Hermes gave Pandora a deceptive mind and lying words in Hesiod’s account.
Hermes, the Olympian messenger, is assigned a darker role in the creation of Pandora. Hesiod says that he places in her a shameless mind and a deceitful nature, or gives her qualities associated with deceptive speech, depending on the translation. This is part of the divine plan ordered by Zeus.
The detail is easy to confuse with Hermes’ better-known attributes. Hermes is famous as a messenger, guide, traveler, trader, and trickster, so his connection with persuasive or deceptive speech fits his broader mythological profile. However, Hesiod does not present Hermes as the craftsman who shapes Pandora.
Translations vary considerably because the ancient Greek wording is compact and difficult to render consistently. Terms such as “lying words,” “a deceitful nature,” and “a dog’s mind” can appear in English versions, but Hermes remains the named god associated with this gift.