Prometheus, whose name means “forethought” in ancient Greek, was a cunning god and benefactor to early humans. While he was considered one of the Titans who ruled the universe before being ousted by Zeus and the Olympians, he sided with the Olympians during their struggle for power. Nevertheless, he would still pay dearly at the hands of the Olympians in the future for the act of tricking the gods to benefit mankind, whom he helped create and protect. His story inspired the famous Greek play Prometheus Bound.
Prometheus’ Divine Parentage
Prometheus was one of the sons of Iapetus, the Titan god of mortality, though his mother is disputed among sources. Hesiod’s Theogony, one of the earliest sources, describes Prometheus as the son of Iapetus by Klymene, a daughter of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. Apollodorus, in his Library of Greek Mythology, notes that the mother of Prometheus is Asia, whose name was given to that same continent. He appears to be equating the two goddesses.
Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound, a major source of the myth, is a trilogy of plays dedicated to the eponymous god. He says that Prometheus’ mother is named Themis, the Titan goddess of divine law and prophecy. This sets up a plot element that affects Prometheus’ release from his bonds.
How (and Why) Did Prometheus Create Humanity?
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Sign up to our Free Weekly NewsletterPrometheus was credited with the creation of humans, though it is unclear which generation of humans he created. Prometheus’ creation of mankind mainly comes from sources from the 4th century BCE onwards. Earlier sources cite him as merely a benefactor and say that the race of humans likely sprang up from the earth. Hesiod’s Works and Days describes four generations of humans that lived before the current, modern humans. The first generation, known as the race of gold, lived under the rule of Kronos, while all subsequent generations lived under the rule of Zeus.
At first, the world was only inhabited by the gods, but then Prometheus was tasked with creating humans and animals. He molded them from water and clay, creating humans in the likeness of the gods. He was then tasked, along with his brother Epimetheus, with providing them and animals with their respective qualities, such as claws, fur, and wings. Epimetheus allotted all the animals their qualities, but by the time he got to humans, there was nothing left, leaving them “naked and shoeless.” Prometheus came to inspect his brother’s work and approved of how the animals were furnished, but for mankind, he was unsure what to give them so they could provide for themselves.
During Kronos’s golden age, it wasn’t much of an issue as the Titan watched over humans himself, and the earth produced food without needing to be tended. However, under Zeus, animals became more fierce, and the fruits of the earth remained hidden. Prometheus decided to give them fire and the knowledge to use it.
Patronage of Humanity
While Prometheus was best known for his theft of fire for the benefit of humanity, he also served as a benefactor in other ways. Along with fire, Prometheus stole knowledge of arts and craftsmanship from Athena and Hephaestus. In Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound, the god himself relates that he taught humans how to read the stars and the motion of celestial bodies. He invented numbers and mathematics and taught humans how to use them. He taught what herbs could be mixed into medicines and how to read omens and dreams. He taught humans about the various metals and their value. As he says in the play, “every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”
Not only did Prometheus create humans, but at Zeus’ command, he also showed them two paths that can be taken in life. The first path was that of freedom and self-determination. Prometheus made this path begin roughly and made it hard to traverse, but by the end, it became smooth, allowing those who chose to walk freedom’s path to end their lives with rest and respite. The second path was that of slavery. It began smooth and easy, full of pleasant things, but by the end, it became impassable.
Titanomachy
When the Olympians and the Titans eventually came into conflict in a decade-long war known as the Titanomachy, Prometheus was initially on the side of the Titans. He was told by Themis or Gaia, both of whom were said to give prophecies out of Delphi, how the future was meant to unfold. Therefore, Prometheus tried to convince the Titans that they shouldn’t use violence to remain in power, but instead, they should use craft and guile. They didn’t listen to him, preferring to rule through strength of arms. Prometheus changed sides and counseled the Olympians instead. On his advice, the Olympians were able to overcome the Titans and take control of the cosmos.
