How to Make a Pandora Box

Co-authored by Hannah Madden

Last Updated: December 7, 2020 Tested

The myth of Pandora’s Box began in ancient Greek. According to historians, Zeus, the god of thunder, gave Pandora a beautiful, ornate box as a gift—the only catch was that she could never, ever open the box. One day, Pandora’s curiosity got the better of her and she opened the box, releasing sickness, famine, and death into the world. However, a small bit of hope escaped the box as well, mixing in with the death and the destruction. You can make your very own Pandora’s Box to revive the myth and think about what would entice someone to open up a box of horrors.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Decorating the Box

1
Cover a flat surface with newspaper. Paint can get a little messy, and it’s no fun to clean up a huge mess after a fun craft. Spread out a few pieces of newspaper to cover the area that you’re working. If you don’t have newspaper, try some paper bags instead.^{[1]
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- You should also wear some clothes that you don’t mind getting paint on just in case.
2
Paint the outside of a shoebox a warm, hopeful color like gold or pink. Think about a color that represents goodness or hope to you. Pick out that color in acrylic paint, then use a paint brush to put a thick layer on the entire outside of the shoebox.^{[2]
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- Light yellow, pastel pink, and tan are all great colors to go for, but you can pick whichever ones you’d like.
- There’s some debate about the appearance of the original Pandora’s Box. Some say it was a wooden treasure chest, while others say it was a clear glass jar.
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3
Paint the inside of the shoebox a sinister red or black. The inside of Pandora’s Box holds sickness, famine, and death. Pick out another color that represents these things, then use a paint brush to cover the inside of the shoebox.^{[3]
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- Dark green, dark red, and black are all classic “evil” colors.
4
Add jewels and glitter to the outside to entice people to open it. The aim of Pandora’s Box is to get someone to open it up and spill its secrets. Using hot glue, attach a few fake jewels to the corner and some glitter to the sides of the box. Make it look as pretty and appealing as you can so people feel tempted to open it up.^{[4]
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- You can find fake jewels and glitter at most craft stores.
5
Write a note that says “DO NOT OPEN” and tape it to the box. In some versions of the myth, Pandora’s Box has a note warning her not to open it up. Grab a notecard and write “DO NOT OPEN” on it in large letters so everyone can see it, then use clear tape to add it to the top of your box.^{[5]
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- You can use a permanent marker or some glitter glue to spell out your message.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Filling Pandora’s Box

1
Cut out pictures that represent evil and hope. Find a few magazines and start cutting out pictures that represent famine and sickness. Then, cut out 1 to 2 photos of something that represents hope. You’ll need both of them for your box, and you can choose any images that speak to you.^{[6]
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- For evil images, you might choose fiery explosions, extinct animals, or dead plants.
- For a hopeful image, you might cut out a rainbow, a newborn baby, or a plant sprouting.
2
Glue the hopeful photos to the bottom of the box. Grab a glue stick and spread some glue onto the images of hope that you cut out. Glue it down to the very bottom of your box so you can only see it if the box is empty.^{[7]
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- The symbol of hope is supposed to come out of the box last, which is why you need it at the very bottom.
3
Attach the evil pictures to the sides of the box. Use the same glue stick to add the evil pictures to the sides of the box. Spread them out so they cover the entire thing.^{[8]
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- Make sure you leave the pictures of hope uncovered.
4
Fill your box with “evil” items. Find some items around your home that represent sins. You can pick classic ones, like envy, sloth, and pride, or you can find modern objects for a new interpretation of sin.^{[9]
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- You could put some unhealthy snacks in the box to represent gluttony, a TV remote to represent laziness, a medal to represent pride, or a social media logo to represent envy.

Community Q&A

Question

Can you provide the seven sins of Pandora?

Community Answer

Slaanesh is a hermaphrodite, it changes its form to that which the viewer finds most "sensual", khorne is a big fiery demon who sits on a throne made from tens of billions of skulls, surrounded by a river of blood, tzeentch is completely random form depending on how it feels and papa nurgle is a big old rotting pile of flesh with boils and pustules that spew forth smaller versions of him to spread famine.