It tells us the various versions of the Greek myth that Prometheus (foreseeing or prudent, farsighted) is the creator of mankind. He was one of the Titans, son of Jápetus and Climene and also brother of Epimetheus (which he sees later, inconsequential), Atlas and Menecio. The latter two joined Kronos in the battle of the Titans against the Olympian gods and, for failing, were chastised by Zeus who then became the greatest of all gods.
Anticipating the end of the war, Prometheus joined Zeus and recommended that his brother Epimetheus do the same. With that, Prometheus was increasing his talents and knowledge, which aroused the wrath of Zeus, who decided to end humanity. But at the request of Prometheus, the protector of men, he did not.
One day, a bull was offered as a sacrifice and it was up to Prometheus to decide which parts would fall to men and which parts would fall to the gods. So Prometheus killed the bull and made two sacks with the leather. In one he placed the meat and in the other the bones and fat. By offering Zeus to choose, Zeus chose what contained lard and, for this act, punished Prometheus by removing fire from humans.
After that, it was up to Epimetheus to distribute qualities to the beings so that they could survive. To some he gave speed, to others strength; to others it still gave wings, etc. However, Epimetheus, who does not know how to measure the consequences of his actions, did not leave any quality for the humans, who were left unprotected and without resources.
It was then that Prometheus entered Olympus (the mountain where the gods resided) and stole a spark of fire to deliver to men. Fire represented the intelligence to build dwellings, defenses and, from that, force the creation of laws for common life. Thus arises the policy for men to live collectively, defend themselves from wild beasts and external enemies, as well as develop all the techniques.
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Zeus swore revenge and asked the lame god Hephaestus to make a woman out of clay and that the four winds would blow her life and also that all the goddesses would adorn her. This woman was Pandora (pan = all, dora = present), the first and most beautiful woman ever created and who was given, as a strategy of revenge, to Epimetheus, who, warned by his brother, respectfully refused the gift.
Even more furious, Zeus chained Prometheus to a mound and imposed a painful punishment, in which a bird of prey would devour his liver during the day and at night the liver would grow again so that the next day it would be devoured again, and so on. eternity.
However, to disguise his cruelty, Zeus spread a rumor that Prometheus had been invited to Olympus by Athena for a secret love affair. With this, Epimetheus, fearing his brother's fate, married Pandora who, upon opening a box sent as a gift (and which Prometheus had warned not to do), spread all the misfortunes on humanity (work, old age, disease, plagues, vices, lies, etc.), leaving only the illusory within it. hope.
Therefore, the myth of Pandora's box means that reckless and fearful man is attributed to human evils as a consequence of his lack of knowledge and foresight. It is also curious to observe how man depends on his own intelligence not to be in the hands of fate, the weather and humans themselves.
By João Francisco P. Cabral
Brazil School Collaborator
Graduated in Philosophy from the Federal University of Uberlândia - UFU
Master's student in Philosophy at the State University of Campinas - UNICAMP
