In Greek mythology, Hermes gave Pandora speech and a deceptive character.
Hesiod’s Works and Days presents Pandora as a coordinated creation by the gods. Hermes, the Olympian messenger and herald, gives her speech and a mind described in terms of deception and cunning. His role helps explain the name Pandora receives: she is connected with gifts from all the gods.
The myth’s portrayal reflects Hesiod’s broader themes about labor, marriage, and the troubles introduced into human life. Pandora is not simply described as an ordinary woman; her attributes are deliberately supplied by divine powers under Zeus’s direction.
This detail is easy to confuse with Hermes’s later popular image as merely a messenger. In Greek mythology he also governs travel, trade, boundaries, persuasion, and trickery. Hephaestus makes Pandora, while Hermes contributes her speech and character.