In Hesiod's Pandora myth, Hephaestus fashioned Pandora from earth.
Works and Days describes Zeus ordering Hephaestus to make a maiden's form from earth. The divine craftsman then gives the figure shape, while the gods contribute gifts or attributes. This detail echoes broader Greek creation imagery in which earth provides the material basis for human bodies.
The myth is sometimes blended with other Greek stories, leading to confusion about Pandora's substance. Aphrodite's birth from sea foam belongs to a different myth, and golden statues or painted pottery are later artistic representations rather than the material named in Hesiod's account.
Pandora's earth origin also reinforces her status as a constructed figure rather than an ordinary mortal born to human parents. Zeus's plan, Hephaestus's craft, and the other gods' gifts combine to produce the being sent to Epimetheus. “Earth” is therefore the specific material answer.