The Story of Prometheus

The story of Prometheus originates from Greek mythology. The story starts off with Prometheus and Epimetheus being spared from imprisonment in Tartarus (A hell situated deeper than Hades and is referred to as the ultimate hell as it is full of all the worst possible things). The two were given the task of creating men so Prometheus creates the humans out of mud. Athena then breathed life into these clay figures.

Prometheus assigned a task to Epimeheus which involved him giving the creatures of the Earth various characteristics such as swiftness, cunning, strength, fur and wings. But by the time Epimetheus got to the humans all of the good qualities had been given to the other creatures. Prometheus fixed this and gave the humans the ability to stand up like the Gods and the ability to make fire. The result of this action was that Prometheus felt more of an affinity with the humans rather than the Olympians.

When Zeus said that Prometheus had to present a portion of each animal that they scarified to the Gods Prometheus decided to trick Zeus. He created two piles for the meat, one with bones wrapped in the fat of the animals and the other one had all of the good meat hidden in with the hide. Naturally Zeus picked the pile with the bones wrapped in fat and when Zeus found out he had been tricked he took fire away from the humans. In return Prometheus decided to give fire back to the humans. Zeus was so enraged that he had been defied that he punished Prometheus by creating a creature of stunning beauty.

This creature of stunning beauty was called Pandora and she had a box that she wasn’t allowed to open. Zeus sent Pandora down to the humans so he could stay with Epimeheus and even though Prometheus had told Epimeheus not to accept any gifts from Zeus she ended up staying. The temptation became too much for Pandora and she opened up the box which released plagues, evils, sorrows and misfortunes into the world. But at the bottom of the box was hope.

The result of all of this was that Zeus was extremely angry at Prometheus for three different things. Number 1 was that Prometheus had tricked him into taking the bones with the fat; Number 2 was that he stole fire for the humans even though Zeus had purposely taken the fire away and finally Number 3 was that Prometheus refused to tell Zeus which of Zeus’s children would dethrone him. The punishment that Prometheus received was that he was seized by Force and Violence (Zeus’s servants) and taken up Caucasus Mountain to be chained there with unbreakable chains. A giant eagle tormented Prometheus day and night by tearing at his liver. However Prometheus was released from his torture because Chiron the Centaur volunteered to die and Hercules killed the eagle for him.