Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Percy Jackson Re-read: Final Mythology Wednesday!

Hi all! So this is it: the final week of our Percy Jackson re-read...

This week, my topic is Pandora's Pithos!

Pandora's Pithos

This is sometimes called Pandora's box or Pandora's jar. The story goes that Pandora was the first female created, and was given as a gift to Epimetheus from the gods. The gods also gave Pandora a pithos, with strict orders to never open it. But curiosity was a killer, and she opened it.

There are a few variations on what Pandora released into the world. Some tales say that she released monsters and overall general evilness to the world. In that version, Pandora releasing evil into the world was used as a form of punishment for Prometheus, as he helped humans. Other tales say that Pandora released all the gifts intended for mankind, leaving them with nothing spectacular but their own bodies.

Regardless, the one consistent thing that wasn't released was the Elpis, the spirit of hope. Hope stayed in the pithos, and which can be taken in tons of symbolic gestures, but the overall message is that hope is a lot stronger than we have a tendency to give it credit for. 

And that's it! Hope you guys enjoyed these past few weeks of mythology, and don't forget to check out Caroline's blog for some equally cool stuff this final week!

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11 comments:

  1. Just Another Bookish BlogNovember 4, 2015 at 12:38 PM

    I love this myth so much c: Nice telling!
    I’m working on mine now! I’m sorry I just got home from the lab, I’ve been there for the past 10 hours...
    I”m gonig to miss these Wednesdays!

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    1. ErikaNovember 4, 2015 at 9:02 PM

      Thanks! Yes, I'm going to miss our mythology Wednesdays too. They've been so fun!

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    2. Just Another Bookish BlogNovember 5, 2015 at 10:09 AM

      Yess! (I should probably start reading TLO now, though... ^-^)

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  2. UnknownNovember 4, 2015 at 4:20 PM

    I've read a lot of Greek myths and this one in particular stays close to my heart. I think it's a very nice reminder not to give up in the darkest of times. Thank you for sharing! I can't wait to read more! :)

    -Megan, Books of Fascination

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    1. ErikaNovember 4, 2015 at 9:03 PM

      I completely agree! This story really shows how powerful hope can be. It's something that we all should think about more often, no?

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  3. The Butterfly ReaderNovember 5, 2015 at 4:54 PM

    This myth is one of my favorites <3

    Carrie @The Book Goddess

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  4. AnonymousNovember 6, 2015 at 12:07 AM

    Greek mythology is as fascinating as it is mysterious. Pandora's box never grows old.

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    1. ErikaNovember 6, 2015 at 12:28 PM

      Agreed! It's one of those myths that just renews your hope for humanity!

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  5. KonnaNovember 6, 2015 at 5:12 AM

    I have a thing for mythology and folklore and since I am from Greece I grew up with all these! I remember that I had a lot of picture books with myths from ancient Greece and Pandora's box was included :D

    Aeriko @ The Reading Armchair

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    1. ErikaNovember 6, 2015 at 12:29 PM

      Oh whoa! I wish I had Greek mythology books when I was growing up as a child.

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