Who was Epimetheus, the figure who accepted Pandora in Greek mythology?

Epimetheus was Prometheus’s brother in Greek mythology. His name is commonly connected with afterthought or hindsight, contrasting with Prometheus, whose name is associated with forethought.

Zeus sent Pandora to Epimetheus after Prometheus had stolen fire for humanity. Prometheus had warned his brother not to accept gifts from Zeus, but Epimetheus nevertheless welcomed Pandora. Their relationship places the jar episode directly within the wider Prometheus myth.

Epimetheus is less famous than Prometheus, but he appears in several Greek traditions as a Titan associated with humanity’s origins. In the Pandora story, his role is not that he personally creates the troubles. Instead, he accepts the divinely fashioned woman whose container becomes the source of suffering in the human world.