In Greek mythology, Zeus ordered the gods to create Pandora as part of a punishment for humanity.
Hesiod connects Pandora’s arrival with Prometheus’s deception of Zeus and his theft of fire for humans. Zeus responded by ordering the creation of a woman who would bring consequences to humanity. The gods contributed different qualities: Hephaestus shaped her, while other deities supplied gifts or adornments in the poetic account.
Pandora’s name is commonly interpreted as “all-gifted” or “all-giving,” reflecting the many gifts she received from the gods. She was presented to Epimetheus, who accepted her despite Prometheus’s warning not to accept anything from Zeus. The story thus links divine punishment, human curiosity, and the origin of suffering.
Zeus is sometimes replaced in modern retellings by a generic group of gods, but the ancient narrative gives the decision to Zeus. Pandora was not independently created by Hephaestus; he was one of the divine craftsmen involved in making her.