In Hesiod’s Greek myth, which figure was Pandora sent to marry?

In Hesiod’s Greek myth, Pandora was sent to marry Epimetheus. Epimetheus was the brother of Prometheus and his name is commonly interpreted as “afterthought” or “hindsight.”

Prometheus, whose name suggests forethought, had warned his brother not to accept gifts from Zeus. Epimetheus ignored that warning and accepted Pandora, who had been fashioned and equipped by the gods. Their pairing creates a deliberate contrast between foresight and hindsight.

After Pandora arrived, she opened the container holding the world’s evils. The story links this event to Zeus’s anger after Prometheus stole fire and gave it to mortals. Pandora’s arrival therefore functions as part of a larger myth about divine punishment, human limitation, and the consequences of accepting gifts without caution.

Epimetheus is sometimes incorrectly named as Pandora’s brother or as the person who stole fire. In the standard Hesiodic account, Prometheus is the fire-bringer and Epimetheus is Pandora’s husband.