In Hesiod’s Pandora myth, Hermes gives Pandora her name. In Works and Days, Zeus orders the gods to create the first woman, and Hermes assigns her the name Pandora, meaning “all-gifted.”
The name refers to the gifts supplied by the gods. Hephaestus shapes Pandora from earth, while other deities provide attributes such as beauty, charm, skill, and clothing. Hermes’s role is therefore naming and communicating, not shaping her body.
This detail is easy to confuse because later retellings often compress the creation scene into a single act by Zeus or Hephaestus. Hesiod’s account is more collaborative: Zeus commands the plan, Hephaestus makes the figure, the other gods add qualities, and Hermes names her.
Hermes is the Olympian messenger and is frequently associated with speech, interpretation, travel, and transitions. His naming of Pandora fits his broader mythological role as a mediator among gods and humans.