潘多拉的盒子

潘多拉的盒子（Pandora's box）源自于希腊神话，是宙斯给潘多拉的神秘盒子，但原本在神话中是壶（Pithos），壶在古希腊中是盛装食品的器具。

盒子的词源

翻译为“盒子”的单词在希腊语中实际上是一个大罐子（πίθος/pithos）。^[1]^[2]Pithoi被用于储存酒、油、谷物或其他食物，或者在仪式上用作埋葬人体的容器，人们相信灵魂会从中逃脱并必然返回。^[3]许多学者认为，潘多拉本人是用粘土制成的，与释放邪恶的陶罐之间有着密切的类比。^[4]

pithos的误译通常归因于 16 世纪的人文主义者伊拉斯谟，他在对潘多拉故事的拉丁语描述中将希腊语 pithos 改为 pyxis，意思是“盒子”。^[5]这个故事出现的背景是伊拉斯谟的谚语集《阿达吉亚》（Adagia，1508年），以说明拉丁语谚语Malo accepto stultus sapit（从经历麻烦中使傻瓜变得聪明）。在他的版本中，盒子是由厄庇墨透斯打开的，他的名字的意思是“事后思考”——或者正如赫西俄德所说，“犯错的人变得聪明”。^[6]

不同版本的容器

尼科洛·德尔·阿巴特，1555年
俄罗斯喷泉，1801年
詹姆斯·吉尔雷政治漫画，1809年
约翰·吉布森（John Gibson）的《潘多拉》，1899 年
约翰·威廉·瓦特豪斯，1896年

寓意

根据神话，众神之王宙斯要求潘多拉不可以开，但潘多拉不敌好奇心的诱惑，还是偷偷的把盒子打开了，但在盒子里面装的是许多不幸的事物。潘多拉打开魔盒后就释放出往后人世间的所有邪恶——贪婪、虚伪、诽谤、嫉妒、痛苦、疾病、祸害等等，原本宁静没有任何灾害动乱的世界开始动荡不安起来，此时潘多拉趁“希望”（希腊文Elpis（英语：Elpis (mythology)））没有来得及释放时，在慌乱中依照宙斯的旨意赶紧盖住盒子，结果盒内只剩希望没飞出去，永远锁在盒内。因此即使人类不断地受苦受难、遭遇种种挫折和折磨，希望都不会出现。

有说法指潘多拉关住的应该是“预兆”，因为预兆这个灾祸被困在盒底，所以人类才拥有希望，不致于活在绝望当中；如果潘多拉关住了希望，那么人类世界应该是没有希望，活在没有前途、充满了毁灭的世界中。但有说法认为这盒子里除了装有不幸的事物之外，同时也装有友情、爱情等幸福的事物，象征一切美好的事物都收藏于内，所以潘多拉在盖上盒子时才留住了希望。

其实“盒子中保存希望”的寓意历来在学界颇有争议。如果灾祸被释放出盒子会带给人类灾祸，那希望未被释放应该是“没带给人类希望”，那么这段神话记载的意涵应该是更悲观的，亦即：本出于善意而想少放一个灾祸出去的潘多拉反而误把“希望”截留下来，人间因此毫无希望。还有另一个问题是，宙斯为何要在盒中一堆灾祸里掺入性质不同的“希望”？这又牵涉了其希腊原文“Elpis”的词意，古希腊这个词其实可表达“对坏事或好事的期望”。若是“对坏事的期望”，那就是一种让人容易“担惊受怕”的灾祸；但即使当成“对好事的期望”（最接近“希望”），尼采也曾给出最黑暗的另类诠释：宙斯就是想要人类受尽各种灾祸折磨后仍抱持虚假的希望，以致于愿意苟延残喘而继续遭受折磨。^{[来源请求]}

影视作品

以下为以潘多拉盒子为主题的影视作品：

《哆啦A梦》潘多拉魔盒
《古墓奇兵：风起云涌》（2003年）
《夺命潘多拉》（2017年）：美国恐怖电影
在该作是带来灾难性恐怖的可怕暗器。
《假面骑士Build》（2017年）：日本特摄
在该作是作为恶役骑士所拥有的灭世兵器。
《十二传说》（2019年）：
香港民俗学教授潘多拉（名字起源于潘多拉的盒子）与突发记者傅子博和高级督察易铭贤一起查明各个都市传说背后不为人知的真相。
《Fate/kaleid liner 魔法少女☆伊莉雅 3rei》（2012年）：日本动漫
在该作中是希腊神话众神在神话时代制造的许愿机。

