In Hesiod’s Pandora story, Hermes gave Pandora deceitful words.
Hermes, the Olympian messenger and god associated with communication, travel, trade, and trickery, is assigned a specific part in Pandora’s construction. Hesiod says that Hermes placed in her breast a mind capable of deceit and words that could mislead. This contribution helps explain why Pandora is portrayed as both attractive and dangerous.
The episode is not a story about Pandora independently choosing evil before the vessel is opened. Instead, her qualities are presented as gifts or instructions imposed by the gods as part of Zeus’s plan. The myth reflects an ancient Greek explanation for human suffering and for anxieties surrounding marriage and sexuality.
Hermes is sometimes incorrectly identified as the god who physically made Pandora. That role belongs to Hephaestus. Hermes contributes speech and deceptive mentality, while the other gods provide beauty, adornment, and additional qualities.