Epimetheus
| Epimetheus | |
|---|---|
Titan who embodies afterthought | |
 Epimetheus receiving Pandora rising from the earth, Attic red-figure volute-krater c. 450 BC in the Ashmolean Museum | |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Iapetus and Clymene |
| Siblings | Prometheus, Menoetius, Atlas |
| Consort | Pandora |
| Children | Prophasis, Pyrrha |
| Greek deities series |
|---|
| Titans |
| Descendants |
In Greek mythology, Epimetheus (/ɛpɪˈmiːθiəs/ ⓘ; Ancient Greek: Ἐπιμηθεύς, lit. 'afterthought') is the brother of Prometheus, with the complementary pair serving as archetypal representations of mankind. Both are sons of the Titan Iapetus; while Prometheus ("forethought, or foresight") is portrayed as ingeniously clever, Epimetheus ("afterthought, or hindsight") is considered inept and foolish. In some accounts of the myth, Epimetheus unleashes the unforeseen troubles in Pandora's box.
According to Plato's rendition of an origin myth, Epimetheus and Prometheus were entrusted with distributing the traits among the newly-created animals. Epimetheus was responsible for giving a positive trait to every animal, but when it was time to give man a positive trait, lacking foresight, he found that there was nothing left to give.