In Greek mythology, Prometheus stole fire for mortals before Pandora was created. The theft is the immediate mythic background to Zeus’s decision to send Pandora as a punishment for humanity and for Prometheus’s defiance.
Fire represented far more than warmth. In ancient Greek imagination it enabled cooking, metalworking, craft, and civilized life. Later writers, especially Aeschylus in Prometheus Bound, developed the idea that Prometheus gave humans many useful arts and forms of knowledge. Hesiod’s version is more focused on the conflict with Zeus and the consequences for humanity.
The myth should not be read as a literal account of how humans first obtained fire. It is a traditional story explaining why a powerful benefit came with divine consequences. Prometheus’s theft also established his enduring image as a benefactor of humankind and a challenger of cosmic authority.
Pandora’s creation follows this event in Hesiod’s narrative. Zeus does not create her as a reward for mortals; he sends her as part of the punishment connected with the stolen fire. That sequence links the two myths while keeping their central figures distinct.