In the standard Pandora myth, Zeus sent Pandora to Epimetheus.
The story follows Prometheus’s theft of fire, which angered Zeus because it gave humans an advantage the god had withheld. Zeus planned a punishment that would affect humanity rather than only Prometheus. He ordered the creation of Pandora and sent her to Epimetheus, Prometheus’s brother.
Prometheus had warned Epimetheus not to accept gifts from Zeus, but Epimetheus accepted Pandora. In Hesiod’s account, this decision leads to the opening of the vessel and the release of human troubles. The myth therefore links Pandora’s arrival with both divine punishment and the consequences of ignoring a warning.
Different retellings add or rearrange details, including which gods supplied Pandora’s attributes. Zeus’s role as the sender, however, is a stable feature of the standard literary tradition. He is the chief Olympian deity and the figure directing the plan against humankind.