In Greek mythology, Hephaestus created Pandora’s human form from clay according to a common later tradition.
Hephaestus was the Olympian god associated with fire, metalworking, smithing, and craftsmanship. Many artistic and literary retellings therefore assign him the practical task of shaping Pandora, often from earth or clay, under Zeus’s command. The other gods then provide qualities or adornments, giving the episode the structure of a divine production assembled from separate gifts.
Hesiod’s surviving poems do not provide every detail in the form familiar from modern illustrations. Later classical art and retellings expanded the creation scene, and artists frequently showed Hephaestus presenting or shaping Pandora before the assembled gods. This is one reason the myth is often confused with unrelated creation stories involving molded humans. Pandora is specifically tied to the punishment that follows Prometheus’s gift of fire, while Hephaestus’s role reflects his identity as the gods’ master craftsman.