In later versions of Pandora’s myth, Prometheus warned Epimetheus not to accept gifts from Zeus. Prometheus understood that Zeus intended to punish humanity after the theft of fire, so he advised his brother to be suspicious of divine presents.
Epimetheus ignored the warning when Pandora arrived. The contrast between the brothers’ names supports the story’s moral structure: Prometheus means “forethought,” while Epimetheus is commonly explained as “afterthought.” Epimetheus’s decision therefore becomes an example of failing to anticipate consequences.
This warning is not presented in exactly the same form in every ancient source. Hesiod’s accounts focus on Pandora’s creation, arrival, and the jar, while later retellings develop the brothers’ warning more explicitly. Prometheus remains the standard answer in the familiar expanded version of the myth.