Prometheus stole fire for humanity before Zeus created Pandora.
Prometheus is a Titan in Greek mythology who is especially famous for helping humans. In the tradition used by Hesiod, he deceives Zeus during a sacrifice and later steals fire for humanity. Zeus responds by arranging a punishment that affects both Prometheus and the human race.
Pandora is created as the human-related part of that punishment. Hephaestus fashions her, several gods give her qualities, and Zeus sends her to Epimetheus. Her jar then becomes the mythic explanation for the presence of suffering and hardship in human life.
Prometheus’s role differs across ancient and later sources. Hesiod presents him as a trickster whose actions provoke Zeus, while later writers, including Aeschylus, emphasize his defiance and sympathy for humans. The connection between fire, punishment, and Pandora remains central to the best-known version.