Quote:
Originally Posted by WT Sharpe
This doesn't refer directly to your question to Beppe, but I couldn't resist inserting this as an interesting aside to your reference to Pandora's Box. I have always heard the tale told with Hope being the one thing left to humanity that makes all the evils in the box bearable. Nietzsche, however, had an interesting contrary take to my understanding, which seems to have been more in line with the story's original meaning:
.....Precisely because of its ability to keep the unfortunate in continual suspense, the Greeks considered hope the evil of evils, the truly insidious evil: it remained behind in the barrel of evils.
..........— Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900), German philosopher. The Antichrist (1888), translated by Walter Kaufmann.
|
We have two saying about hope.
Hope is the last to die. And,
until there is life there is hope. Both with a Christian tint.
I went to my Robert Graves The Greek Myths, Complete Edition Penguin of 1992. (the 3rd I had to buy, thanks to different friends, but do not worry I have many of their books stacked away safely, then with ebooks it's easier),
who got Pandora's from Hesiod. He has it in the Atlas and Prometeus story.
Pandora was the revenge on Prometeus by Zeus for having stolen a glowing charcoal, hidden in the hollow of a giant fennel-stalk. In fact my wild fennels have gone to seed and they are as tall as 8 feet.
So Zeus ordered Hephaesus to make a clay woman, and the four Winds to breath life into her, and all the goddesses of Olympus to adorn her. Pandora was the most beautifull woman ever created. Zeus sent her as a gift to Epimetheus (Prometheus brother) who, warned by his brother refused her. Then the torments of Prometheus. Then Epimetheus, alarmed by his brother's fate, marries her. Zeus had made her as foolish, mischievous and idle as she was beautiful. And she opened the jar. In the jar Prometheus had imprisoned all the Spites (ugly winged things) that might plague mankind: such as Old Age (that one I do not understand what it is), Labour, Sickness, Insanity, Vice , and Passion. Those flew out in a cloud and attacked the race of mortals. Delusive Hope, that was also shut in the jar, discouraged them by her lies from a general suicide.
So this is Hesiod through Graves and resumed by yours truly
I am glad that this gave me the occasion of opening Graves book. I have it in ebook also, but I must admit that turning pages is still very pleasant.