"I wonder whether there is some connection between Eve and Pandora. Did one story influence the other?"
The structure and similarity of the story have always made me think there's a relationship between the two. A woman doing something forbidden turns into a catastrophe. Then I did some digging, and some biblical stories bear an uncanny resemblance to mythological ones. So, I don't know. It's funny to think that some monotheistic stories could have their roots in these polytheistic mythologies.
Yes, one hundred percent. People in the eastern Mediterranean were much more used to thinking religiously as polytheists than as monotheists, which is why prophets in Israel had such a hard time getting people to stop sacrificing to idols. So stories from these dominant cultures were bound to influence the Hebrew scriptures--though I think the transformation of the stories is masterful. Maybe there is a common ancestor story that inspired Pandora and Eve. That's my next rabbit hole to go down.
Pandora's story is also one of the first myths I encountered as a child...specifically in a picture book from my town's public library.
It was published in the late 60s or early 70s, and in my mind the illustration of all the evil things flying out of the box/jar are intertwined with the equally freaky things we watched on "H.R. Pufnstuff" and other shows produced by Sid & Marty Krofft! 😱
It's possible you're thinking of D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, where the evils definitely have an HR Pufnstuf vibe. Another Substack has a picture from the relevant page:
Strange I forgot because I took that out of the library many times also gave it as a gift to my nieces & nephews, as well as to the children of friends. A great book.
"I wonder whether there is some connection between Eve and Pandora. Did one story influence the other?"
The structure and similarity of the story have always made me think there's a relationship between the two. A woman doing something forbidden turns into a catastrophe. Then I did some digging, and some biblical stories bear an uncanny resemblance to mythological ones. So, I don't know. It's funny to think that some monotheistic stories could have their roots in these polytheistic mythologies.
Yes, one hundred percent. People in the eastern Mediterranean were much more used to thinking religiously as polytheists than as monotheists, which is why prophets in Israel had such a hard time getting people to stop sacrificing to idols. So stories from these dominant cultures were bound to influence the Hebrew scriptures--though I think the transformation of the stories is masterful. Maybe there is a common ancestor story that inspired Pandora and Eve. That's my next rabbit hole to go down.
Pandora's story is also one of the first myths I encountered as a child...specifically in a picture book from my town's public library.
It was published in the late 60s or early 70s, and in my mind the illustration of all the evil things flying out of the box/jar are intertwined with the equally freaky things we watched on "H.R. Pufnstuff" and other shows produced by Sid & Marty Krofft! 😱
It's possible you're thinking of D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, where the evils definitely have an HR Pufnstuf vibe. Another Substack has a picture from the relevant page:
https://fardreamersblog.blogspot.com/2018/05/book-review-daulaires-book-of-greek.html
I guess that is it!
Strange I forgot because I took that out of the library many times also gave it as a gift to my nieces & nephews, as well as to the children of friends. A great book.
Sorry--it's not Substack but Blogspot! Those logos look similar on their tabs.