In Hesiod’s Works and Days, Prometheus gives fire to humanity before Pandora’s creation. Zeus responds by arranging Pandora as a punishment for both Prometheus and humankind.
Prometheus is a Titan associated with foresight, intelligence, and the defense of humanity. In the broader Greek myth tradition, he steals fire from Olympus and hides it in a fennel stalk before returning it to humans. Fire represents practical knowledge, technology, cooking, and civilization.
The fire theft and Pandora story are closely linked in Hesiod’s account. Zeus first punishes Prometheus by chaining him and having an eagle consume his liver, while the creation of Pandora becomes a separate punishment directed at humanity. Pandora is therefore not the cause of Prometheus’s theft; she is part of Zeus’s retaliation.
Prometheus’s name means “forethought,” while his brother Epimetheus means “afterthought.” Their names help explain the myth’s contrast between planning ahead and recognizing a mistake only afterward.