Deceiving Zeus and the Theft of Fire
In the early days after their creation, humans used to sacrifice whole animals to the gods, meaning that the poor were unable to give proper offerings on account of the high expense. To resolve this, the gods and humans had a gathering at Mekone to determine fair portions for sacrifice. Prometheus devised a trick to ensure that humans would have the best option. For one portion, he took the bones and the unappealing parts of the animal and dressed them up in glistening fat to make it look appetizing. For the second portion, he took the meat and hid it in the animal’s stomach. He then bid Zeus to choose which one he’d prefer. Hesiod relates that Zeus knew what the trick was but chose the first portion anyway, opting to punish mankind for Prometheus’ hubris.
Zeus took fire away from mankind and hid it on Mount Olympus. But Prometheus snuck into the palace of the gods and stole fire back, hiding it in a fennel stalk to keep it from being discovered. When Zeus learned of the theft, he had Hephaestus create a new punishment for men: Pandora, the first woman. In order to prevent men from avoiding the punishment of women, he also decreed that men must be married; otherwise, when they die, all their property will be seized and divided among their relatives.
The Great Flood
After Zeus took power from Kronos, he went down to Earth to visit King Lycaon. Seeing the impiety of mankind, he determined that all of humanity needed to be wiped out and to start over. He sent a great flood to wash everything away, but Prometheus knew of his plan. He warned his son Deucalion of the coming disaster, instructing him to build an ark to save himself and his wife, Pyrrha, the daughter of Epimetheus and Pandora. Deucalion did as he was instructed, and when the flood came, he and Pyrrha were the only two survivors. They drifted for nine days and nine nights until they reached Parnassus, where they made landfall. Zeus allowed them to live since they were pious. Even throughout the calamity, they continued to pray and give sacrifice to the gods who had sought to kill them.
Zeus sent Hermes to them, or some sources say they sought advice from the Oracle at Delphi to give them anything they should desire. Deucalion asked how they might save humanity. The Oracle posed them a riddle, but Zeus told them outright to cast stones over their shoulders. They did so, and from the stones humans sprouted forth, men from those thrown by Deucalion and women from those thrown by Pyrrha.
Punishment: Prometheus Bound
For the crime of giving fire back to mankind and for the hubris of thinking that he could trick Zeus, Zeus ordered Hephaestus, or Hermes according to Roman mythographer Hyginus, to chain Prometheus to the peak of the Caucasus mountains, staking him through the arms, legs, and torso with rivets to keep him in place. Every day, the sun would rise to burn his skin, and an eagle would set on him to eat his immortal liver. Every night, he would freeze in the cold and his liver would regenerate, only for the cycle to repeat again the next day. Prometheus remained there for 30 thousand years, enduring his daily torment. In Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound, Hermes tells Prometheus that there will be no end to his suffering unless another god takes his place and descends to Hades.
Jason and the Argonauts once passed by the Caucasus in their search for the golden fleece, and they could hear Prometheus’ screams as the eagle tore at him. Heracles also wound up in the mountains and encountered the chained god, who helped point him in the direction of the garden of the Hesperides. Being a god of foresight, Prometheus was aware that he would one day be freed by Heracles, but he needed Zeus’s permission.
Clever Prometheus waited until the opportune moment before revealing that he knew which goddess would birth a son to Zeus, who was powerful enough to overthrow him as Zeus had overthrown his father, Kronos. The king of the gods desperately wanted this information and eventually agreed to let Prometheus go if he told him. Only then did Prometheus reveal that it was Thetis, a goddess that Zeus was in the midst of attempting to court, who was prophesied to bear a son more powerful than his father. Zeus immediately gave up his pursuit and instead gave Thetis in marriage to the hero Peleus, and together they had Achilles.
When the information was revealed, Prometheus was not immediately freed. Instead, Heracles returned to kill the eagle and set him free. Heracles then offered Chiron, who was suffering from an incurable wound and unable to die, to Zeus as a god willing to die in exchange for Prometheus’ freedom.
