Mythical Males Dept.: Prometheus

Prometheus stole the sun's fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals. This act gave mortals an unfair advantage over the animals. It enabled mankind to forge weapons, cook the meat of the animals killed with those weapons, and, in overcoming cold weather, expand their dominance of Earth. This theft didn't sit well with Zeus, so he punished Prometheus by chaining him naked to the face off an inaccessible cliff. Each evening Prometheus was visited by a large bird of prey (usually depicted as an Eagle or a Vulture) that proceeded to eat the God's liver. Each day the liver restored itself and was thus eaten anew the following evening.


Prometheus is also described as being the creator of mankind who needed fire to fire the clay he made mortals from and imbue his creations with the spark of life. Giving fire to mortals was similar to the concept of God giving free will to man. It was the determinant that changed the Game of Life.