Zeus ordered the creation of Pandora according to Hesiod.
In Works and Days, Zeus acts against humanity after Prometheus deceives him and steals fire for humans. He instructs the gods to create a beautiful woman, Pandora, whose arrival will bring trouble to mortals. Different gods contribute qualities or skills to her creation.
The story presents Pandora as part of Zeus’s response to Prometheus’s challenge. Hephaestus shapes her from earth, while other gods give her gifts, helping explain the meaning of her name, “all-gifted.” Hermes is associated with giving her a deceptive or unreliable character in some summaries.
Modern retellings sometimes make Pandora the sole cause of the world’s problems. Hesiod’s version instead places responsibility within a larger divine conflict involving Zeus, Prometheus, fire, and the boundaries between gods and humans.