A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

/i44 PROMETHEUS. PROMETHEUS.
3. A son of Alegenor, a Boeotian, fought in the fame (Hes. T/zeog. 521, &c., Opa. et Dies, 47, &c.
Trojan war. (Hom. I. xiv. 475.) Hygin. Poet. Astr. ii. 15; Apollod. ii. 5. ~ 11).
4. A son of Heracles and brother of Echephron. Prometheus had cautioned his brother Epimetheus
(Paus. viii. 42. ~ 2 - comp. ECHEPHRON.) against accepting any present from Zeus, but Epi5. The name Promachus, that is, " the champion," metheus, disregarding the advice, accepted Pandora,
also occurs as a surname of Heracles at Thebes who was sent to him by Zeus, through the media(Paus. ix. 11. ~ 2), and of Hermes at Tanagra (ix. tion of Hermes. Pandora then lifted the lid of the
22. ~ 2). [L. S.] vessel in which the foresight of Prometheus had
PROMAITHIDES (rIpola0isrls), of Heracleia, concealed all the evils which might torment mortals
wrote a work entitled'HjIuCalol, which treated of in life. Diseases and sufferings of every kind now
mythological subjects (Athen. vii. p. 296, b.). Be- issued forth, but deceitful hope alone remained besides this work, which must have been in poetry, hind (Hes. Op. et Dies, 83, &c.; comp. Horat.
Promathides also wrote other works in prose, Carm. i. 3. 25, &c.). This is an outline of the
among which was one on the history of his native legend about Prometheus, as contained in the poems
town. Athenaeus quotes his account of the cup of of Hesiod. Aeschylus, in his trilogy Prometheus,
Nestor (Athen. xi. p. 489, b.; Schol. ad Apoll. added various new features to it, for, according to
Rkod. i. 1126, ii. 815, 847, 913, 931; Steph. Byz. him, Prometheus himself is an immortal,od, the
s. v. raAAho). Promathides is placed by Passow a friend of the human race, the giver of fire, the
little before the time of Augustus. (Vossius, de inventor of the useful arts, an omniscient seer, an
Hist. Graec. p. 492, ed. Westermann.) heroic sufferer, who is overcome by the superior
PROMETHEUS (Hpoir0ev's), is sometimes power of Zeus, but will not bend his inflexible
called a Titan, though in reality he did not belong mind. Although he himself belonged to the Titans,
to the Titans, bhut was only a son of the Titan he is nevertheless represented as having assisted
Iapetus (whence he is designated by the patronymic Zeus against the Titans (Prom. 218), and he is'IaTreTlovl35ls, Hes. Theog. 528; Apollon Rhod. further said to have opened the head of Zeus when
iii. 1087), by Clymene, so that he was a brother the latter gave birth to Athena (Apollod. i. 3. ~ 6).
of Atlas, Menoetius, and Epimetheus (Hes. Theog. But when Zeus succeeded to the kingdom of
507). His name signifies " forethought," as that heaven, and wanted to extirpate the whole race of
of his brother Epimetheus denotes "afterthought." man, the place of which he proposed to give to quite
Others call Prometheus a son of Themis (Aeschyl. a new race of beings, Prometheus prevented the
Prom. 18), or of Uranus and Clymene, or of the execution of the scheme, and saved the human race
Titan Eurymedon and Hera (Potter, Cozmment. ad from destruction (Prom. 228, 233). He deprived
Lye. Cass. 1283; Eustath. ad Hom. p. 987). By them of their knowledge of the future, and gave
Pandora, Hesione, or Axiothea, he is said to have them hope instead (248, &c.). He further taught
been the father of Deucalion (Aesch. Prom. 560; them the use of fire, made them acquainted with
Tzetz. ad Lye. 1283; Schol. ad Apollon. Rhod. ii. architecture, astronomy, mathematics, the art of
1086), by Pyrrha or Clymene he begot Hellen writing, the treatment of domestic animals, naviga(and according to some also Deucalion; Schol. ad tion, medicine, the art of prophecy, working in
Apollon. 1. c.; Schol. ad Pind. 01. ix. 68), and by metal, and all the other arts (252, 445, &c., 480,
Celaeno he was the faither of Lycus and Chimareus &c.). But, as inl all these things he had acted con(Tzetz. ad. Lyc. 132, 219), while Herodotus (iv. trary to the will of Zeus, the latter ordered He45) calls his wife Asia. The following is an out- phaestus to chain him to a rock in Scythia, which
line of the legends related of him by the ancients. was done in the presence of Cratos and Bia, two
Once in the reign of Zeus, when gods and men ministers of Zeus. In Scythia he was visited by
were disputing with one another at Mecone (after- the Oceanides; Io also came to him, and he forewards Sicyon, Schol. ad Pind. Nem. ix. 123), told her the wanderings and sufferings which were
Prometheus, with a view to deceive Zeus and rival yet in store for her, as well as her final relief (703,
him in prudence, cut up a bull and divided it into &c.). Hermes then likewise appears, and desires
two parts: he wrapped up the best parts and the him to make known a prophecy which was of great
intestines in the skin, and at the top he placed the importance to Zeus, for Prometheus knew that by
stomach, which is one of the worst parts, while the a certain woman Zeus would beget a son, who was
second heap consisted of the bones covered with to dethrone his father, and Zeus wanted to have a
fat. When Zeus pointed out to him how badly he more accurate knowledge of this decree of fate.
had made the division, Prometheus desired him to But Prometheus steadfastly refused to reveal the
choose, but Zeus, in his anger, and seeing through decree of fate, whereupon Zeus, by a thunderbolt,
the stratagem of Prometheus, chose the heap of sent Prometheus, together with the rock to which
bones covered with the fat. The father of the he was chained, into Tartarus (Horat. Carm. ii. 18,
gods avenged himself by withholding fire from 35). After the lapse of a long time, Prometheus
mortals, but Prometheus stole it in a hollow tube returned to the upper world, to endure a fresh
(ferula, vdpO0n~, Aeschyl. Prom. 110). Zeus now, course of suffering, for he was now fastened to
in order to punish men, caused Hephaestus to mount Caucasus, and tormented by an eagle, which
mould a virgin, Pandora, of earth, whom Athena every day, or every third day, devoured his liver,
adorned with all the charms calculated to entice which was restored again in the night (Apollon.
mortals; Prometheus himself was put in chains, Rhod. ii. 1247, &c. iii. 853; Strab. xv. p. 688;
and fastened to a pillar, where an eagle sent by Philostr. Vit. Apoll. ii. 3; Hygin. Poet. Astr. ii.
Zeus consumed in the daytime his liver, which, 15; Aeschyl. Prom. 1015, &c.). This state of
in every succeeding night, was restored again. suffering was to last until some other god, of his
Prometheus was thus exposed to perpetual torture, own accord, should take his place, and descend
but Heracles killed the eagle and delivered the into Tartarus for him (Prom. 1025). This came
sufferer, with the consent of Zeus, who thus had to pass when Cheiron, who had been incurably
an opportunity of allowing his son to gain immortal wounded by an arrow of Heracles, desired to go