In Hesiod's account, Zeus ordered Pandora's creation.
The command follows Prometheus's theft of fire for humanity. Zeus wanted to punish both Prometheus and humans, so he instructed the gods to create a woman whose arrival would bring suffering to mortals. Pandora's creation is therefore an act of divine retribution rather than an accidental event.
Different gods contributed to Pandora's appearance and abilities. Hephaestus fashioned her from earth, while other gods supplied gifts such as beauty, charm, and skill. Hermes is associated with giving her a deceptive or crafty nature in some summaries of the myth.
The name Pandora is often interpreted as “all-gifted” or “all-giving,” although scholars discuss the precise sense of the Greek name. Hesiod's account is the foundation for the later “Pandora's box” tradition, but it belongs to a broader Greek myth about the origins of human hardship and the unequal relationship between gods and mortals.