In the myth of Pandora’s box, Prometheus’s theft of fire leads Zeus to create Pandora as a punishment for humanity.
Prometheus is a Titan who favors humans in several Greek myths. In Hesiod’s account, he tricks Zeus during a sacrifice and later steals fire for mortals. Zeus responds by arranging a new punishment that affects humanity rather than Prometheus alone.
Pandora is therefore part of the larger Prometheus cycle. Her arrival follows the conflict over fire, and the jar’s contents explain why humans must endure suffering and hardship. The stories are frequently told together because they share Zeus, Prometheus, and the origin of human troubles.
Prometheus’s punishment is separate: Zeus has him chained to a mountain, where an eagle repeatedly eats his liver. That episode belongs to the same mythological tradition but is not the event inside Pandora’s jar.