According to the ancient Greeks, Prometheus was considered a transformer of culture because he stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans. He tricked Zeus and because of this, he was considered a trickster. Today, trickster might imply someone who is dishonest, but here and in many other tales, it's more like a Robin Hood. Someone who takes from the rich and gives to the poor (rich being Zeus and poor being mankind). He tricked Zeus in order that mankind could have fire, thus making him a hero. He was considered a full-fledged savior of humankind, the source of every advance, from agriculture to literature. Because without fire, we have nothing.
Prometheus, whose name means forethought, was a god that sided with humans. He was always …show more content…
He wanted to make Earth a better place. He actually had a younger brother named Epiimetheus, which means Afterthought. Epimetheus was always so busy thinking about the past that he never thought about the future at all. Doesn't that sound familiar?
The story of Prometheus changes a bit thru history, starting out that Zeus was tricked by him. Later though, it was told that Zeus was never tricked at all because according to
Hesiod, Zeus is smarter than that, even though in the original writings, it seems clear that Zeus was indeed tricked. Whether or not this was the case, Zeus did become angry and sentenced immortal Prometheus to eternal torment. He was bound to a rock and each day an eagle, the emblem of Zeus, was sent by to feed on his liver, which would then grow back to be eaten again the next day. (Pretty harsh punishment). In some stories, Prometheus is eventually set free by Hercules, who kills the eagle.
Not only did Zeus punish Prometheus, he also punished man for accepting the gift of fire.
He had his son Hephaestus to create a woman, Pandora, who was given gifts of beauty and music. He also gave her a box, filled with hunger, sickness and old age, which she