Prometheus (Punishment)
titanTitan who stole fire from the gods for humanity and was chained to a mountain where an eagle ate his liver daily.
The Myth
An eagle tore out his liver every day for thirty thousand years — and he never once regretted giving fire to humanity. Prometheus stole fire from Olympus and gave it to mortals. Zeus chained him to a rock in the Caucasus mountains and sent an eagle to devour his liver each day; it regenerated each night. Heracles eventually freed him by killing the eagle with an arrow. Aeschylus's Prometheus Bound shows him defiant, prophesying Zeus's eventual downfall. The Romantic poets (Shelley, Byron) made him the ultimate rebel-hero. His name means forethought — he knew the punishment and chose to help humanity anyway. Prometheus is the archetype of every figure who suffers for giving knowledge to power's subjects.
Children
Symbols
Fun Fact
The word Promethean — meaning daringly original or creative — treats theft and punishment as the price of innovation.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Prometheus (Titan)
titanPrometheus the Titan was the creator and champion of humanity whose gift of fire sparked...
Prometheus
titanThe Titan who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity, earning eternal punishment....
Prometheus (Culture Hero)
heroPrometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity, for which Zeus chained him to a rock...
Prometheus Bound (Myth)
conceptThe punishment of Prometheus, chained to a rock in the Caucasus where an eagle devoured his...
Iapetus
titanIapetus was the Titan whose sons shaped humanity's relationship with the gods more than any other...
Zeus
godSupreme ruler of the Olympian gods and lord of the sky. Zeus overthrew his father Kronos and...
Deucalion
heroDeucalion survived Zeus's flood and repopulated the earth by throwing stones.
Deucalion (Flood)
heroSon of Prometheus who survived Zeus's great flood by building an ark on his father's advice, then...
Heracles
heroThe greatest hero of Greek mythology, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. Famous for his...
Prometheus (Fire)
conceptThe fire stolen from the gods by Prometheus and given to humanity, enabling civilization. Fire...
Zeus (King)
godZeus was the king of the Olympian gods, ruler of the sky, wielder of the thunderbolt — the supreme...
Zeus Xenios
godAn epithet of Zeus as guardian of guests and the sacred law of hospitality (xenia), whose violation...