In Greek mythology, Hephaestus fashioned Pandora from earth before Zeus sent her to humanity.
Hesiod’s Works and Days describes Pandora as the first woman, created after Zeus sought to punish humanity for Prometheus’s theft of fire. Zeus instructed Hephaestus, the divine smith, to shape her from earth and give her a human form. Other gods then contributed qualities, gifts, or skills, depending on how the passage is interpreted.
This detail is sometimes confused with the roles of Prometheus and Epimetheus. Prometheus is associated with stealing fire and warning against trusting Zeus, while Epimetheus receives Pandora despite his brother’s caution. Hermes is connected with giving Pandora a deceptive mind and speech, but he does not fashion her body. The myth is preserved most fully in Hesiod’s works, rather than in a single canonical Greek “Pandora’s box” story.