In Hesiod’s account of Pandora, her body was first formed from earth.
The story in the Works and Days describes Zeus ordering Hephaestus to mix earth with water and shape a maiden. This handmade origin connects Pandora to wider Greek creation imagery, in which divine craftsmen form living beings from earthly material. The gods then furnish her with qualities, clothing, adornment, and abilities.
The account is sometimes confused with other Greek origin stories. Aphrodite, for example, is associated in one famous tradition with sea foam, while Prometheus is often credited in later mythology with shaping humans from clay. Pandora’s creation is a separate episode: Hesiod assigns the physical making to Hephaestus under Zeus’s instructions.
Hesiod’s narrative emphasizes construction and divine contributions rather than a birth from human parents. That detail supports the name Pandora, because the figure is assembled and equipped through gifts from multiple gods. Her creation is the prelude to the jar episode, not a description of the jar itself.