Prometheus and the Theft of Fire

Author: Hesiod

Time Period: 999 BCE–1 BCE

Country or Culture: Greece

Genre: Myth

PLOT SUMMARY

As the gods of ancient Greece gather to eat, the Titan Prometheus decides to play a trick on Zeus, the god of thunder and the leader of the Olympian pantheon. Prometheus places two food offerings before Zeus, the first a delicious piece of beef hidden inside of a revolting ox’s stomach and the second the hard bone of a bull wrapped in delectable fat. Zeus selects the second piece of food, and because of this humans begin to sacrifice bones wrapped in fat to him while keeping the tastiest and most nourishing food for themselves.

Zeus is furious at this deception and decides to punish the humans, even though it was truly Prometheus who wronged him. First, he takes away the secret of the crops. Were humans to know this secret, they could work only a single day and create enough food to feed themselves for the entire year, freeing large spans of time for relaxation and celebration. He also takes away fire, which the humans need to cook their food. Prometheus sees the harsh punishments Zeus is inflicting on the humans and decides to come to their aid, using a giant rod from a fennel plant to steal fire from Zeus and return it to the mortals.

When Zeus sees that Prometheus has again made a fool of him in order to benefit the humans, he decides further punishments are needed. He then summons the god Hephaestus and tells him to gather mud and water and mold them into a form much like that of a human man. Zeus then has Hephaestus place human strength and a pretty voice inside of the form, modeling it after the goddesses. This creature of mud becomes a creature of flesh, whom Zeus names Pandora. Zeus is pleased that he has created something that will cause the human men great pain.

Zeus then instructs the messenger of the gods, Hermes, to deliver Pandora to Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus and a Titan who also often aids the mortals. Prometheus, expecting such a trick, had already visited Epimetheus and warned him never to accept a gift from Zeus, for such a gift would likely be a trap rather than an actual boon. Epimetheus, however, is so pleased by the sight of Pandora and the seeming generosity of Zeus that he accepts the gift. It is only later, after Pandora reveals her true nature, that Epimetheus understands the mistake he has made and the humans are punished once more for the meddling of the gods. Prometheus himself is chained to a mountain and forced to endure the daily torture of an eagle eating his liver. As he is immortal, his liver grows back each night, providing a new meal for the eagle and fresh punishment for the Titan who dared to disobey the ruler of the gods.

SIGNIFICANCE

Before the birth of the Olympian gods who dominate Greek mythology, another pantheon of gods called the Titans ruled the universe. While most of the Titans were essentially banished from Greek mythology after Zeus led his rebellion against them, Prometheus lingered, playing a significant role in clarifying the relationship between the gods and humans.

Arguably more than any other Greek deity, Prometheus is defined by his strong alliance with mortals. He continually risks his own safety and power in order to support humans and, in some accounts, is even responsible for their creation. The myth of Prometheus’s theft of fire is no exception; even though Zeus clearly holds greater power than Prometheus, the Titan still dares to trick the Olympian, secreting away the vital resource so that humans will be able to continue developing their civilization. While this is in character for Prometheus, the cruelty with which Zeus casts his punishment on the humans seems to contradict some later depictions of the thunder god. This particular myth, however, takes place in the early days of Olympian rule, and the tension between Zeus and Prometheus is meant not to define Zeus for all time but rather to define the unclear relationship between humanity and the deities. As foils, neither Zeus nor Prometheus entirely trumps the other; instead, fire is taken away and given back, the secrets of agriculture are both partially hidden and partially revealed, and the punishment of Pandora is as much a gift as it is a curse. The myth, then, highlights the ambiguity of the relationship between humans and a pantheon of gods who are at once both loving and spiteful.

The idea of a god such as Prometheus rallying for humans despite the uncaring attitude of more powerful deities resonated with writers and artists for centuries, and he eventually became a symbol of the human pursuit of scientific knowledge. On a basic level, the control of fire is one of the first technologies that humans developed, and the ability to stay warm and cook food allowed for the early development of civilization. The myth of Prometheus asserts the necessity of such pursuits while suggesting that they are not so easily earned and often come with their own unique consequences, just as the acquisition of fire results in the creation of Pandora. A range of more modern works continue with this idea, among them Mary Shelley’s nineteenth-century novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, in which a scientist pushes the limits of knowledge in order to create life out of death, only to achieve disastrous and disturbing results.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

“Pandora, in Greek Mythology.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. 6th ed. Literary Reference Center. Web. 6 June 2013.

Power, Carl, and John E. J. Rasko. “Whither Prometheus’ Liver? Greek Myth and the Science of Regeneration.” Annals of Internal Medicine 149.6 (2008): 421–26. Print.

“Prometheus: The Theft of Fire and Instruction of Men in the Arts.” Theoi Greek Mythology. Aaron J. Atsma, 2011. Web. 6 June 2013.

“Prometheus Unbound.” Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia. New York: Harper, 1996. 833. Print.

Weigel, James, Jr. “Prometheus Bound.” Masterplots. Ed. Laurence W. Mazzeno. 4th ed. Vol. 9. Pasadena: Salem, 2010. 4731–33. Print.