Prometheus: Titan of Fire and Protector of Humans

Hello, Greeks and Geeks, and welcome back to another day of myths! Today, we are going to be talking about the (possible) creator and caregiver of humans, Prometheus.

Many of the myths involving Prometheus resulted in the start of many traditions of the Ancient Greeks, some of which we still practice today. This is no surprise, as Prometheus was probably one of the only Greek deities to truly care for mankind.

Prometheus was son of the Titan Iapetus and the Oceanid Clymene and was the Titan of Fire. He is often considered the Titan of Forethought, as his name in Ancient Greek translates to “before learning.” His brother Epimetheus’ name translates to “the one who thinks afterward,” so he is the Titan of Hindsight.

In the Titan War, Prometheus, along with this brother, was one of the few Titans to side with the Gods. They played a pivotal role in the Titanomachy (another name for the Titan War), earning Zeus’s trust and ultimately escaped the harsh punishment granted to the majority of the Titans.

Following the war, Zeus declared himself King of All Gods and Men. However, Prometheus cared greatly for mankind, and was a protector of sorts for them. The way Zeus treated mankind was more than tyrannical, and Prometheus believed we deserved a better master (he was a real one!). Thus began the feud between Prometheus and Zeus.

It began when Zeus charged Prometheus with dividing the meat from the bones of an ox, and to give the bones to the humans and the meat to the Gods. Ever the trickster, Prometheus wrapped the bones up in fat and gave the best parts of the meat to the humans.

This act began a tradition of humans keeping the meat for themselves and sacrificing the bones and fat to the Gods.

In true Zeus tradition, this pissed him off just a bit. In retaliation, he stole and hid fire from the humans. Mankind began to freeze, and they were unable to cook any food they had. Prometheus, again, favored mortals and stole the fire back from Mount Olympus.

This act began a tradition we still practice today. The Athenians honored Prometheus and his theft of fire by enacting a relay race in which runners would pass a flaming torch, all the way until the last person finally lit the sacrificial fire at the Acropolis in Athens. This sparked the beginning of relay races and the modern Olympic fire ceremony.

Now, it was Zeus’ turn to retaliate. (This feud between the God and Titan was really like a relay race itself.) He tasked Hephaestus, God of Blacksmiths and Fire, to create a creature more beautiful than any mortal has ever seen. Thus was the start of womankind with the first woman, Pandora.

Pandora married Epimetheus, against the warnings of his brother. Pandora was given a box upon her creation, one she was warned against ever opening. Though, with her and her husbands lack of forethought, she eventually opened Pandora’s Box, thus releasing all kinds of disease and pains on all of humankind.

Though Zeus punished Prometheus’ precious humankind, he still did not see this as punishment enough. So, he punished Prometheus by chaining the Titan to a rock where an eagle would come and eat his liver everyday, with it regrowing overnight, so he would forever be tortured.

Prometheus was stuck there until Heracles (also known as Hercules) eventually freed him on his journey to complete his labors and gain immortality.

Whether or not Prometheus truly created humans is up to debate, as the myths have changed throughout the centuries. One myth states that the Gods made all creatures on Earth, and Prometheus was simply tasked to care for and protect them. In some stories, he molded mankind out of clay and Athena breathed life into them. In others, there was a different race of humans before, but were wiped out by a flood sent by Zeus, and the only two who survived was Prometheus’ son Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha.

Either way, Prometheus was somehow involved in the creation of humans and the Ancient Greeks credited him as being a caretaker for them, and honored him by beginning various traditions in his honor.

As always, thank you for reading and I hope to see you soon. Αντίο, Σοφία.