In Hesiod’s Pandora story, Hermes taught Pandora deceitful behavior. Works and Days lists the gifts or qualities assigned to her by the gods, including a mind and a character associated with trickery or deceit from Hermes.
Hermes was the Olympian messenger and a god linked with travel, trade, cunning, and deception. His role in Pandora’s formation reflects those traditional associations. Other gods supplied different attributes: Hephaestus shaped her, Athena taught useful crafts, and Aphrodite gave her beauty and desire.
Modern summaries often compress these contributions into the phrase “the gods gave Pandora gifts.” That wording can obscure who supplied which quality. Hermes is the specific figure connected with deceit in Hesiod’s account, while Zeus directed the overall scheme and Epimetheus received Pandora.