Hope and Pandora's Box Re: Pullman is Lockhart

[Kia]

No: HPFGUIDX 60469

Joanne wrote:

>IIRC, Hope was the last michievous sprite to emerge from 
>Pandora's box when it was opened. Which says a lot about the 
>ancients' opinion of it; it doesn't look like they considered it a 
>strength or virtue, but rather focused
>on its power to enable people to deceive themselves endlessly 
>in the face of the facts.

I never have heard this interpretation of the Pandora's Box myth 
before, what I heard is this encarta.com entry:


"Pandora (mythological figure),
in Greek mythology, first woman on earth, created by the god 
Hephaestus at the request of the god Zeus. Zeus wished to 
counteract the blessing of fire, which had been stolen from the 
gods by the Titan Prometheus and given to human beings. 
Endowed by the gods with every attribute of beauty and 
goodness, Pandora was sent to Epimetheus, who was happy to 
have her for his wife, although he had been warned by his 
brother Prometheus never to accept anything from Zeus. In 
bestowing their gifts on Pandora, the gods had given her a box, 
warning her never to open it. Her curiosity finally overcame her, 
however, and she opened the mysterious box, from which flew 
innumerable plagues for the body and sorrows for the mind. In 
terror, she tried to shut the box, but only Hope, the one good 
thing among many evils the box had contained, remained to 
comfort humanity in its misfortunes. In another legend, the box 
contained blessings that would have been preserved if Pandora 
had not allowed them to escape."

and this thesaurus (http://www.bartleby.com/110/858.html) entry 
for hope:

RAY OF HOPE; beam -, gleam -, glimmer -, dawn -, flash -, star- 
of hope; cheer; bit of blue sky, silver lining of the cloud, bottom
of 
Pandora's box, 
(This pre-Christian quotation can be found in the same entry: 1.	
Nil desperandum.—Horace)

and his alternative re-telling of the Pandora tale

Pandora - in Greek mythology, first woman on earth. Zeus 
ordered Hephaestus to create her as vengeance upon man and 
his benefactor, Prometheus. The gods endowed her with every 
charm, together with curiosity and deceit. Zeus sent her as a wife 
to Epimetheus and gave her a box that he forbade her to open. 
Despite Prometheus' warnings, Epimetheus allowed her to 
open the box and let out all the evils that have since afflicted 
man. Hope alone remained inside the box.

(Columbia Encyclopedia - 
http://www.bartleby.com/65/pa/Pandora.html)

Another re-telling of the myth by Bulfinch :

The first woman was named Pandora. She was made in 
heaven, every god contributing something to perfect her. Venus 
gave her beauty, Mercury persuasion, Apollo music, etc. Thus 
equipped, she was conveyed to earth, and presented to 
Epimetheus, who gladly accepted her, though cautioned by his 
brother to beware of Jupiter and his gifts. Epimetheus had in his 
house a jar, in which were kept certain noxious articles, for 
which, in fitting man for his new abode, he had had no occasion. 
Pandora was seized with an eager curiosity to know what this jar 
contained; and one day she slipped off the cover and looked in. 
Forthwith there escaped a multitude of plagues for hapless 
man,—such as gout, rheumatism, and colic for his body, and 
envy, spite, and revenge for his mind,—and scattered 
themselves far and wide. Pandora hastened to replace the lid! 
but, alas! the whole contents of the jar had escaped, one thing 
only excepted, which lay at the bottom, and that was hope. So we 
see at this day, whatever evils are abroad, hope never entirely 
leaves us; and while we have that, no amount of other ills can 
make us completely wretched.

(Thomas Bulfinch  Age of Fable: Vols. I & II: Stories of Gods and 
Heroes )


What do have all these interpretation of Pandora's Box in 
common?

Everytime an author mentions the role of hope in the myth of 
Pandora's Box it is described as positive. There is no single 
re-telling of the myth that mentions hope and put it into the 
negative light. Neither I can recount any Greek or Roman author 
who proposed Hope as negative. If hope had been perceived as 
a bad thing in pre-Christian times and non-Christian cultures, 
Homer wouldn't have send his Ulysess on a ten-year journey in 
the hope of coming back home. Ulysess would have given up 
after a three months and settled somewhere nice.

Nil desperandum.


Kia

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Credula vitam spes fovet et melius cras fore semper dicit - 
Credulous hope supports our life, and always says that 
tomorrow will be better. (Tibullus)

Dum spiro, spero - While I breathe, I hope. (Cicero)

Spemque metumque inter dubiis - Hover between hope and 
fear. (Vergil)

Dum vita est spes est - While there is life there is hope. (Cicero)