many years ago there lived two brothers who were not like other men or like the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus
the name of the elder of these brothers was Prometheus which means forethought
Prometheus was always thinking of the future and making things ready for what might happen tomorrow
or next week or next year or even in a hundred years time
the younger was called Epimetheus which means afterthought
Epimetheus was always so busy thinking of yesterday or last year
or a hundred years ago that he never worried at all about what might come to pass in the future
prometheus did not want to live amongst the clouds on Mount Olympus he was too busy for that
while the gods were spending their time in idleness drinking
he was planning how to make the world wiser and better than it had ever been before
so instead of living on Olympus Prometheus went out amongst man
to live with them and help them and he quickly noticed that they were no longer happy he found
them living in caves and in holes of the earth shivering in the cold because there was no fire
if they only had fire said prometheus to himself they could at least warm
themselves and cook their food and after a while they could learn to make tools and
build themselves houses without fire they are worse off than the beasts
Prometheus went boldly to Zeus and begged him to give fire to the people so that they might
have a little comfort through the long dreary months of winter
I will not said Zeus not one spark will I share with them
for if men had fire they might become strong and wise like us and after a while they would drive us out of our kingdom
Prometheus didn't answer but he had set his heart on helping mankind and he did not give up
as he was walking by the seashore he found a tall stalk of fennel he broke it off and then saw that its center was hollow
mankind shall have fire despite what Zeus has decided he said to himself
he carried the stalk with him as he began a long journey to the top of Mount Olympus
and with that thought he snuck quietly into Zeus's domain and stole a spark from Zeus's own lightning bolt
Prometheus hurried back to his own land carrying with him the precious spark hidden in the hollow center of the plant
when he reached home he called some of the Shivering people from their caves and built a fire for them
and showed them how to warm themselves by it and use it to cook their food men and women gathered around the fire
and were warm and happy and thankful to Prometheus for the wonderful gift which he had brought to them
one chilly winter evening zeus gazed down from Mount Olympus and noticed fires burning
cheerfully at the hearts of men and women in every village across the land it did not
take him long to realize that Prometheus had disobeyed him and given fire to men
Zeus was very angry and ordered that Prometheus be chained to the side
of a mountain to suffer there for all eternity and there Prometheus
stay thinking of the future happy in the knowledge that he had given fire to men