In Greek mythology, who gave fire to humanity before Pandora’s creation?

In Greek mythology, Prometheus gave fire to humanity before Pandora’s creation. His theft of fire from the gods is the central offense that leads Zeus to devise Pandora’s punishment.

Prometheus is a Titan, a divine figure from the generation before the Olympian gods. He is portrayed as exceptionally clever and as a benefactor of humans. In different ancient accounts, he steals fire from Olympus or preserves it for humanity after Zeus removes it.

Hesiod links Prometheus’s actions to two punishments: Prometheus himself suffers a separate torment, while humanity receives Pandora. Prometheus’s brother Epimetheus accepts Pandora despite the warning not to accept gifts from Zeus.

Later Greek and Roman writers expanded Prometheus into a champion of human progress, knowledge, and creativity. The basic relationship remains clear in Hesiod: Prometheus’s theft of fire precedes Zeus’s creation and sending of Pandora, making the two myths parts of one moral and cosmological story.