Epimetheus

� EPIMETHEUS was the Titan god of afterthought, the father of excuses. He and his brother Prometheus were given the task of populating the earth with animals and men. However, Epimetheus quickly exhausted the supply of gifts allotted for the task in the equipment of animals, leaving Prometheus' masterpiece, mankind, completely helpless. As a result the Titan brother was forced to steal fire from heaven to arm them. Zeus was angered by this theft and ordered the creation of Pandora, the first woman, as a means to deliver evil into the house of man. Despite the warnings of his brother, Epimetheus happily received her as his bride, but as soon as she arrived she lifted the lid of a jar entrusted her by the gods, releasing a plague of harmful daimones (spirits) to trouble mankind. Only Hope ( Elpis ) remained behind to succor the unfortunate race.

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In Greek mythology, Epimetheus was one of the more flawed Titans. He is often mentioned in conjunction with his famous brother Prometheus. Epimetheus means "afterthought", while Prometheus means "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. According to most sources on Mythology, Epimetheus was the son of the Titan Iapetos and the Oceanid Clymene. Even in birth, Epimetheus was dicribed as foolish. Another story tells of how "foolish Epimetheus" was tricked by the Zeus into accepting a gift that caused a group of evils to be unleashed on mankind. It is claimed that Prometheus first deceived Zeus and in return, Zeus seeked his revenge by punishing the clever Titan. So Zeus devised a plan of his own, and he drafted Athena and Hephaistos to help execute this plan. Zeus came up with the idea of designing a creature that was so enchanting that no one could resist her charms. Just who was this beautiful being? It was Pandora, the first human woman. She was graced with a number of alluring attributes. Epimetheus was so taken with Pandora that he eagerly agreed to marry her. Epimetheus lived up to his name - afterthought - for not realizing what a dangerous creature Pandora really was, for according to Greek the myth of Pandora's box, it was Pandora who released all manner of evil into the world. �

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