Prometheus’s gift of fire to humanity led to Zeus creating Pandora as punishment in the Greek myth.
Prometheus is a Titan associated with intelligence, foresight, and the interests of humankind. In Hesiod’s account, he deceives Zeus during a sacrifice and later steals fire for humans. Zeus responds by arranging a separate punishment for humanity: the gods create Pandora and send her into the human world.
The myth links several episodes rather than describing Pandora as a punishment for one individual alone. Prometheus receives his own punishment, traditionally being bound while an eagle eats his liver, while Pandora’s arrival brings hardship to mortals. Later authors often merge or reshape these episodes.
Prometheus’s name is commonly interpreted as “forethought,” while his brother Epimetheus is associated with “afterthought.” Hesiod’s story uses that contrast when Epimetheus accepts Pandora despite Prometheus’s warning not to receive gifts from Zeus.