In Hesiod’s account, Hermes gives Pandora a deceptive voice and persuasive speech. Works and Days describes Zeus commanding Hermes to place in Pandora a shameless mind and a deceitful nature, helping make her a dangerous gift for humanity.
Hermes is especially suited to this role in Greek mythology. He is the Olympian messenger and is associated with communication, boundaries, trade, cunning, and deception. His involvement explains why Pandora’s danger is not merely physical: her words and manner are also presented as instruments of divine punishment.
Pandora is fashioned by Hephaestus from earth, while other gods contribute different qualities or adornments. This division of roles is why several gods can correctly be connected with her creation, but Hermes is the specific answer for the deceptive speech described by Hesiod.
Modern retellings often simplify the myth by saying that the gods gave Pandora only beauty or curiosity. Hesiod’s version is more elaborate. It portrays her as a carefully assembled figure whose appearance, talents, and character all form part of Zeus’s response to Prometheus’s theft of fire.