In the Pandora myth, Epimetheus received Pandora despite warnings about Zeus’s gifts.
Epimetheus was a Titan and the brother of Prometheus. His name is commonly interpreted as “afterthought,” contrasting with Prometheus, whose name is linked to “foresight.” This wordplay became an important part of later interpretations of the Pandora story.
Hesiod’s Works and Days says that Prometheus warned Epimetheus not to accept gifts from Zeus. Epimetheus nevertheless accepted Pandora, who had been fashioned by the gods and sent as a punishment connected with Prometheus’s theft of fire. Pandora then opened the container and released the troubles associated with mortal life.
Epimetheus is not simply an ordinary human in the older mythology. He belongs to the divine Titan generation, although his role is usually less prominent than that of Prometheus. In some later genealogies, he and Pandora become the parents of Pyrrha, who survives the great flood with Deucalion.
Modern summaries sometimes leave Epimetheus out and say that Pandora herself received the box. In Hesiod’s narrative, the family relationship and the brothers’ opposing names are central details.