参考资料

稻叶义明（2007），快醒来吧！传说中的神秘宝物，台北：达观出版

^ Schlegel and Weinfield, "Introduction to Hesiod" p. 6
^ Meagher 2314, p. 148
^ Cf. Harrison, Jane Ellen, Prolegomena to the Study of Greek history, Chapter II, "The Pithoigia", pp.42-43. Cf. also Figure 7 which shows an ancient Greek pot painting in the University of Jena where Hermes is presiding over a body in a pithos buried in the ground. "In the vase painting in fig.7 from a lekythos in the University Museum of Jena we see a Pithoigia of quite other and solemn booty. A large pithos is sunk deep into the ground. It has served as a grave. ... The vase-painting in fig. 7 must not be regarded as an actual conscious representation of the rupent rite performed on the first day of the Anthesteria. It is more general in content; it is in fact simply a representation of ideas familiar to every Greek, that the pithos was a grave-jar, that from such grave-jars souls escaped and to them necessarily returned, and that Hermes was Psychopompos, Evoker and Revoker of souls. The vase-painting is in fact only another form of the scene so often represented on Athenian white lekythoi, in which the souls flutter round the grave-stele. The grave-jar is but the earlier form of sepulture; the little winged figures, the Keres, are identical in both classes of vase-painting."
^ Cf. Jenifer Neils 2005, p.41 especially: "They ignore, however, Hesiod's description of Pandora's pithos as arrektoisi or unbreakable. This adjective, which is usually applied to objects of metal, such as gold fetters and hobbles in Homer (Il. 13.37, 15.20), would strongly imply that the jar is made of metal rather than earthenware, which is obviously capable of being broken."
^ Meagher 1995, p. 56. In his notes to Hesiod's Works and Days (p.168) M.L. West has surmised that Erasmus may have confused the story of Pandora with that found elsewhere of a box which was opened by Psyche.
^ William Watson Baker, The Adages of Erasmus, University of Toronto 2001, 1 i 31, p.32

[1] Schlegel and Weinfield, "Introduction to Hesiod" p. 6

[2] Meagher 2314, p. 148

[3] Cf. Harrison, Jane Ellen, Prolegomena to the Study of Greek history, Chapter II, "The Pithoigia", pp.42-43. Cf. also Figure 7 which shows an ancient Greek pot painting in the University of Jena where Hermes is presiding over a body in a pithos buried in the ground. "In the vase painting in fig.7 from a lekythos in the University Museum of Jena we see a Pithoigia of quite other and solemn booty. A large pithos is sunk deep into the ground. It has served as a grave. ... The vase-painting in fig. 7 must not be regarded as an actual conscious representation of the rupent rite performed on the first day of the Anthesteria. It is more general in content; it is in fact simply a representation of ideas familiar to every Greek, that the pithos was a grave-jar, that from such grave-jars souls escaped and to them necessarily returned, and that Hermes was Psychopompos, Evoker and Revoker of souls. The vase-painting is in fact only another form of the scene so often represented on Athenian white lekythoi, in which the souls flutter round the grave-stele. The grave-jar is but the earlier form of sepulture; the little winged figures, the Keres, are identical in both classes of vase-painting."

[4] Cf. Jenifer Neils 2005, p.41 especially: "They ignore, however, Hesiod's description of Pandora's pithos as arrektoisi or unbreakable. This adjective, which is usually applied to objects of metal, such as gold fetters and hobbles in Homer (Il. 13.37, 15.20), would strongly imply that the jar is made of metal rather than earthenware, which is obviously capable of being broken."

[5] Meagher 1995, p. 56. In his notes to Hesiod's Works and Days (p.168) M.L. West has surmised that Erasmus may have confused the story of Pandora with that found elsewhere of a box which was opened by Psyche.

[6] William Watson Baker, The Adages of Erasmus, University of Toronto 2001, 1 i 31, p.32

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