In the Greek myth of Pandora, who received Pandora as a gift from Zeus?

In the Greek myth of Pandora, Epimetheus received Pandora as a gift from Zeus. Epimetheus is the brother of Prometheus, whose name is often understood as “afterthought,” contrasting with Prometheus, or “forethought.”

Prometheus had warned Epimetheus not to accept gifts from Zeus, but Epimetheus accepted Pandora when she arrived. The story uses the brothers’ names and actions to create a contrast: Prometheus anticipates danger, while Epimetheus acts and understands the danger afterward.

Pandora becomes Epimetheus’s wife in the traditional story. The myth presents her arrival as part of Zeus’s retaliation for Prometheus’s theft of fire and for the benefits that fire gives to humanity. The later jar episode then links Pandora’s household with the release of evils into the world.

Prometheus is a frequent wrong answer because he is the myth’s other central human-connected figure. He is not the recipient of Pandora; he rejects Zeus’s gifts and warns his brother. Epimetheus is the figure who accepts her.