Zeus took a terrible
revenge on both Prometheus and mankind for
stealing the gift of fire. He ordered the lame
smith Hephaestus to make a woman out of clay who
would possess the beauty of an immortal goddess
but would bring misfortune to the human race. All
the gods showered her with personal gifts, and
they named her Pandora, which
means "All gifted"
Zeus sent Pandora as
a present, not to clever Prometheus, but to his
slow-witted brother,
Epimetheus, whose name means
"Afterthought." Prometheus
had warned his brother not to accept any gift
from Zeus, but Epimetheus was so enchanted by
Pandora's beauty he took her for his wife.
Now Epimetheus had
helped his brother distribute many gifts to
mankind, and in his house he had a sealed jar
that contained all the ills of disease, old age,
and vice. Prometheus and Epimetheus had kept
these from mankind. Pandora could not help
wondering what was in this jar, and one day her
curiosity was too much for her. She opened
the seal. Out flew all the curses of mankind that
fill life with suffering and
misfortune. When Pandora, in a panic
replaced the lid of the jar, one thing was
trapped at the bottom.
Hope,
who called out to her. Pandora heard the
faint, sad cry and released Hope into the world
to comfort mankind. Meanwhile Zeus planned
an even crueler revenge on Prometheus. Zeus
condemned him to be chained to a rock in the
mountains, to endure blazing sun and freezing
cold.
Furthermore each day
an eagle would come to gnaw at his liver, which
would grow back again each night so the torment
would never end. But Prometheus did not give
in. Although wracked with agony, he mocked
Zeus, saying, "I am the only god who knows
the secret that will hurl you into oblivion, just
like your father before you. You must release me
if you wish to save yourself."
For Promethues knew
that if Zeus made love to the sea nymph Thetis, as
he intended, she would bear a son stronger than
his father, and Zeus's reign would end. To
discover this secret, Zeus eventually allowed his
son Heracles to
free Prometheus, In return for his freedom,
Prometheus warned Zeus about Thetis, and she was
married instead to a mortal, King
Peleus. Their son was Achillis, a
hero of the Trojan War.
