In Greek mythology, Epimetheus was Pandora’s husband and the brother of Prometheus.
Epimetheus and Prometheus are brothers in the Greek mythological tradition. Their names are often interpreted as contrasting forms of thought: Prometheus suggests forethought, while Epimetheus suggests afterthought. That contrast helps explain their different behavior in stories involving Zeus and humanity.
Prometheus warns Epimetheus not to accept gifts from Zeus. Epimetheus ignores the warning when Pandora arrives, and he takes her as his wife. Pandora later opens the sealed vessel, releasing the evils that afflict human life. The myth therefore places responsibility within a family story involving two brothers with opposing kinds of judgment.
Epimetheus is not the same figure as Deucalion, the survivor associated with the Greek flood myth, although later genealogies connect several of these characters. He is also distinct from Atlas and Orpheus, who belong to different mythological cycles. His defining role here is Pandora’s husband and Prometheus’s brother.