In Hesiod’s Works and Days, Zeus sent Pandora to Epimetheus.
Zeus’s action is part of a punishment directed at humanity after Prometheus stole fire and gave it to humans. Pandora was created and equipped by the gods, then sent as a bride to Epimetheus, Prometheus’s brother. Epimetheus accepted her despite Prometheus’s warning not to receive gifts from Zeus.
The name Epimetheus is often explained as “afterthought,” while Prometheus means “forethought.” That contrast reinforces the brothers’ roles in the myth: Prometheus anticipates danger, whereas Epimetheus recognizes it only afterward. Their names are literary clues built into the story.
Hesiod’s account is not a story in which Pandora independently discovers an abandoned container. Zeus is the authority behind her arrival and the jar’s danger. Later adaptations frequently shift emphasis toward curiosity, but the older myth places Pandora within a divine punishment narrative connected to fire and the relationship between gods and humans.