In the Pandora myth, Zeus sent Pandora to Epimetheus as punishment for Prometheus’s theft.
Prometheus had taken fire and given it to humanity, an act that challenged Zeus’s authority. Zeus responded by arranging the creation of Pandora, the first woman in Hesiod’s version, and sending her to Epimetheus, Prometheus’s brother. The punishment therefore operates on both the divine offender and humankind.
Pandora arrives with a sealed container and is presented as a gift. Epimetheus accepts her even though Prometheus had warned him not to accept gifts from Zeus. The story then connects Pandora’s opening of the container with the spread of suffering among humans.
Some modern retellings describe Pandora as a punishment only for Prometheus. Hesiod’s narrative emphasizes a wider consequence: Zeus’s plan affects Epimetheus, humanity, and the relationship between gods and mortals.