In the conflict between Cronus and Zeus, Prometheus had adopted the cause of the Olympian deities. To him and his brother Epimetheus was now committed the office of making man and providing him and all other animals with the faculties necessary for their preservation. Epimetheus proceeded to bestow upon the different animals the various gifts of courage, strength, swiftness, and sagacity. Taking some earth and kneading it with water, Prometheus made man in the image of the gods. He gave him an upright stature. Then since Epimetheus had been so prodigal of his gifts to other animals that no blessing was left worth conferring upon the noblest of creatures, Prometheus ascended to heaven, lighted his torch at the chariot of the sun, and brought down fire. But it was only rather grudgingly that Zeus granted mortals the use of fire.

　　Then there came the occasion that when gods and men were in dispute at Sicyon concerning the prerogatives of each, Prometheus, by an ingenious trick, attempted to settle the question in favor of man. Dividing into two portions a sacrificial bull, he wrapped all the eatable parts in the skin, cunningly surmounted with uninviting entrails; but the bones he garnished with a plausible mass of fat. He then offered Zeus his choice. The king of Heaven, although he perceived the intended fraud, took the heap of bones and fat, and forthwith availing himself of this insult as an excuse for punishing mankind, deprived the race of fire. But Prometheus regained the treasure, stealing it from Heaven in a hollow tube.

　　By Zeus' order Prometheus was chained to a rock on Mount Caucasus, and subjected to the attack of an eagle which, for ages, preyed upon his liver, yet succeeded not in consuming it. In his steadfastness to withstand the torment the Titan was supported by the knowledge that in the thirteenth generation there should arrive a hero, sprung from Zeus himself, to release him. And in fullness of time the hero did arrive: none other than the mighty Hercules. He killed the eagle and set Prometheus free. Hercules utters these words to the Titan ——

　　The soul of man can never be enslaved

　　Save by its own infirmities, nor freed

　　Save by its very strength and own resolve

　　And constant vision and supreme endeavor!

　　You will be free? Then, courage, O my brother!

　　O let the soul stand in the open door

　　Of life and death and knowledge and desire

　　And see the peaks of thought kindle with sunrise!

　　Then shall the soul return to rest no more,

　　Nor harvest dreams in the dark field of sleep -

　　Rather the soul shall go with great resolve

　　To dwell at last upon the shining mountains

　　In liberal converse with the eternal stars.

　　在克洛諾斯反對宙斯的斗爭中，普羅米修斯站在奧林帕斯山諸神這邊。之后塑造人和賦予人和其他所有動(dòng)物以生存本領(lǐng)的任務(wù)就交給了他和他的弟弟厄庇墨透斯。厄庇墨透斯將勇敢、力氣、快速、伶俐等天賦分別賜予各種動(dòng)物。普羅米修斯則用土和水揉成了泥，照著神的模樣捏出了人;他使人呈站立的姿勢。厄庇墨透斯把各種天資都慷慨地贈(zèng)予了其他動(dòng)物，竟沒有剩下什么像樣的天賦能賜給最崇高的被造物了。於是米修斯升到天上，在太陽馬車那里點(diǎn)燃了一只火把，將火送到地上來�？墒侵嫠箙s是不大樂意允準(zhǔn)人們用火的。有一次，神和人在錫西昂對各自的權(quán)限爭執(zhí)不休，普羅米修斯耍了一個(gè)聰明的計(jì)謀，企圖使問題的解決對人類有利。他把一頭獻(xiàn)祭用的牛分成兩份，把所有可食用的部分包在牛皮里，并狡滑地在上面擺滿不討人喜歡的內(nèi)臟;把骨頭用一層肥脂裹起來，看上去像是好肉。然后他讓宙斯挑選.天國看穿了他的計(jì)謀，但還是挑了那堆骨頭和肥膘，從而利用這一侮辱為藉口剝奪人類用火的權(quán)利。但是普羅米修斯用一根空心管子從天府偷盜火種，再次取得了寶貴的天火。

　　為此，宙斯下令將普羅火修斯鎖在高加索山上的一塊絕巖峭壁上，成年累月地受著一只老鷹的折磨，它天天啄食他的肝，卻總不把它吃光。這位泰坦巨人堅(jiān)忍不拔地忍受著煎熬，因?yàn)樗�知道在第十三代時(shí)就會(huì)有一個(gè)英雄，宙斯的親兒子，來解救他。時(shí)刻一到英雄真的來了，他不是別人，就是那個(gè)大力士�？肆λ�。他殺了老鷹，解放了普羅米修斯。