In Hesiod’s Pandora myth, Hephaestus fashions Pandora from clay at Zeus’s command.
The account appears in Hesiod’s Works and Days, where Zeus orders Hephaestus to create a beautiful woman as part of his punishment of humanity after Prometheus steals fire. Hephaestus, the divine smith, shapes her from earth or clay and gives the creation human form.
Other gods then contribute qualities or gifts. Athena teaches Pandora crafts, Aphrodite gives her beauty, and Hermes gives her a deceptive or persuasive character. These details explain why the myth presents Pandora as a divinely constructed figure rather than as a naturally born human.
A common mix-up is assigning Pandora’s creation to Prometheus. Prometheus is associated with creating or helping humanity in later traditions and with stealing fire, but Hesiod specifically names Hephaestus as the craftsman who makes Pandora.