56G Background Story

BACKGROUND STORY

of The Fatal Temptation: Pandora's Box

When Zeus, the king of the Olympian gods, was young and trying to establish his rule, he was challenged by a group of ferocious Titans, who tried to keep him from gaining power. A long and terrible war ensued, with all the Olympian gods united against the Titans, who were led by Cronus and Atlas.

After ten years of fighting, and with the help of the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires, Zeus and his fellow Olympians defeated the Titans. Only a few Titans, including Themis, Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus, fought on the side of Zeus - against their fellow Titans - and once Zeus won, he rewarded them.

But soon Prometheus made Zeus furious by stealing fire from Mount Olympus and giving it to the race of mortal men living on earth, who were cold and hungry. Zeus had warned Prometheus not to give fire to men, and was outraged that anyone had the nerve to ignore his command.

Still, he would seem ungrateful if he appeared to forget the important role that Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus had played in the war against the Titans, and he couldn't just kill the brothers, so he cunningly devised a scheme to wreak havoc on them.

In revenge, Zeus ordered Hephaestus, the God of Smiths, to craft a gorgeous woman out of earth and water. The beautiful Goddess of Love, Aphrodite, was asked to pose as a model, just to make sure the woman was perfect. Once this was done, the Four Winds breathed life into her and there she lay sleeping, a beauty of unearthly proportions.

The first mortal woman on earth was to be bestowed with unparalleled charm and beauty, and her unknown mission would be to bring mischief and misery upon the human race. Zeus then summoned the other Olympians and asked them each to give this new creation a gift.

Aphrodite adorned her with beauty, grace and desire; Hermes, the Messenger God, gave her cunning and boldness; Demeter showed her how to tend a garden; Athena taught her manual dexterity and to spin; Apollo taught her to sing sweetly and play the lyre; Poseidon's gift was a pearl necklace and the God of the Sea promised her that she would never drown. But Zeus also made her foolish, mischievous and idle. This was the first woman, divine in appearance but quite human in reality.

The gods called her Pandora, which means "All-gifted", or "The gift of all", because each god had given her a power by which she would work the ruin of man, and because of the many presents bestowed upon her at Olympus.

Pandora was created to become the wife of the Titan Epimetheus, who was the brother of Prometheus, the one who had defied Zeus. Before sending her to earth, the gods held a big banquet and Hermes, the Messenger God, presented Pandora with a magnificent box, adorned with wonderful images. But Hermes warned Pandora that she must never open the box.

However, Hera, the wife of Zeus, bestowed upon her the gift, or in her case, the curse of curiosity to torment her endlessly.

When Pandora was finally brought out and shown to the gods, resplendent in all the finery she had received, great amazement and wonder took hold of them, such was the effect of her beauty...

Prometheus had warned his brother Epimetheus never to accept any gift from Zeus, knowing that the king of the Olympians bore a heavy grudge against him. However, Hermes took her by the hand and escorted Pandora down to earth, safely guiding her down the slope of Mount Olympus. When the Messenger God delivered her before Epimetheus, the foolish Titan was overwhelmed by her exquisite beauty. Pandora was to be his wife.

Epimetheus, instantly forgetting his wiser brother's admonitions, eagerly accepted the lovely gift from Zeus and made her his wife. Pandora settled into their large home and took on the wifely duties, baking and spinning and tending the garden. She thought herself the happiest bride in the world as she played melodious tunes on the lyre and joyfully danced for her new husband.

But Pandora daily was tortured by curiosity. She yearned to open her beautiful box, yet deep inside her, Pandora knew that her promise must not be broken.

Hera's gift, curiosity, was like a cruel curse. Pandora wondered what the box contained. Her imagination created intriguing scenarios, for the box was so beautiful on the outside, how could it not hold exquisite treasures inside?

Her better sense finally overcame her ardent curiosity and she removed the box from the table and concealed it in a dusty hidden storeroom. This made matters worse - she found herself walking by the storeroom and pausing at the doorway, as if the mysterious golden box was calling to her. Sometimes she would enter the room and hold the box for a guilty moment, then rush out and lock the door.

Desperate, Pandora took the box and locked it inside a heavy wooden chest. She placed chains around the chest, dug a hole, and buried it in her garden. With great effort she rolled a huge boulder on top of the "grave", determined to forget all about this object of her obsession.

She couldn't sleep that night. No matter how she tried, her thoughts kept returning to the buried golden box. She put on her robe and went out to the garden. As if in a trance, Pandora found herself drawn to the boulder. She reached out and touched the stone and like magic it moved, revealing the hole. She dismissed the incident as a sign from the gods that allowed her to open the box.

Pandora wanted to obey the command of the gods, such was her honest nature, but at last she could no longer contain her curiosity. Taking the little golden key from around her neck, she fitted it into the keyhole and gently opened the box.

No sooner had Pandora opened the box, that she realized her mistake. A foul smell filled the air and she heard swarming and rustling inside. In horror she slammed the lid shut, but alas, it was too late as the evils inside were already unleashed.

The vindictive gods had each put something harmful inside the box. All the plagues and sorrows known to humanity were released once Pandora opened the jar. Old Age, Sickness, Insanity, Pestilence, Vice, Passion, Greed, Crime, Death, Theft, Lies, Jealousy, Famine and all other unspeakable evils were unleashed into the mortal world.

The evils brought pain, pestilence and suffering to every mortal, and life became as what we know now. Death became the ultimate fate of all mortals, and all may succumb to greed, lust, sickness and the likes of them. A black shadow was thus cast onto the life of mortals.

Woe was Pandora. The poor girl was terror-stricken at what she had caused, and at this unexpected eruption of evil. But just as she thought all was lost, one little Sprite, a solitary good thing, hidden at the bottom of the jar, flew out. It was Hope! Deep down inside the hateful box was the only thing that has sustained humanity in times of sorrow, pain and misery - Hope. The endless Hope that ensures things will soon get better. And it's this Hope that keeps us going to this very day, our sole comfort in times of misfortune.

Pandora was not to be blamed, as all resistance would be folly against the will of the gods. Yet, she brought hope to us all, and it is during the moments when we stand together during times of strife that hope will ensure our perseverance. During these moments, only do we truly understand the meaning of life and appreciate its unparalleled beauty. Welcome to our function, where we celebrate the gift of Pandora to humankind --- Hope.

THE FATAL TEMPTATION: PANDORA’S BOX