In Greek mythology, Prometheus was punished by having his liver eaten repeatedly by an eagle.
Prometheus’s punishment followed his theft of fire from the gods and his decision to give it to humanity. Zeus had him chained, traditionally to a mountain, where an eagle came each day to consume his liver. Because the liver regenerated, the torment was repeated rather than ending after a single attack.
This punishment is part of the larger mythic cycle surrounding Pandora. Zeus also arranged for Pandora to be created and sent to Prometheus’s brother Epimetheus, linking the Titan’s personal punishment with the troubles introduced into human life. The two episodes are often remembered together because both arise from Prometheus’s conflict with Zeus.
The eagle is sometimes mistakenly described as a vulture in modern retellings or artistic adaptations. The best-known Greek mythological version identifies an eagle. Heracles later frees Prometheus in traditions that expand the story, but that rescue does not remove the connection between Prometheus’s defiance and Pandora’s creation.