According to Hesiod, from what materials was Pandora formed?
Answer
Earth and water
According to Hesiod, Pandora was formed from earth and water.
In Works and Days, Zeus orders Hephaestus to make Pandora’s body from earth and to give it human form. The material is significant because it presents her as a fashioned mortal being rather than a goddess born in the usual divine manner.
The rest of Pandora’s qualities come through gifts from other gods. Athena teaches or dresses her, Aphrodite gives beauty, and Hermes supplies persuasive speech and a deceptive character in the traditional summary of the episode.
Retellings sometimes describe Pandora as being made from clay, which is a reasonable modern shorthand for earth mixed with water. However, “earth and water” is the specific material pairing associated with Hesiod’s account. The myth therefore combines craftsmanship, divine gifts, and a crafted human body.