Pandora’s box

Long time ago when the gods used to eat, have sex and quarrel with each other, there lived Zeus and Prometheus. Zeus, the king of the gods, was not pleasant. He was often angry and vengeful. Prometheus, on the other hand was a likeable deity. He created mortal men out of clay. He used to like humans and could often defy the gods to the benefit of mortal men.  

At one time when mortal men were settling accounts with the gods, Prometheus tricked Zeus by offering him bones instead of fat meat as a sacrifice. After slaughtering a bull, He covered the edible meat with unattractive tripe (matumbo) and covered the unpalatable bones with glistening fat. They agreed that whatever Zeus would pick would be is portion from mortal men. Zeus fell for the trick and chose the glistening fat. He ended up chewing bones while mankind ate the fat meat. That’s why we only give ten percent to God and chew the rest. We should thank Prometheus.

But Prometheus crossed the red line when he stole fire from the gods and brought it among mortal men. As punishment for gifting men with fire, Zeus bound Prometheus on a rock with inescapable shackles and then sent a giant eagle to devour his liver. But Prometheus liver always grew back and was restored whenever the eagle ate it.

Now, Zeus also contrived evil for men. Through his goddess daughter, Athena, Zeus made a beautiful creature, a temptress from whom men could not escape. Her name was Pandora. The first woman.

Pandora was sent as a gift to Epimetheus, Prometheus brother who lived among mortal men, and with her she also carried a box (more like a jar) which she was warned by Zeus not to open.

When Epimetheus saw Pandora, he went gaga. Just like Adam did when he saw Eve. Despite being warned by Prometheus not to accept any gift from Zeus, he took in Pandora, with her box.  And they lived happily.

But there was still the little matter of the box that was not supposed to be opened. Pandora could not get her mind off the box. Like Eve, who could not resist the urge to eat the fruit of the middle tree, curiosity got the better of Pandora. You know how the story with beautiful blondes ends. Tears.

One day, Pandora opened the box and out came several evil spirits: sorrow, pain, disease, toil, death and all manner of corruption that afflicts human beings.  

But Pandora managed to close the box before one spirit could come out.

Hope.

Life is life

Fabio