In Greek mythology, Hephaestus shaped Pandora from earth according to later artistic traditions.
Hephaestus was the Olympian god of fire, metalworking, craft, and skilled manufacture. Because of those associations, later artists and writers often identified him as the deity who fashioned Pandora’s body. Ancient and modern depictions commonly show him creating or presenting her among the gods.
The details are not identical in every source. Hesiod describes the gods ordering and contributing to Pandora’s creation, but the role of a single sculptor is emphasized more strongly in later interpretations. Athena is associated with teaching her crafts, Aphrodite with beauty, and Hermes with speech or a deceptive temperament.
This division of divine gifts is a major feature of the myth’s symbolism. Pandora is made attractive and accomplished, yet the gifts can also function as instruments of Zeus’s punishment. Her creation is therefore both a divine masterpiece and a dangerous package of powers.
Hephaestus should not be confused with Prometheus, who is linked to the theft of fire. One creates Pandora in later tradition; the other brings fire to humanity.