In Greek mythology, Pandora’s husband is Epimetheus. His name is commonly interpreted as “afterthought,” contrasting with the name Prometheus, which is associated with forethought. Epimetheus accepts Pandora even though his brother Prometheus has warned him not to accept gifts from Zeus.
The family relationship matters to the myth’s structure. Prometheus has angered Zeus by stealing fire for humanity, and Zeus’s creation of Pandora is presented as part of the punishment that follows. Pandora is brought to Epimetheus, who ignores or fails to follow his brother’s warning. She later opens the vessel kept in their home, releasing the troubles that affect human life.
Epimetheus is not Pandora’s creator, father, or the god who orders the vessel to be opened. He is a Titan associated with humanity’s disadvantages and with poor judgment after events have occurred. In some later traditions, Pandora and Epimetheus have a daughter named Pyrrha, who becomes important in stories about the repopulation of the world after a flood.
The names Prometheus and Epimetheus are easy to mix up, but only Epimetheus is Pandora’s husband in the standard myth.