Hephaestus made Pandora from clay on Zeus’s instructions in the Greek myth of Pandora’s box. Hephaestus was the Olympian god associated with fire, metalworking, craft, and technological skill.
In Hesiod’s account, Zeus ordered Hephaestus to create Pandora as part of a punishment directed at humanity. Other gods then contributed qualities or gifts, helping explain her name, which is commonly interpreted as “all-gifted.”
The myth does not describe Pandora as an ordinary mortal born through human parents. Instead, she is fashioned by divine craftsmanship and animated within a story about fire, responsibility, and the relationship between gods and humans. Later retellings often simplify these details.