In Greek mythology, Zeus ordered Hephaestus to make Pandora.
Hesiod presents Pandora’s creation as part of Zeus’s response to Prometheus. After Prometheus deceived Zeus and stole fire for humans, Zeus instructed Hephaestus, the divine smith, to shape a woman from earth. The other gods then contributed qualities, clothing, ornaments, and abilities.
This makes Zeus the planner and commander of the creation, while Hephaestus is the craftsman who physically formed Pandora. The distinction matters because modern summaries often say simply that Hephaestus created Pandora, leaving out Zeus’s command and the contributions of the other deities.
Pandora’s arrival is therefore not an accidental event in the myth. She is deliberately sent as a gift to humanity and is connected to Zeus’s punishment of Prometheus. The story also reverses the usual image of a gift as purely beneficial: Pandora appears attractive and valuable, but her container brings suffering into the human world.