Prometheus stole fire and gave it to humanity before Pandora appeared. The theft allowed humans to gain a powerful divine resource and provoked Zeus's punishment.
Fire represented more than warmth in Greek myth. It enabled cooking, metalworking, craft, and civilization, making Prometheus a benefactor of humankind as well as a challenger of Zeus. Some traditions connect him with the technical and intellectual development of people.
Zeus responded by punishing Prometheus and arranging a separate punishment for humanity. He ordered the creation of Pandora, whose arrival was followed by the release of suffering from the jar.
The fire episode varies among ancient sources, including differences over how Prometheus obtained the flame and how he was punished. The core connection remains stable in later retellings: stolen fire leads to divine retaliation through Pandora.