In Greek mythology, Pandora’s creation followed Prometheus stealing fire from the gods. Hesiod places this act within the conflict between Zeus and Prometheus, whose actions bring consequences for humanity.
Prometheus is a Titan associated with foresight and with helping humans acquire fire and other benefits of civilization. In Hesiod’s version, Zeus responds by having Pandora created and sent to humans. The story thus links the origin of suffering to a dispute over the boundary between divine and human powers.
The fire episode appears in several ancient and later traditions, and details vary between sources. A well-known later version says Prometheus hid the stolen fire in a fennel stalk, but that detail is not the entire basis of the Pandora narrative. Prometheus’s punishment, often represented as an eagle consuming his liver, is another connected episode rather than the same event as Pandora opening the jar.