In the Greek myth of Pandora, Prometheus is traditionally said to have stolen fire for humanity.
Prometheus is a Titan who appears in myths about the origins and condition of humankind. In Hesiod’s account, he deceives Zeus during a sacrifice and later steals fire for mortals. Zeus responds by arranging punishment for humanity, including the creation and dispatch of Pandora.
This makes Prometheus’s story an important part of the background to Pandora’s myth. Pandora is not an isolated character: her arrival is presented as a consequence of conflict between Zeus and Prometheus. Prometheus himself is punished by being bound, while an eagle repeatedly eats his liver.
Different ancient authors tell the Prometheus stories with varying details. Aeschylus’s Prometheus Bound, for example, gives him a more sympathetic champion-of-humanity role than some passages in Hesiod. The fire theft remains the best-known element and is widely used as a symbol of technological knowledge and rebellion against authority.