Pandora's Box

In the beginning, the gods and goddesses existed in ethereal forms, chasing each other around the stars. There were no planets or moons, just stars sparkling in the endless velvet black of space. Soon they became bored with chasing each other and began to move the stars around. Sending some flying out to wander forever in space, others to collide and explode or combine with other stars. Eventually, this too became boring. Gaea was the oldest, and because of this, she grew bored of the antics around her first. Gaea asked her sibling gods and goddesses to help her become something other than a ethereal form. Her siblings agreed, because they too were curious, and because it was something they hadn’t done yet, if it was even possible.

In the end, she became the earth. Her ethereal form heated up and became molten, as she danced around a star as her metamorphosis took place. Slow she rounded out, and her surface became cooler and hardened.

Soon she felt a longing to be more, and spoke with her siblings again. So together they created a mountain upon her, and chose to live upon her, so she would not be lonely. After a millennia this was no longer good enough, and again she spoke to her siblings. Again they all thought long and hard and talked in great length with Gaea. Then with her help, they created streams, rivers, lake and seas. To separate these they made land with hills, valleys, mountains, caves, and other things above the waters.

Another millennia or so came and went, and again Gaea got a craving for more and spoke to her siblings. Again they talked amongst themselves and spoke to Gaea together, as well as individually. Again they came up with a solution. Grass was made to cover the land, with flowers and bushes and tress. In the waters of the world, algae, seaweed, kelps, and coral were created. Still this was not enough for Gaea, and she told this to her siblings. So they came up with the ideas of fish, reptiles, animals, insects and more. But on this none could agree what they should look like, so they took their problem to Gaea. She loved the idea, and had an idea of her own.

“What if you make them all.” She suggested.

“But how, we can’t agree on what they should look like,” They replied back to her. Then something that had never happened did, the mountains rumbled with laughter, and streams and rivers giggled, as Gaea’s laughter broke free.

“That’s the beauty of it my siblings, I want you all to create your creatures, just how you alone think they should look. Then I will have many beautiful things upon me, gifts from my family.” She sighed into space, ”Then no matter where you go, I’ll never be alone.” All broke into delighted laughter and began their own individual projects, each creating animals and insects and such out their own creation. Sometimes borrowing an idea from a sibling or expanding upon it. This of course caused no shortage of fights, arguments and rivalry. Gaea was the one they inevitably came to with their disputes, and she settled then in a manner that all felt was fair. And so she became like a mother to them.

Many Millennia later, and Gaea’s body was full of life of every sort imaginable. Birds of every color sang in the trees, fish of every shape and color swam in the seas, dragons ruled the skies, and unicorns ruled the meadows. The world was a beautiful, magical, peaceful place. Nothing ever died, nothing killed anything else, death and suffering did not exist.

And as in the past, Gaea came to her siblings again and told them that again she needed more, that there was an emptiness to her, something that needed to be fulfilled. And so the gods decided to create man. They created him in their image, and gave unto him emotions mirroring those similar to their own. As Gaea and her sister Goddesses watched the gods, they came to the idea that they would make woman, in their image as man was made in gods. And so Gaea gave some of her flesh to make the body, and as the woman came nearer to completion, the gods took note. After man was created, woman was still not quite finished, and the gods wished to help. Upon completion each god and goddess gave unto her a gift.

Hermes held her in his arms and named her Πανδώρα., and as life came into her limbs, he kissed her lips and gave her speech, so that she could commune with the creatures on Gaea, and the Gods and Goddesses. Athena approached and touched the brow of woman, and gave to her knowledge, wisdom, and intellegence. From Aphrodite is given the gift of grace and beauty. Zeus gifted her with magic, and Artemis gave the ability to track things long distances, and the ability to see clearly in the dark. From Hera she was given the ability to communicate with animals and the ability to shape-shift.

During this time as the gods and goddesses each gave her one or more gifts, the Others slipped nearer.

Before Life completely suffused her body, before a soul was breathed into her, and before the gods and goddesses were finished gifting her, a voice called out unto them: “Brothers, sisters, why were we not invited to partake in your creations? Have you forgotten us? Why were we not called upon to help create and gift these things that mock our appearances?” The voice was full of sarcasm and disgust. As one they all turned to face their other siblings, the ones who stayed apart from them. “We wish to partake of this game, this place here.”

