Epimetheus is Pandora’s husband or companion in Hesiod’s myth. His name is usually understood as “afterthought,” contrasting with his brother Prometheus, whose name means “forethought.”
Prometheus warned Epimetheus not to accept gifts from Zeus, but Epimetheus accepted Pandora when she arrived. This decision places him at the center of the story’s moral contrast between caution and hindsight. Pandora later opened the vessel, releasing the troubles held inside.
Epimetheus belongs to the older generation of divine beings called Titans. He and Prometheus are sons of the Titan Iapetus and the Oceanid Clymene in Hesiod’s genealogical tradition. In later mythology, Pandora and Epimetheus are also presented as the parents of Pyrrha, who survives the great flood with Deucalion.