In Hesiod’s account, which god delivers Pandora to Epimetheus after the gods prepare her?

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In Hesiod’s account, Hermes delivers Pandora to Epimetheus after the gods prepare her.

Works and Days describes Pandora being taken to humanity as part of Zeus’s response to Prometheus’s theft of fire. Hermes, the messenger of the gods, brings her to Epimetheus, whose name means “afterthought” or is commonly interpreted in that direction. Epimetheus accepts her even though Prometheus had warned him not to accept gifts from Zeus.

Hermes is especially suitable for this narrative role because Greek mythology associates him with messages, travel, boundaries, commerce, and mediation between gods and humans. Hesiod also connects Hermes with giving Pandora a deceptive or guileful character, though translations differ in how they render the relevant wording.

Later retellings often compress the event and say only that Zeus sent Pandora. That is broadly true at the level of plot, but Hermes is the specific god identified with delivering her in the Hesiodic sequence. The distinction helps separate the commander of the plan from its messenger.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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