Prometheus the Fire-Bringer (Ancient Greek: Προμηθεὺς Πυρφόρος,Promētheús Pyrphóros) was probably the finalplay in thePrometheia trilogy traditionally ascribed to the 5th century BCGreektragedianAeschylus.[1]
As conventionally reconstructed, this trilogy reimagines the myths ofPrometheus found inHesiod'sTheogony andWorks and Days. In the first play,Prometheus Bound, theTitan is chained to a rock and tortured for giving fire tohumankind, as well as teaching them other arts of civilization. In the sequel,Prometheus Unbound, the Greek heroHeracles kills the eagle thatZeus sent to consume Prometheus' regenerating liver every day, and then frees the Titan from his chains.[2]
Only a single line of dialogue survives fromFire-Bringer:
Quiet, where need is; and talking to the point.[3]
Additionally, according to ascholium at line 94 ofPrometheus Bound, theTitan claims inFire-Bringer that he had been bound for thirty-thousand years.
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Despite the paucity of direct evidence, Prometheus' foreshadowing of future events in the trilogy's first play suggests that the final play concerned itself with Prometheus' knowledge of a secret that could potentially lead to Zeus's downfall, and how the revelation of this secret leads to reconciliation between the Titan and Olympian. The secret is this:Thetis theNereid, whom Zeus wants to take as a lover, is fated to bear a child greater than its father. Lying with her, then, would result in Zeus's being overthrown just as he had overthrown his own father,Cronus. During the course of the drama, Prometheus decides to warn Zeus about Thetis. Rather than lie with her, Zeus marries her off to the mortalPeleus, King ofAegina. The product of this union will indeed be a son greater than the father, namelyAchilles, Greek hero of theTrojan War. Consequently, Zeus reconciles with Prometheus.
Finally,Athenaeus[4] wrote of a contemporary Athenian festival dedicated to Prometheus:
Aeschylus clearly states in theUnbound that in honor of Prometheus we place a garland on the head as recompense of his bondage.[citation needed]
Some scholars have taken this to mean that in theUnbound, Prometheus prophesies that eventually (in theFire-Bringer), Zeus would reconcile with him, and institute some kind of festival in his honor. Given the title of the play, and considering that Aeschylus'Oresteia provides anaetiology forAthens'sAreopagus, it has been suggested thatPrometheus the Fire-Bringer concludes with providing an aetiology for a yearly Athenian torch race honoring the Titan.
A minority of scholars believe thatPrometheus the Fire-Bringer is actually the first play in the trilogy.[5] One reason is thatPrometheus Bound beginsin medias res. According to this theory,Prometheus the Fire-Bringer would dramatize the Titan's theft of fire as described in theTheogony.
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