Vulcan is the Roman equivalent of Hephaestus, the craftsman god who fashions Pandora in Greek mythology.
Hesiod describes Zeus ordering the gods to create Pandora, and Hephaestus shapes her from earth. Roman writers later identified Hephaestus with Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, metalworking and the forge. Thus a Roman retelling may name Vulcan where a Greek account names Hephaestus.
Vulcan’s workshop was imagined beneath volcanoes, and eruptions were associated with his fiery activity. His major Roman festival, the Vulcanalia, was held on 23 August. The English word “volcano” ultimately derives from Vulcan’s name.
Vulcan is not the same as Mars, Mercury or Neptune, who correspond to different Greek gods. The identification between Vulcan and Hephaestus is part of the broader Roman practice of equating Roman deities with Greek counterparts.