In Hesiod’s Pandora myth, Hephaestus molded Pandora from earth on Zeus’s orders. Hesiod describes Zeus directing the divine craftsman to create a woman whose appearance would resemble the immortal goddesses.
Hephaestus was the Greek god associated with metalworking, fire, craft, and skilled manufacture. His role makes him the fitting divine artisan for shaping Pandora, although the myth also assigns other gods separate gifts and qualities.
Pandora’s creation appears in Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days. The later phrase “Pandora’s box” is based on a translation error or popular reshaping of Hesiod’s jar, traditionally called a pithos. Hephaestus’s role is therefore part of the original literary myth, not a detail invented by modern adaptations.