In Greek mythology, Zeus ordered the creation of Pandora as punishment after humanity received fire.
The myth connects Pandora with the conflict between Zeus and Prometheus. Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to mortals, improving human life but defying Zeus’s authority. Zeus then devised a punishment that would affect humanity rather than only Prometheus.
He instructed the gods to make Pandora, and different deities contributed gifts or abilities to her creation. Zeus sent her to Epimetheus, who accepted her despite Prometheus’s warning. The story then links Pandora with the release of evils into the human world.
This episode is distinct from Prometheus’s later punishment, in which Zeus has him bound and subjected to the recurring torment of an eagle eating his liver. Pandora is the punishment directed at humanity; Prometheus’s chained torment is a separate consequence of the same conflict.