Epimetheus- Greek TitanTitan"Afterthought"
Also known as: Epimētheus and Ἐπιμηθεύς
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Description
Prometheus warned him to accept nothing from the gods. Epimetheus, true to his name — afterthought — took one look at Pandora and forgot every word his brother said. The jar she brought emptied disease, death, and sorrow upon the world.
Mythology & Lore
The Distribution of Gifts
Epimetheus was a son of the Titan Iapetus and the Oceanid Clymene — or Asia, in Apollodorus's telling. His name means "afterthought," and he lived up to it. Neither he nor his brother Prometheus fought against Zeus in the Titanomachy, so both escaped imprisonment in Tartarus.
When the gods created mortal creatures and assigned the brothers to distribute qualities among them, Epimetheus seized the task. He gave speed and claws to some creatures, thick hides and concealment to others. Every gift went to beasts. By the time he reached humanity, nothing was left: human beings stood naked and unarmed. Prometheus had to steal fire from the gods to compensate for his brother's squandering, giving mortals the means to survive through craft and technology.
Pandora
After Prometheus stole fire, Zeus planned revenge against both the Titan and the mortals who benefited. He ordered Hephaestus to fashion Pandora, the first woman, from clay, and the gods adorned her with beauty, charm, and curiosity. Zeus sent her to Epimetheus as a gift. Prometheus had warned his brother never to accept anything from the Olympians, but Epimetheus — true to his nature — was charmed and took her as his wife.
Pandora came with a great jar that she was forbidden to open. Curious, she lifted the lid, releasing disease and sorrow and every other evil that afflicts humanity. Only Hope remained trapped inside when she closed it again. Through Pandora, Epimetheus fathered Pyrrha, who married Prometheus's son Deucalion and became the mother of renewed humanity after the great flood.
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