In Hesiod’s Theogony, Prometheus is the Titan who stole fire for humanity before Pandora was created.
Prometheus is presented as a clever figure who repeatedly frustrates Zeus. In one famous episode, he conceals the edible meat of a sacrificed animal inside its unattractive skin and leaves the bones covered with shining fat. Zeus chooses the bones, and Prometheus then steals fire for human beings, allowing them to cook food and develop crafts.
Pandora’s arrival is connected to this conflict. Hesiod says Zeus sent her as a punishment after Prometheus’s theft, although the fullest account of her creation appears in Works and Days. Epimetheus, Prometheus’s brother, eventually accepts Pandora despite Prometheus’s warning.
Prometheus is sometimes confused with Hephaestus, the god associated with craftsmanship and fire. Hephaestus helps fashion Pandora, but Prometheus is the figure associated with stealing fire for humankind.