Zeus sent Pandora to humanity as punishment for Prometheus’s theft of fire.
In Hesiod’s version, Prometheus deceives Zeus and later steals fire for humans. Zeus responds by planning a countermeasure: he orders the creation of Pandora, the first woman in this mythic account, and has her delivered to Prometheus’s brother Epimetheus. Pandora’s arrival is linked to the spread of suffering among humans.
This story forms part of a larger Greek explanation for why human life includes labor, disease, and other hardships. It is not the same as every later retelling of the Prometheus cycle. Some versions emphasize the theft of fire, while others focus more strongly on the deceptive sacrifice that provoked Zeus.
Zeus is sometimes confused with Hephaestus because Hephaestus physically made Pandora. The roles are different: Zeus devised the punishment and directed the plan, while Hephaestus served as the divine craftsman. The myth therefore combines political authority with supernatural craftsmanship.