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Explore mythology and art with information about the classic stories of heroes and gods...from the myths of ancient Greece and Rome, to the legends of the Celts. Mythography presents resources and reference materials about mythology - including recommended books, and lexicons that explain Greek, Roman, and Celtic terms.

Gardner's Art Through the Ages

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Epimetheus in Greek Mythology
In Greek mythology, Epimetheus was one of the Titans. He is often mentioned in conjunction with his famous brother Prometheus. Indeed, the names Epimetheus and Prometheus together represent two different but related aspects of thought - Epimetheus means "afterthought", while Prometheus symbolizes "forethought". And as the personification of afterthought, the Titan Epimetheus is often contrasted with his more sensible brother in myth. This contrast between brothers is seen to good advantage in one of the most enduring and familiar stories of Greek mythology, and that is the tale of Epimetheus and Pandora. So read on to learn more about the way in which this intriguing Titan was portrayed in a legendary story.

According to the ancient Greek poet Hesiod, Epimetheus was the son of the Titan Iapetos and the Oceanid Clymene. Hesiod's Theogony has the following information about the birth of Epimetheus:

"Iapetos took as his wife the fair-ankled Clymene,
daughter of Okeanos, and shared her bed,
and she bore him Atlas, son of an invincible spirit,
and Menoitios of the towering pride, and Prometheus,
whose mind was labyrinthine and swift, and foolish Epimetheus..."
(Hesiod, Theogony, 507-11)

In addition, Hesiod tells the story of how "foolish Epimetheus" was tricked by the cunning of Zeus into accepting a gift that caused a myriad of evils to be unleashed on mankind. Hesiod claims that Prometheus first deceived the ruler of the Greek gods. In turn, Zeus was compelled to seek his revenge by punishing the clever Titan. So Zeus devised a scheme of his own, and he recruited some of his fellow Olympians to help execute this plan.

Assisted by Athena, Hephaistos, and (in some versions of the tale) Hermes, Zeus came up with the idea of designing a creature who was so enchanting that no one could resist her charms. Just who was this beautiful being? It was Pandora, the first woman. Her name means "all gifts", and she was indeed graced with a number of alluring attributes. Epimetheus was so taken with Pandora that he eagerly agreed to marry her. And Epimetheus lived up to his name - afterthought - for not realizing what a dangerous creature Pandora really was, for according to Greek mythology, it was Pandora (it should be mentioned that Pandora was as curious as she was lovely) who released all manner of evil into the world.

Who's Who in Classical Mythology This book is a great source for information about Greek and Roman mythology! Organized alphabetically, this who's who features information about over 1200 of the most intriguing characters from Classical myth and legend.	Bulfinch's Mythology The stories of Classical myth come to life in Bulfinch's book. This edition also features legends from other cultures.	Mythography Forums Do you have a specific question about Greek, Roman, and Celtic mythology? Then try the Mythography forum!