In the Pandora myth, Epimetheus was Pandora’s husband or companion among humanity.
Epimetheus was the brother of Prometheus and a figure whose name is commonly understood as “afterthought.” Prometheus, whose name suggests forethought, warned him not to accept gifts from Zeus. Epimetheus nevertheless accepted Pandora, who had been sent as part of Zeus’s punishment.
Pandora’s arrival and the opening of the vessel are therefore connected to a contrast between foresight and hindsight. Epimetheus acts after the warning rather than planning ahead, making him an important part of the myth’s moral structure.
Retellings sometimes incorrectly identify Prometheus as Pandora’s partner because Prometheus is more famous in the fire story. In Hesiod’s narrative, however, Pandora is associated with Epimetheus, while Prometheus is his brother and the recipient of Zeus’s separate punishment.