In Hesiod's Pandora myth, Zeus sent Pandora to punish humanity for receiving fire.
Prometheus had stolen fire from the gods and given it to humans, an act that helped explain humanity's technological power in Greek mythology. Zeus responded by designing a punishment that would affect humankind rather than only Prometheus himself: the creation and dispatch of Pandora.
The episode belongs to Hesiod's account of the conflict between Zeus and Prometheus. Prometheus is famous for helping humans, but Greek sources do not present his act as an uncomplicated victory. Fire brings practical knowledge and civilization, while Pandora's arrival introduces suffering into human life.
This detail is sometimes confused with later versions that emphasize curiosity alone. In the older literary framework, Pandora is part of Zeus's retaliation for the theft of fire, and her story is closely paired with the punishment of Prometheus.