In ancient Greek mythology, Prometheus is credited with stealing fire for humanity before Pandora appeared.
Prometheus is a Titan who repeatedly acts on behalf of mortals. In the mythic tradition, he took fire from the gods and gave it to humans, enabling cooking, craft, technology, and civilization. Zeus punished him severely, and the creation of Pandora is presented in Hesiod’s story as another consequence of the conflict.
The fire episode and Pandora episode are therefore connected but not identical. Prometheus does not open Pandora’s container, and Pandora is not the person who steals fire. Instead, Zeus’s response to Prometheus’s defiance leads to Pandora being fashioned and sent to humanity through Epimetheus.
Ancient sources vary in detail. Hesiod’s versions emphasize punishment and deception, while later writers and modern artists often make Prometheus a broader symbol of knowledge, rebellion, or human progress. That later symbolism can obscure the precise mythic sequence, but the standard answer to the fire question remains Prometheus.