Pandora

 According to Greek Mythology, Pandora was the very first woman created by the gods. She was formed from clay by the smith god Hephaestus under the direction of Zeus. Zeus was angry at the Titan god Prometheus for providing kindness and protection to man (Zeus felt men needed to be dealt with sternly). Prometheus performed the ultimate act of betrayal when he stole fire from Olympus and gave it to man for his benefit. Pandora was Zeus’s revenge. She was fashioned into a mortal woman whose purpose was to unleash evil into the world. Once created, the goddess of wisdom, Athena, breathed life into Pandora, and Aphrodite gave her the gift of beauty. Hermes, the quick-witted messenger god, taught her cunning. Apropos, the name Pandora comes from the Greek elements παν (pan) meaning “all” and δωρον (doron) meaning “gift” because she was the embodiment of “all the gifts” bestowed upon her by the gods. Zeus then gave Pandora to Epimetheus to be his wife (Epimetheus was the gullible brother of Prometheus).  Prometheus tried to warn his brother, but despite this Epimetheus married her anyway. Zeus had also prepared a marriage gift for the newlyweds – a sealed jar – which, upon opening, released all the evils into the world that would beset mankind forevermore (troubles such as sickness, madness, old age, labor, vice, depravity, etc.).  Fortunately, though, the very bottom of the jar contained hope.  Other versions of the story have Pandora opening the jar because her curiosity gets the best of her (similar to the story of Eve eating the forbidden fruit). Oh yah, let's keep blaming it on the ladies.