In Greek mythology, Hephaestus was ordered to make Pandora’s human form from clay. Hesiod’s account in Works and Days describes Zeus directing Hephaestus to shape a woman who would become Pandora.
The creation is part of Zeus’s punishment of humanity after Prometheus stole fire for mortals. Pandora was not described as emerging naturally; she was fashioned by a divine craftsman and then equipped with qualities supplied by other gods.
Hephaestus is the Greek god associated with fire, metalworking, craftsmanship, and invention. Because the myth involves clay rather than metal, readers sometimes confuse Pandora’s maker with Prometheus, who is associated in later traditions with creating or shaping humans. The earliest surviving narrative instead gives the crafting task to Hephaestus.