In Greek mythology, Zeus sent Pandora to live among humans. Her arrival forms part of Zeus’s punishment for Prometheus’s theft of fire and for the benefits that fire brought to humanity. Pandora’s story is therefore connected to the conflict between Zeus and Prometheus.
Hesiod describes Pandora as being fashioned by the gods and then presented to Epimetheus. Although several deities contribute qualities to her creation, Zeus is the figure who directs the broader plan. He uses Pandora as an instrument of punishment after Prometheus outwits him and steals fire for mortals.
Readers sometimes confuse the god who sends Pandora with the gods who give her individual gifts. Athena, Aphrodite, Hermes, and others are associated with particular parts of her preparation, but Zeus is the authority behind her dispatch to humanity.