In the Pandora’s Box myth, Epimetheus accepted Pandora despite Prometheus’s warning.
Epimetheus was a Titan and the brother of Prometheus. His name is commonly connected with hindsight or “afterthought,” providing a deliberate contrast with Prometheus, whose name is associated with forethought. When Zeus sent Pandora, Prometheus advised Epimetheus not to receive any gift from the gods.
Epimetheus nevertheless accepted Pandora, who had been made and adorned by the gods. The story presents this decision as the opening through which Zeus’s plan reached humanity. Pandora later opened the storage vessel, and troubles escaped into the world.
The myth is sometimes simplified into a story about Pandora acting alone, but Hesiod’s account includes Epimetheus’s decision before the jar is opened. Another common mix-up is treating Epimetheus as a human; he is a Titan in Greek mythology. His role also connects Pandora’s story with the earlier conflict between Zeus and Prometheus.