In Hesiod’s Pandora myth, Zeus orders Hephaestus to create the first woman.
The command follows the conflict between Zeus and Prometheus. Prometheus has tricked Zeus in a sacrificial division and then stolen fire for humans. Zeus responds by directing the divine craftsman Hephaestus to shape a woman from earth, who will become Pandora.
The creation is collaborative after Zeus gives the order. Hephaestus makes the form, while other gods supply abilities, clothing, beauty, and persuasive qualities. Pandora is then brought to Epimetheus, despite Prometheus’s warning not to accept gifts from Zeus.
Some retellings describe Hephaestus as Pandora’s creator without mentioning Zeus’s command, while others incorrectly assign the entire act to Prometheus. Hesiod’s sequence is specific: Zeus plans the response, Hephaestus constructs the woman, and the other gods complete her preparation.