Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths

Prometheus, a young Titan god, asked Zeus why he created man but refused to give him fire, keeping him “in ignorance and darkness” (62). Zeus explained that every gift came with a price: Fire would improve some aspects of life, but it could also lead men to become overconfident and prideful. Rather than worshiping the gods, men might challenge them.

Dissatisfied with Zeus’s answer, Prometheus decided to bring men fire secretly. At first, mortals were frightened by fire, but Prometheus showed them how to feed a fire carefully to maintain a balanced size and how to use it to cook food. As time went by, men used fire to craft ships, houses, and whole towns with walls, eventually attracting Zeus’s attention. He knew exactly who was responsible. Promising to exact vengeance on men eventually, Zeus first captured Prometheus, chained him on a mountain in the Caucasus, and sent two vultures to eternally tear out his liver—though the hero Heracles would eventually release him.

After punishing Prometheus, Zeus turned his attention to punishing man. He instructed Hephaestus to create a girl modeled after Aphrodite. The gods called her Pandora, meaning “all the gifts,” which she received from them: musical skill from