In Greek mythology, who fashioned Pandora out of earth and water?

In Greek mythology, Hephaestus fashioned Pandora out of earth and water. Hesiod describes Zeus ordering the smith-god Hephaestus to create a woman’s form, which the other gods then enhanced with their own gifts.

Hephaestus was the Olympian god associated with fire, metalworking, and craftsmanship. His role in Pandora’s origin parallels his reputation as the divine maker of remarkable objects and figures. The myth presents Pandora as an artificial creation rather than as a person born through ordinary human generation.

After Hephaestus shaped her, several gods contributed qualities. Athena taught her crafts, Aphrodite gave her grace, and Hermes supplied traits associated with speech and character. Different summaries vary in how they phrase these gifts, because the fullest early account is poetic rather than a modern character biography.

The story is often compared with the creation of humans from clay in other traditions, but Pandora’s specific maker in Hesiod’s account is Hephaestus.