Prometheus warned his brother Epimetheus not to accept gifts from Zeus in Pandora’s myth.
In Hesiod’s version, Prometheus recognizes that Zeus’s gift may conceal a punishment. He advises Epimetheus to reject it, but Epimetheus accepts Pandora when she is sent to him. The warning fails, and Pandora becomes part of Zeus’s plan to bring suffering to humanity.
Prometheus and Epimetheus are brothers who represent contrasting kinds of thought. Prometheus is associated with foresight and clever planning, while Epimetheus is associated with reflection that comes too late. Their roles in the Pandora story fit these symbolic meanings closely.
Prometheus is also famous for stealing fire from the gods and giving it to humans. That act is the immediate cause of Zeus’s retaliation in Hesiod’s narrative. Some later versions make Prometheus a more heroic benefactor, but Hesiod’s account places him within a conflict between Zeus and humanity.