In Greek mythology, Iapetus was Pandora’s father-in-law through her marriage to Epimetheus.
Iapetus was one of the twelve Titans, the older generation of divine beings who ruled before Zeus and the Olympian gods. He was the father of Prometheus and Epimetheus, as well as Atlas and Menoetius in the genealogy most often associated with Hesiod.
Because Pandora married Epimetheus, Iapetus occupies a family relationship to her in the mythic genealogy. The connection is indirect, but it helps place the Pandora story within the Titan family. Prometheus’s opposition to Zeus and Epimetheus’s acceptance of Pandora both become part of that family’s role in humanity’s origins.
Ancient mythological genealogies vary in smaller details, but Iapetus’s relationship to Prometheus and Epimetheus is a stable feature of Hesiod’s tradition. He should not be confused with Cronus, the Titan ruler and father of Zeus.