In Hesiod’s account, Pandora is fashioned from clay.
The creation scene in Works and Days describes Zeus ordering Hephaestus to shape Pandora from earth. Hephaestus is the divine smith and craftsman, so the myth presents her body as a work of divine manufacture. Other gods then add qualities and adornments, turning the formed figure into a complete woman who can speak, work, and interact with humans.
This clay origin connects Pandora with a wider ancient Mediterranean pattern in which gods or supernatural craftsmen shape humans from earth. It also distinguishes the narrative from later artistic representations that may show Pandora emerging from a vessel or appearing among the gods. Those images are interpretations, not replacements for Hesiod’s account.
The word Pandora means “all-gifted” or “all-giving,” reflecting the many contributions made by the gods. Her creation therefore combines a physical act—forming her from earth—with a social and symbolic act, as each deity supplies a trait. Modern retellings sometimes omit the clay detail and focus only on the jar, but the making of Pandora is a major part of the original myth.