In Hesiod’s Pandora myth, Zeus sent Pandora to Epimetheus.
Zeus designs Pandora’s arrival as retaliation after Prometheus steals fire and gives it to humanity. He commands Hephaestus to create her and has the gods provide her with gifts. Pandora is then brought to Epimetheus, Prometheus’s brother, who accepts her despite Prometheus’s warning not to receive gifts from Zeus.
The story contrasts the brothers’ names and behavior. Prometheus means “forethought,” while Epimetheus is commonly understood as “afterthought.” Epimetheus acts without the caution associated with his brother’s advice. In Hesiod’s account, this decision leads to Pandora becoming his wife and to the opening of the container holding human troubles.
Zeus’s role is sometimes reduced in modern versions to that of a distant ruler who owns the box. In the ancient story, he is the planner of the punishment and the deity who dispatches Pandora. This places the episode inside the conflict between Zeus and Prometheus rather than treating it as an isolated tale about curiosity.