The clever Titan Prometheus and his stupid brother Epimetheus were

spared imprisonment in Tartarus because they had kept their neutrality

in the war between the Olympians and the Titans. According to one
tradition Prometheus shaped man out of mud, and Athena breathed life
into the clay figure. Once man was created, however, Prometheus
allowed his scatterbrained brother, Epimetheus, to dispense various
qualities to the animals and man. So Epimetheus began by giving the
best traits to the animals swiftness, courage, cunning, stealth, and
the like and he wound up with nothing to give to man. So Prometheus
took the matter in hand and gave man an upright posture like the gods.
And this gift enabled him to survive.
Prometheus had little love for the Olympians, who had banished his
fellow Titans to the depths of Tartarus. His primary affection was for
man. Now man had to make animal sacrifices to the gods, but a certain
portion of the animal was to be given to the gods and a certain
portion to man. Zeus had to decide. So Prometheus made two piles. He
wrapped the bones in juicy fat and he hid the meat under the ugly
hide. Zeus chose the bones wrapped in fat, much to his anger.
In retaliation Zeus deprived man of fire. But Prometheus was not to be
stopped. He went up to heaven and lighted his torch at the sun and
carried it back to earth. Zeus was livid with rage when he saw that
man had fire. He ordered that Hephaestus create a mortal of stunning
beauty, and when Hephaestus had done so the gods gave this new
creature many gifts. But Hermes gave it a deceptive heart and a lying
tongue. This was the first woman, Pandora, and a worse calamity never
befell man.
Prometheus had warned his brother Epimetheus about accepting gifts
from Zeus. Yet when Epimetheus saw this radiant creature Pandora he
could not resist her. She had brought with her a jar that she was
forbidden to open. But being a woman, her curiosity won out. As she
opened the lid a multitude of evils flew out and scattered over the
world to afflict man. Still, there remained in the jar one consolation
for man Hope. With all the misery Pandora had unleashed hope was the
only thing that could keep mankind going.
For Prometheus, Zeus reserved a special punishment. In addition to
anger at the sacrifice trick and the theft of fire, Zeus knew that
Prometheus held the secret of the god who would finally dethrone him.
In defiance Prometheus would not tell the secret. Zeus had Prometheus
chained to a rock in the Caucasus, and every day he sent an eagle to
peck out the Titan's liver, which grew back again every night. This
agony was drawn out for ages. There were two conditions on which he
could be released from the rock: first, that an immortal must suffer
death for Prometheus, and, second, that a mortal must slay the eagle
and unchain him. And in time the Centaur Chiron did agree to die for
him, while Heracles killed the eagle and unbound him.

Prometheus and Epimetheus, two Titans, were spared imprisonment in

Tartarus after the Titanomachy, the War between the Titans and the
Olympians, because they had not fought alongside the other Titans.
Instead, they were given the task of creating man. Prometheus shaped
man out of mud, and Athena breathed life into his clay figure.
Prometheus assigned Epimetheus with the task of giving the creatures
of the earth their various qualities, such as swiftness, cunning,
strength, fur, wings. Unfortunately, by the time he got to man,
Epimetheus had given all the good qualities out and there were none
left for man. So Prometheus decided to make man stand upright just
like the gods did and to give them fire.
Prometheus loved man more than the Olympians, who had banished most of
his family to Tartarus. So when Zeus decreed that man must sacrifice a
portion of each food to the gods, Prometheus decided to trick Zeus. He
created two piles, one with bones wrapped in juicy fat, and another
with the finest meat hidden inside a hide. He then asked Zeus to
choose one of the piles; Zeus, unaware, chose the bones and since he
had given his word, was forced to accept the bones as his share for
future sacrifices. In his anger over the trick, he took fire away from
man. However, Prometheus lit a torch from the sun and brought it back
again to man. Zeus was enraged that man again had fire. He decided to
inflict a terrible punishment on both man and Prometheus.
To punish man, Zeus had Hephaestus create a mortal of stunning beauty.
The gods gave the mortal many gifts of wealth. He then had Hermes give
the mortal a deceptive heart and a lying tongue. This creation was
Pandora, the first woman. A final gift was a jar which Pandora was
forbidden to open. Thus, Zeus sent Pandora to Epimetheus, who had
decided to live amongst men.
Prometheus had warned Epimetheus not to accept gifts from Zeus, but
Pandora's beauty was too great; so, he let her stay. Eventually,
Pandora's curiosity about the forbidden jar overwhelmed her; she
opened it, releasing all evils upon the earth. Only one thing was left
in the jar when Pandora managed to close the lid again - hope.
Zeus was angry at Prometheus for three things: being tricked on
sacrifices, stealing fire for man, and for refusing to tell Zeus which
of Zeus's children would dethrone him. Zeus commanded his servants,
Force and Violence, to seize Prometheus, take him to the Caucasus
Mountains, and chain him to a rock with unbreakable, diamond chains.
There, he was tormented day and night by a giant eagle tearing at his
liver. Zeus gave Prometheus two ways out of this torment. He could
tell Zeus who the mother of the child that would dethrone him was. Or
meet two conditions: first, that an immortal must volunteer to die for
Prometheus. And second, that a mortal must kill the eagle and unchain
him. Eventually, Chiron the Centaur agreed to die for him and Heracles
killed the eagle and unbound him.