Prepared by Linda R. Williams
Reference: Mythology- Myths, Legends, & Fantasies
Who was Prometheus?
The Titan god of Fire and Forethought
The son of a sea nymph, Clymene and
Titan Iapetus
Brother to the Titan Epimethus
Married to Hesione (daughter of Titan
Oceanus)
Prometheus means “looking forward” and
Epimethus means “looking back.
The Rise of Humans
 In the Biblical Creation story, God created humans
as his crowning achievement.
 In Greek myth, Prometheus created humans by
shaping lumps of clay into small figures resembling
the gods. Athena admired these figures and
breathed on them, giving them life. Zeus disliked
the creatures, but he could not uncreate them. He
did, however, confine them to the earth and denied
them immortality. Prometheus felt sorry for
humans.
 The gods of Olympus wanted humans to worship
them with animal sacrifices, the meat and not the
bones.
Blood
sacrifice
was one
of the
most
powerful
rituals of
the
ancient
Greeks.
Meat was a luxury, so large animals, like sheep, cows, pigs and
goats, were usually slaughtered in honor of the gods.
In family or state festivals, chosen animals would be prepared,
led to an altar in procession, then ceremonially killed in front of
festival participants. A small portion of meat was burned on the
altar, for the gods. Humans shared the rest.
Prometheus the
trickster!
He defied the gods to help
humans, tricking Zeus to
establish a sacred ritual of
sacrifice which favored
humans and made them
forever separate from gods.
Atlas and
Prometheus,
c. 550 BCE
Prometheus was
chosen to cut up
an animal for
sacrifice so that
Zeus could choose
which half he
preferred to decide
once and for all
just which portions
went to the gods
and which to the
hungry people.
What did Prometheus do?
He piled up the edible
meat and made it look
unappealing by placing
animal skin and stomach on
top. He then covered the inedible bones
with a thick layer of animal fat so that it
looked ready for a feast. Zeus falling for
Prometheus’ clever plan choose the pile
of bones and animal fat for sacrifice to
the gods and humankind got to keep
the meat.
The Theft of Fire
Angered by Prometheus’ act, Zeus denied
humans fire. They could not warm
themselves, work metals or cook their
food.
Prometheus climbed Mount Olympus in
secret and stole fire from the gods and
traveled every place where humans lived
giving them the gift of fire.
Zeus’ Revenge
Furious Zeus ordered
Hephaestus, the god of
craftsmanship, to create a
beautiful woman out of
clay. The gods endowed
her with many talents;
Aphrodite gave her
beauty, Apollo music,
Hermes persuasion, and
so forth. Hence her
name: Pandora, "allgifted".
A Gift From The Gods
Zeus presents Pandora with a large box
closed and sealed. He instructs her not to
open it. He then calls upon Hermes to
deliver Pandora as a gift from the gods to
the titan Epimetheus.
Prometheus the smarter of the two,
warns his brother to be wary of any gift
coming from Zeus. Epimetheus saw how
beautiful Pandora was and decided to
marry her.
PANDORA’S BOX
For weeks Pandora resisted the box, but
one day she broke the seal and opened
it. Out flew all the diseases, sorrows and
disasters that afflict humankind. Pandora
tried to close the box but more and more
troubles covered the earth. The only thing
she could keep hold of was hope.
Previously the human
race used to live
completely free from
evils and hard work and
painful diseases. But
the woman removed
the great cover of the
jar with her hands and
scattered the evils
within and for mortals
devised sorrowful
troubles.
Hope alone remained
within there under the
edge of the jar . . .
Hesiod, Works and Days
Pandora may be
a more profound
figure though.
Her name
means “All gifts”
– because all the
gods gave her
gifts? or because
she brings all
things, good and
evil, to humans?
As in the Adam and Eve story, a woman brings evil to
humans. But perhaps, as Joseph Campbell suggests,
women, representing life processes, real birth, & real
death, represent the real world, not “paradise.”
More Troubles for Prometheus
Zeus pleased by his punishment of
humankind now focused on Prometheus.
Prometheus knew of the prophecy that
spoke of the goddess Thetis giving birth
to a son that would overthrow his father,
Zeus. Zeus knew of the prophecy but not
the name of the goddess. Prometheus
refused to name the goddess so Zeus
decided to torture the secret out of
Prometheus.
Prometheus
Bound
First Prometheus was
captured and and hurled into Tartarus, but
he would not speak. Since he could not die,
Zeus brought him out of Tartarus and had
him chained to Mount Caucasus. Every day
a huge vulture flew to the rock and pecked
out his liver, and every night the flesh
healed again.
A Way Out
Human lifetimes came and went
and still Prometheus hung
burning and bleeding by day
and freezing by night. He knew
that he would be free only if
another of the immortals went
down to the underworld, to
Hades’ realm of death, of their own free will or
if he spoke the name of the goddess who would
give birth to the son that would overthrow
Zeus.
The End of Prometheus’
Suffering
One day Heracles found his way to Mount Caucasus and shot the
vulture. Also, while accomplishing his 12 labors Heracles accidentally
shot his friend Cheiron a centaur (half human, half horse) with a
poison arrow leaving a wound that couod not heal. Cheiron begged
for death and offered to go to underworld instead of Prometheus.
Prometheus feeling pity for the centaur accepted his offer and then
said the name “Thetis”. Immediately his chains fell from him and he
was free.
Peace Atlas
Prometheus was welcomed back to
Olympus on the condition that all his
cleverness was to be put to use for the
gods, not against them.
Zeus quickly arranged for Thetis to marry a
mortal man so that her son would surpass
only his mortal father and not endanger
the throne of the king of the gods.