In Hesiod’s Works and Days, Prometheus first warned Epimetheus about gifts from Zeus. Prometheus’s warning reflects his knowledge that Zeus intended Pandora as part of a punishment directed at humanity.
Prometheus and Epimetheus are brothers in Greek mythology. Their names are often interpreted as contrasting kinds of thought: Prometheus is associated with forethought, while Epimetheus is associated with afterthought. The contrast becomes part of the Pandora narrative when Prometheus tells Epimetheus not to accept anything sent by Zeus.
Epimetheus ignores the warning when Pandora arrives and accepts her. The story therefore presents Pandora’s arrival as a consequence of both Zeus’s plan and Epimetheus’s failure to follow his brother’s advice. The later opening of the container completes the myth’s explanation for the presence of troubles in human life.
A common mistake is to say that Prometheus warned Pandora herself. In Hesiod’s account, the warning is directed to Epimetheus. Prometheus is also the figure associated with stealing fire for humans, which is the offense that prompts Zeus’s punishment.