Prometheus gave humanity fire before Zeus punished him and humanity.
In Hesiod’s account, Prometheus deceives Zeus during a sacrificial division and later steals fire for mortals. Zeus responds by ordering the creation of Pandora, whose arrival becomes part of humanity’s punishment. The Pandora story is therefore closely linked to the Prometheus myth rather than standing alone.
Prometheus is a Titan, a member of the older divine generation that preceded the Olympian gods. His name is commonly interpreted as meaning “forethought,” while his brother Epimetheus is associated with “afterthought.”
Later Greek and Roman writers expanded Prometheus into a broader cultural hero who gives humans knowledge, arts, or civilization. Hesiod’s version is more severe: the theft of fire is an act that provokes Zeus’s retaliation and helps explain why suffering exists among humans.