How did Prometheus steal fire from Zeus? 

If mythology is a subject that draws you, then Prometheus doesn’t need an introduction. For the unversed, this Greek God of fire is the son of Uranus (Greek God representing sky) and Gaia Greek God representing Earth), often credited with the creation of humanity. Most popularly, Prometheus is known to have given mankind the gift of fire. But he did not create the fire himself. Instead, he stole it. Yes, Prometheus stole fire from none other than Zeus, the most powerful Greek God associated with thunder. Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus were allies of the gods and worked closely with Zeus. So, why do you think Prometheus stole fire from Zeus? Also, how was he punished for the crime? Here’s the fascinating story of Prometheus and the theft of fire, for you. 

Prometheus tricked Zeus 
According to Greek mythology, Zeus tasked Prometheus and his brother to create animals with God-like abilities, for the earth. Accordingly, Epimetheus made animals that could fly, swim and run super-fast. Prometheus also created humans, but he was forbidden to endow them with special skills. Disappointed that his creation lacked god-like abilities, he intended to teach Zeus a lesson. So, what did he do? He asked Zeus to collect a bull sacrifice after teaching humans how to make offerings. Prometheus divided the sacrifice into two piles. On one side, the healthy meat was placed under stinky, bloody guts. On the other side, the bones were covered in the fattest meat. When Zeus came to claim his sacrifice, which side do you think he chose? Obviously, the second one! When he uncovered the bones under the meat, he was furious.  

The stealing of fire 
Zeus, in his anger, decided not to punish Prometheus but hurt the thing he loved the most. What was it? It was humans, his creation! Zeus declared that no human on earth should use fire to cook or keep warm. After the curse, humans suffered due to cold and fear. And this was a sight Prometheus could not bear. So, one night, he went to Hephaestus, the god of blacksmithing. In his workshop, Prometheus took a spark of the god’s fire from the hearth and stored it in a vessel. He rekindled the flame and taught humans everything they needed to know to be strong. Zeus soon discovered Prometheus’s second act of betrayal, and this time, he decided to punish Prometheus. 

The punishment of Zeus 
Zeus’ vengeance was too severe. He bound Prometheus to a cliff using unbreakable bonds. He then summoned a vulture and instructed it to eat Prometheus’ liver every day. You may be wondering how the vulture could eat his liver every day. Prometheus had the ability to regenerate. So, every night, his liver would regrow, and the vulture would come and peck his liver away. This punishment continued for several years. One day, when Greek hero Hercules (son of Jupiter) was passing by, he saw the vulture and killed it with one of his arrows. However, Prometheus was not the only one to receive punishment, the whole of humanity suffered at the hands of Zeus! Zeas punished humans for too receiving fire from Prometheus. He created Pandora, the first woman out of clay. Through Pandora, all the negative aspects of life, illness, war and death would fall on humanity. Despite all this, Prometheus never once regretted stealing the fire throughout his punishment.