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THE SECRET LIBRARY

LITERATURE

A Summary and Analysis of the Prometheus Myth

The story of Prometheus stealing fire from the gods is, like the story of Pandora’s Box, an important ‘origin-story’ from Greek myth.

But there’s much more to Prometheus than the ‘stealing fire’ story. Let’s delve into the world of Greek mythology, from over two thousand years ago, to see why Prometheus is such a central, and fascinating, figure in ancient myth.

Prometheus was the son of Iapetus and Clymene. Iapetus was a Titan, the Titans being the group of gods who preceded the Olympian gods, so-named because they resided on Mount Olympus.

Prometheus, then, was one of the first gods, a cousin of Zeus and a brother of Atlas, as well as two other Titans, Moneotius and Epimetheus. But Prometheus is also credited with creating the very first humans from clay, so he has a central place in the Greek pantheon. And he would continue to be a friend to mankind.

Curiously, Prometheus’ name is said to mean ‘forethought’, with his brother Epimetheus’ name literally meaning ‘afterthought’. However, an alternative theory states that the name Prometheus is cognate with the Vedic pra math, which literally means ‘to steal’, which would obviously make sense given the story of Prometheus stealing fire and giving it to humans (of which more below). So, although Prometheus may mean ‘forethought’, we cannot be sure – even though it’s often repeated as though it’s incontrovertible fact.

And the Vedic connection points up Prometheus’ links with other trickster gods in other civilisations. Most pantheons have one: Norse legends have Loki, while the Sumerians had Enki, and the Vedic texts had Mātariśvan, who even brought fire to humankind.

As with the tale of Pandora’s Box, the story of Prometheus stealing fire from the gods first turns up in the work of Hesiod, in his Theogony. (We’ve written about Hesiod’s other great poem, the Works and Days, here.) And as with the story of Pandora’s Box, which wasn’t actually a box at all, there is plenty that we get wrong, misremember, or simply do not know about the actual myth, as it was first outlined in Hesiod.

Explanation:

Answer:

In Greek mythology, the Titan Prometheus had a reputation as being something of a clever trickster and he famously gave the human race the gift of fire and the skill of metalwork, an action for which he was punished by Zeus, who ensured everyday that an eagle ate the liver of the Titan as he was helplessly chained