In Greek mythology, Zeus sent Pandora to Epimetheus as a punishment for humanity. In Hesiod’s account, Zeus orders the creation of Pandora after Prometheus has taken fire and given it to humans.
Pandora is delivered to Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus. Prometheus had warned Epimetheus not to accept gifts from Zeus, but Epimetheus receives Pandora nonetheless. Her arrival connects the punishment of humanity with a specific household and family relationship.
Zeus is the ruler of the Olympian gods in the myth, and his decision is intentional rather than accidental. The gods cooperate in creating and equipping Pandora, but Zeus directs the larger scheme. This is why the story is often read as an origin myth for human toil, illness, and other forms of suffering.
The detail is sometimes simplified in modern retellings into “Pandora opened a box out of curiosity.” Hesiod instead gives the episode a broader divine and Promethean context, with Zeus’s decision coming before Pandora reaches Epimetheus.