In Hesiod’s Pandora story, Prometheus warned Epimetheus about gifts from Zeus.
Prometheus was a Titan strongly associated with forethought, cleverness, and humanity’s interests. In the broader Prometheus myth, he deceives Zeus at Mecone and later steals fire for humans. Zeus responds by arranging Pandora’s creation and sending her to Epimetheus as a punishment connected with that defiance.
Hesiod’s Works and Days says Prometheus advised his brother not to accept a gift from Zeus. Epimetheus nevertheless accepted Pandora, who brought a sealed container into the human world. The warning therefore establishes a contrast between the brothers: Prometheus anticipates danger, while Epimetheus understands the consequences only afterward.
This episode is sometimes blended with later versions of the myth, but the central warning is consistently associated with Prometheus. He is not the person who opens the container, and he is not Pandora’s husband.