In Hesiod’s Pandora myth, Epimetheus receives Pandora after the gods have prepared her. Zeus sends her to Epimetheus as part of the punishment connected with Prometheus’s theft of fire. Although Prometheus warns his brother not to accept gifts from Zeus, Epimetheus accepts Pandora.
Epimetheus’s name is commonly explained as meaning “afterthought,” contrasting with Prometheus, whose name is associated with forethought. That contrast supports the story’s moral pattern: Prometheus anticipates danger, while Epimetheus recognizes it too late. Hesiod’s narrative uses the brothers’ names and actions to reinforce this opposition.
Some retellings say Pandora is immediately sent to all humanity or directly to Prometheus. In Hesiod’s account, the important recipient is Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus. Pandora then becomes his wife, and the opening of the container brings suffering into the human world. The later expression “Pandora’s box” often compresses several separate events from the poem.