In Greek mythology, who gave humanity fire before Zeus created Pandora?

In Greek mythology, Prometheus gave humanity fire before Zeus created Pandora. He is a Titan associated with forethought, intelligence, and the protection of humankind. According to Hesiod, he stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans, provoking Zeus’s punishment.

Pandora’s creation is presented as part of that punishment. Zeus orders the gods to make a woman whose arrival will bring consequences for humanity. Prometheus’s action and Pandora’s story are therefore closely connected in Hesiod’s account, although they are separate episodes.

Prometheus is sometimes confused with Epimetheus because both are brothers and both appear in the same myth cycle. Their names provide a contrast: Prometheus suggests forethought, while Epimetheus suggests afterthought. Prometheus is also associated with the later myth of being chained to a mountain, where an eagle repeatedly eats his liver as punishment.