In Greek mythology, Iapetus was the father of Epimetheus, Pandora’s husband. Iapetus is one of the Titans, the divine generation born before the Olympian gods.
Iapetus and the Oceanid Clymene are commonly given as the parents of several important figures: Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius. This makes Pandora’s marriage part of a larger Titan family whose members play major roles in myths about humanity, rebellion, and cosmic succession.
Epimetheus is especially important in the Pandora story because Zeus sends Pandora to him after the conflict involving Prometheus. The family relationship also explains why Prometheus is Pandora’s brother-in-law and why the myth connects her arrival to the punishment of his relatives and of humankind.
Genealogies in Greek mythology can differ between authors. Iapetus is the standard father named for Prometheus, Epimetheus, Atlas, and Menoetius in the tradition associated with Hesiod. The spelling Iapetus is also sometimes rendered Japetus in English.