Prometheus (Ancient Greek: Προμηθεύς) is a Titan God of Forethought, knowledge, crafty counsel, fire and creator of mankind.
He is the son of Iapetus and Clymene His brothers include Atlas, Epimetheus, and Menoetius. In Greek mythology he is known for creating and aiding mankind with the gift of fire when Zeus took it away. He was also known to have foresight which greatly aided him in this task.
Mythology
Prometheus was given the task of creating man, after creating man he created birds from the sky and fish in the sea. Zeus failed twice creating a race that lacked longevity and another that was so sinful that he wiped them out. Prometheus created man in the image of the gods using clay. However when he saw his creations suffering in a cold, harsh world, he decided to aid them by giving them fire directly from Mt. Olympus with the aid of his then pupil Athena. Once man was giving fire he was able to thrive and became an intelligent creature. Zeus was furious that Prometheus gave man fire despite his orders otherwise. Prometheus avoided punishment for known but further enraged Zeus when he tricked Zeus into accepting a poor sacrifice of fat and bones instead of the meatier and more delectable parts of the animal. After these two tricks Zeus decided to chain Prometheus to a cliff and have his liver eaten by an eagle until he allows Heracles to free Prometheus.
Zeus decided this race of man was more troublesome than their worth and unleashed great floodwaters that killed all of them except Prometheus' son, Deucalion, and his wife who were warned by Prometheus. They repopulated the Earth by throwing stones over their shoulders and men arose from them.
In Popular Culture
In works of fiction in general, the name Prometheus is heavily used as name for space vessels and destructive weapons of mass scale.
Television
- In the Stargate universe, there is a military space vessel named Prometheus. The vessel is an advanced crafted built by reverse engineering Asgard technology.
- In One Piece, Prometheus is the sun homie used by Big Mom.
- In Legacies, Prometheus is the god who gave Humans magic after stealing it to save his lover's life.
Films
- Prometheus' name and mythological history are heavily used in the 2012 sci-fi/horror film Prometheus created by Ridley Scott.
Comics
- Prometheus is also the name of a villain in the DC comics continuity.
- Prometheus is also a hero in the Marvel universe, and has helped the Avengers from time to time.
Gallery
References
| Titans | |
|---|---|
| Parents | Ouranós · Gaîa |
| Elder Titans | Coeus · Crius · Cronus · Hyperion · Iapetus · Oceanus |
| Elder Titanesses | Phoebe · Mnemosyne · Rhea · Theia · Themis · Tethys |
| Coeonides | Asteria · Leto |
| Crionides | Astraeus · Pallas · Perses |
| Hyperionides | Eos · Hḗlios · Selene |
| Iapetonides | Atlas · Epimetheus · Menoetius · Prometheus |
| Oceanides | Oceanids (Clymene · Metis · Styx · Rhode) · Potamoi |
| Third Generation | Hecate · Astraea · Anemoi · Astra Planeta · Kratos · Nike · Bia · Zelus |
| Miscellaneous Titans | Dione · Anytos · Ophion · Eurynome (wife of Ophion) · Lelantos · Melisseus · Titan (brother of Helios) · Olymbros · Syceus · Titanic Muses |
| Topics | Overthrowing of Ouranós · Titanomachy |