used in a negative sense. This is what they say about a threatening subject. "Open Pandora's box" - to commit imprudent actions that will lead to irreversible bad consequences.
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