In Greek mythology, Epimetheus received Pandora as Zeus’s punishment for humanity.
Hesiod’s Works and Days describes Pandora being sent to Epimetheus after Zeus became angry that Prometheus had stolen fire for mortals. Prometheus had warned his brother not to accept gifts from Zeus, but Epimetheus ignored the warning. Pandora then entered his household, bringing the vessel that released suffering into the human world.
Epimetheus is a Titan and the brother of Prometheus. His name is traditionally explained as “afterthought,” contrasting with Prometheus, whose name means “forethought.” That contrast is central to the story: Prometheus anticipates danger, while Epimetheus recognizes danger only afterward.
The myth does not present Pandora as a wife chosen through an ordinary human courtship. Zeus uses her arrival as part of a divine retaliation, and the episode belongs to a wider account of why human life contains labor, disease, hardship, and other evils. Later retellings often call the container a box, although ancient versions describe a large storage vessel.