In Hesiod’s Works and Days, Epimetheus receives Pandora as a gift from the gods. He is the brother of Prometheus, whose name means “forethought,” while Epimetheus’s name is commonly interpreted as “afterthought.”
Prometheus warns Epimetheus not to accept gifts from Zeus. Epimetheus ignores the warning when Pandora arrives, and she becomes his wife in the mythic tradition. Her arrival leads to the opening of the container that releases troubles into the human world.
Epimetheus is not portrayed as a clever schemer. His defining characteristic is acting after an event rather than anticipating it, which creates a deliberate contrast with his more cautious brother. The contrast between their names helps explain their different roles in the narrative.
Later mythology identifies Epimetheus and Pandora as the parents of Pyrrha. Pyrrha and Deucalion survive the great flood in another Greek myth and become ancestors of later humanity.