In Hesiod’s creation story, Hermes gave Pandora a deceptive or misleading character. Hermes is the Greek god associated with communication, messages, travel, trade, cunning, and trickery, so his role fits the poem’s portrayal of Pandora as dangerous as well as beautiful.
The account in Works and Days assigns different contributions to different gods. Hephaestus forms Pandora from earth, while Athena and other deities contribute skills, adornment, or abilities. Hermes supplies speech and a character described in terms of deception, making him more than a messenger in this episode.
Modern summaries often simplify the story by saying that every god gave Pandora a gift, usually listing beauty, curiosity, and intelligence. Those lists vary by retelling. Hesiod’s specific detail about Hermes concerns deceptive character and speech, not the later popular idea that he directly gave Pandora curiosity.