Iapetus and Clymene fathered four sons — Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius Titan — each punished differently by Zeus after the Titanomachy. Atlas bears the sky, Prometheus is chained to a rock, Menoetius Titan was cast into Erebus, and Epimetheus loosed suffering on mankind by accepting Pandora.
⚠ Hesiod (Theogony 507) names the Oceanid Clymene as their mother; Apollodorus (Bibliotheca 1.2.3) names the Oceanid Asia instead.
Prometheus fathered Deucalion, connecting the Titan who stole fire to the man who survived the flood. Prometheus's foreknowledge saved his son when Zeus destroyed the rest of humanity.
Prometheus is the son of Gaia-Themis in Aeschylus's tradition, linking his prophetic wisdom to the earth mother.
⚠ Hesiod (Theogony) names the Titan Iapetus and the Oceanid Clymene (or Asia) as Prometheus's parents. Aeschylus's identification of his mother as Themis-Gaia is an alternate tradition.
Prometheus and Epimetheus, sons of the Titan Iapetus, sided with the Olympians against the Titans in the Titanomachy and were spared imprisonment in Tartarus.
Zeus punished Prometheus for stealing fire and giving it to humanity by chaining him to a rock in the Caucasus, where an eagle ate his liver daily.
In Aeschylus's Prometheus Bound, Kratos and Bia escort Prometheus to the Caucasus while Hephaestus reluctantly forges the chains that bind the Titan to the rock.
Prometheus warned his brother Epimetheus never to accept gifts from Zeus, foreseeing that the gods would seek revenge for the theft of fire. Epimetheus ignored the warning and took Pandora as his bride.
Zeus conceived the creation of Pandora as deliberate revenge against humanity for receiving Prometheus's stolen fire. She was his 'beautiful evil,' the price mortals would pay for the gift of civilization.
Chiron surrendered his immortality so Prometheus could be freed from his chains on the Caucasus. Zeus permitted the exchange, ending Chiron's agony from the Hydra's venom.
Heracles freed Prometheus from his chains on Mount Caucasus, shooting the eagle that daily devoured his liver.
In Aeschylus's Prometheus Bound, Zeus sent Hermes to demand Prometheus reveal the prophecy about Thetis. Prometheus defied him with contempt, calling Hermes a lackey of the gods.
In Prometheus Bound, the wandering Io encounters the chained Prometheus, who prophesies her future journey and reveals that her descendant Heracles will one day free him from his torment.
In Aeschylus's Prometheus Bound, the chorus of Oceanids visits the chained Prometheus out of sympathy. They refuse Hermes' command to abandon him and are swallowed into the earth alongside the Titan.
In Prometheus Bound, Oceanus visits the chained Prometheus offering to intercede with Zeus on his behalf. Prometheus refuses, warning Oceanus that advocating for him would only bring Zeus's wrath upon the sea Titan.
Prometheus's secret about Thetis also protected Poseidon, who desired her. When Prometheus revealed that Thetis's son would surpass his father, both Zeus and Poseidon withdrew their pursuit of the sea goddess.
Prometheus knew the prophecy that Thetis would bear a son greater than his father. He used this secret as leverage against Zeus, who eventually freed him in exchange for the revelation that saved Olympus.
At Mekone, Prometheus divided a sacrificed ox into two portions — bones wrapped in glistening fat and meat hidden inside the stomach — and offered Zeus his choice. Zeus chose the fat-covered bones, and in his rage at the deception, he withheld fire from mortals.
We use cookies to understand how you use our site and improve your experience. Learn more