In Hesiod’s story, what did Epimetheus do when Pandora arrived?

In Hesiod’s story, Epimetheus accepted Pandora when she arrived despite Prometheus’s warning.

Prometheus, whose name means “forethought,” had warned his brother Epimetheus not to accept gifts from Zeus. Epimetheus, whose name is linked with thinking afterward, ignored that advice when Pandora appeared. He took her into his household, and she became his wife in the surviving Hesiodic tradition.

The episode establishes a contrast between the brothers’ names and behavior. Prometheus anticipates danger, while Epimetheus acts first and understands the consequences later. Pandora’s arrival is then connected with the opening of the jar that released troubles into the world, although the details of the jar episode vary among later retellings.

This story is often simplified into the idea that Pandora alone caused humanity’s suffering. Hesiod’s narrative places responsibility within a larger divine punishment: Zeus designed Pandora and sent her as part of his response to Prometheus’s theft of fire. Epimetheus’s acceptance is an important link in that chain.