Because there was nothing they could do the gods and goddesses allowed their brethren to approach the world, their sister Gaea. Death, Hatred, Disease, Pestilence, Plague, Anger, and the rest descended hungrily upon Gaea and her creatures. Because Gaea had become so attached to her creatures, her trees, and bushes, rivers and seas, where the Others touched, it brought her pain. As Death came into the world Gaea could feel each death like it was her own, each hurt and pain, all the suffering of her creatures. Her brothers and sisters stood stunned at the impossible, a goddess was dying, and being fed upon by brethren, and the Others were gaining in power, dangerously so.

As Gaea was being ravaged they had to come up with a plan. Even in her pain, Gaea knew the answer, and so she spoke to them, “Take from me some clay from my body, shape it into an urn and heat it hard in the star I dance around, when that is done place a tear from each of you inside, and trick the others into it, then hide it somewhere upon my body. It will not trap them, but it will prevent them from ever being able to manifest in physical form upon me again. As long as their essence stays trapped in the urn their influence will be greatly reduced on my creatures and myself, but what they have already accomplished we cannot undo. Do this and hurry before it is too late!” Hearing this they rushed to accomplish the task set out to them. When the urn was finished Aries and Athena were chosen to descend to Gaea and trick the Others into going inside.

They devised a plan, and together they placed the thing that the others most desired to consume, Hope, at the very bottom of the urn. Once they set foot upon Gaea the others clustered around them whispering.

“What is that there brother and sister?”

“That delicious smell, what is it?”

“Have you brought us a gift? Do you wish to join us in our feast,” they whispered.

“Yes, we have brought you a gift, but we have not been able to bring it out. Maybe you could get it, and then we shall feast,” said Athena to them. The others crowded closer, rubbing against each other creating an eerie rustling.

“Open it and we shall get this gift,” they urged in many voices. And so Aries set the urn upon the ground and opened the lid. For a moment that worried the god and goddess nothing happened, and then in a single mass they crowded into the jar seeking Hope. Aries slammed the lid down, but not before hope slipped out. Terrible screams came from the urn.

“You tricked us!” the muffled cry came. Ignoring this, they found a deep cave and hid the urn before returning to watch Man and Woman come to life.

“We will make this man and this woman Guardians of the Urn when the time is right,” the gods and goddesses agreed.

In the beginning my name was : Πανδώρα. In ancient greek it means πᾶν “all” and δῶρον “gift”, thus my name means “giver of all” or “all-endowed”. I was the first woman, and still am. Oh, for those of you who don’t read or understand ancient Greek, Πανδώρα in the modern tongue is Pandora. Yup, that’s me. And no, I didn’t open that damn box, contrary to modern beliefs. Actually I closed it. No, really, I did. You see, this guy opened it, a thief actually. I had to put all the nasty stuff back inside, and not all at once, let me tell you. No, I may be gifted and blessed in many ways, but not like that. I had to track the Others all over the world. One at a time.

It was Hesiod, that egotistical, pompus ass, he’s the one who gave me a bad name, and all because I refused to marry him. A handsome man on the outside, but ugly inside. His version of the perfect woman was one who never talked, or if she did it was only to compliment him, agree with him, or ask what she could do for him. To him, women were weaker, and inferior to men. I told him my story, once upon a time when I thought I was in love with him. Well, his false, twisted version is the one that lasted. The other ones that portray me in good light, and tell the real story have all been lost, burned, buried, or are mostly unreadable. Due to Hesiod and his crowd, none the less. Him and his are followers of the Others, the Dark Gods, the ones that inspired the idea of demons. It’s their corporeal forms that the urn, or ‘Pandora’s Box’ holds.

Oh and the box has a name: Pithos. A strong ‘personality’, or maybe its ‘urn-ality’, as well. I’ll tell you more about the box later. Right now I have to find it.

You see, its been stolen, again. Wouldn’t have thought it possible in today’s age. I had it securely locked, in the best safe that technology makes. Nothing, but magic, could have gotten it out. Which is why I am here, at the gate to Olympus. The Council must be made aware of this. Although I dread telling my father, Zeus, that its been taken. He’s going to throw a storm, literally. Again.

Looking around at the buildings too smooth and beautiful to have ever been carved or cut by human hands, I sighed. Nothing ever seems to go right for me. The buildings were all of a different colors of marble, with precious gems, jewels, and ores making intricate designs telling the story of the world. Here one could see the stars spinning, Gaea becoming the Earth, the creation of all living things, and every story, myth and legend come to life. All of the history of the universe, right here.