Prometheus

Nationality/Culture

Greek

Pronunciation

pruh-MEE-thee-uhs

Alternate Names

None

Appears In

Ovid's Metamorphoses, Hesiod's Theogony

Lineage

Son of lapetus and Clymene

Character Overview

Prometheus, one of the Titans in Greek mythology , was a master craftsman and was considered the wisest of his race. He was credited with the creation of humans and with giving them fire and various types of skills and knowledge. His name means “forethought.”

Prometheus was the son of the Titan lapetus (pronounced eye-AP-uh-tus) and the sea nymph Clymene (pronounced KLEM-eh-nee). Atlas (pronounced AT-luhs) and Epimetheus (pronounced ep-uh-MEE-thee-uhs, meaning “afterthought”) were his brothers and Hesione (pronounced hee-SYE-oh-nee), daughter of the Titan Oceanus (pronounced oh-SEE-uh-nuhs), was his wife.

When Zeus (pronounced ZOOS), the king of the gods, and the other Olympian gods rebelled against the Titans, Prometheus sided with the gods and thus won their favor. He held Zeus's aching head so that Hephaestus (pronounced hi-FES-tuhs), the god of fire and metalworking, could split it open and release the goddess Athena (pronounced uh-THEE-nuh). To show her gratitude, Athena taught Prometheus astronomy, mathematics, architecture, navigation, metalworking, writing, and other useful skills. He later passed this knowledge on to humans.

Friend to Humans Prometheus created humans by shaping lumps of clay into small figures resembling the gods. Athena admired these figures and breathed on them, giving them life. Zeus disliked the creatures, but he could not uncreate them. He did, however, confine them to the earth and denied them immortality, or the ability to live forever. Prometheus felt sorry for humans, so he gave them fire and taught them various arts and skills.

Prometheus was given the task of determining how sacrifices were to be made to the gods. He cut up a bull and divided it into two portions. One portion contained the animal's flesh and skin, but they were concealed beneath the bull's stomach, the least appetizing part of the animal. The other portion consisted of the bones, wrapped in a rich layer of fat. Prometheus then asked Zeus to choose a portion for himself, leaving the other for humans. Fooled by the outward appearance of the portions, Zeus chose the one containing the bones and fat. Prometheus thus ensured that humans got the best meat.

Angered by this trick, Zeus punished humans by withholding fire from them so they would have to live in cold and darkness and eat meat raw. Prometheus promptly went to Olympus (pronounced oh-LIM-puhs), stole a spark of fire from Hephaestus, and carried it back to humans. When Zeus discovered what Prometheus had done, he swore revenge. He ordered Hephaestus to create a woman from clay, and he had the winds breathe life into her. Athena and other goddesses clothed the woman, whose name was Pandora (pronounced pan-DOR-uh).

Zeus sent Pandora as a gift to Prometheus's brother Epimetheus, who married her despite warnings from Prometheus not to accept any gift from Zeus. Pandora brought with her a box containing evil, disease, poverty, war, and other troubles. When Pandora opened the box, she released these sorrows into the world, and Zeus thus gained his revenge on humankind.

Prometheus's Punishment To punish Prometheus, Zeus chained the god to a rock on a mountain peak. Every day an eagle tore at Prometheus's body and ate his liver, and every night the liver grew back. Because Prometheus was immortal, he could not die. Instead he suffered endlessly.

Prometheus remained chained and in agony for thousands of years. The other gods begged Zeus to show mercy, but he refused. Finally, Zeus offered Prometheus freedom if he would reveal a secret that only he knew. Prometheus told Zeus that the sea nymph Thetis (pronounced THEE-tis) would bear a son who would become greater than his father. This was important information. Both Zeus and his brother Poseidon (pronounced poh-SYE-dun) desired Thetis, but they arranged for her to marry a mortal so that her son would not pose a challenge to their power.

Zeus sent Heracles (pronounced HAIR-uh-kleez) to shoot the eagle that tormented Prometheus and to break the chains that bound him. After his years of suffering, Prometheus was free. To reward Heracles for his help, Prometheus advised him how to obtain the golden apples of the Hesperides (pronounced hee-SPER-uh-deez), one of the twelve labors the famous hero had to accomplish.

Prometheus in Context

The myth of Prometheus reflects an interesting change over the centuries regarding the ancient Greek gods and how followers viewed them. In the earliest versions of the myth, recorded by Hesiod in the seventh or eighth century bce, Prometheus was portrayed as a betrayer of the gods who was rightfully punished for his wickedness. Prometheus and his trickery, it is suggested, was the reason that humans suffered in their labors instead of being able to perform their work quickly and easily. In later versions of the myth, recorded two hundred years or more after Hesiod's text, Prometheus was depicted as a hero who defied the gods in order to help humanity. This reflected a growing view among the ancient Greeks that the gods were not infallible and all-powerful, but instead displayed many of the same faults as humans.

Key Themes and Symbols

An important theme in the myth of Prometheus is the idea of humans and gods as adversaries, or opposing groups. In the myth, Prometheus creates humans in the image of the gods. Zeus, however, does not think that people deserve to keep the best meats for themselves and becomes angry when he discovers that Prometheus has tricked him. He punishes people by keeping fire away from them so they cannot cook their meat. Ultimately, even though humans receive the power of fire, disease and other awful things are released into the world by the gods as revenge. In the myth, fire symbolizes knowledge; Prometheus represents the teacher of humankind and provider of useful information and skills.

Prometheus in Art, Literature, and Everyday Life

The story of Prometheus's suffering and ultimate release from his torment has inspired artists and writers for centuries. Among the most important early works dealing with the myth was a series of plays written by the Greek playwright Aeschylus (pronounced ES-kuh-luhs). Only one of these works, Prometheus Bound, survives. The Roman poet Ovid incorporated parts of the story in his work the Metamorphoses. Prometheus has also been the subject of more modern works of art, music, and literature by such individuals as the composer Ludwig van Beethoven and the poets Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The myth also loosely inspired Mary Shelley to write the novel Frankenstein, the subtitle of which was The Modern Prometheus.

Read, Write, Think, Discuss

A popular modern interpretation of the myth of Prometheus is that there are some things humans are not meant to know about. This dangerous knowledge is symbolized by fire, but could represent anything—nuclear fission, cloning, tissue regeneration, or artificial intelligence, to name a few. Using your library, the Internet, or other available resources, research a current debate about one of these issues and make a list of the pros and cons involved in the quest for new knowledge. Then write a brief essay on what you think about the issue.

SEE ALSO Atlas; Greek Mythology; Hephaestus; Heracles; Pandora; Titans; Zeus