In Hesiod’s Pandora myth, which god creates her body from earth?

In Hesiod’s Pandora myth, Hephaestus creates her body from earth.

Hephaestus is the Greek god of fire, metalworking, craftsmanship, and invention. His role in Pandora’s origin fits his traditional identity as the divine artisan. At Zeus’s command, he shapes Pandora from earth or clay, giving physical form to the figure who will become the first woman in Hesiod’s narrative.

The other gods then provide additional qualities. Athena teaches useful skills, Aphrodite grants beauty and charm, and Hermes gives speech and a deceptive disposition. The story is therefore a collaborative divine creation, even though Hephaestus performs the initial shaping.

This episode is sometimes confused with later artistic images of Pandora being created by Prometheus. Prometheus is associated with shaping or helping humanity in several traditions, but Hesiod specifically assigns Pandora’s manufacture to Hephaestus. The distinction matters because the myth has multiple ancient and later variations, while the best-known Hesiodic account identifies the smith god as her maker.