In Hesiod’s story of Pandora, Hermes gave her a deceptive nature. The messenger god is associated in Works and Days with giving Pandora a shameless mind and a deceitful character before she was presented to Epimetheus.
Pandora’s creation is described as a collective divine project ordered by Zeus. Hephaestus formed her from earth, while other gods supplied qualities or skills. Athena taught her useful handiwork, Aphrodite gave her beauty and desire, and Hermes contributed the qualities connected with trickery and speech. The episode presents Pandora as a constructed figure whose attributes come from several Olympian powers.
The exact wording differs between translations of Hesiod. English versions may describe Hermes as giving her a “shameless mind,” “a lying tongue,” or “a deceitful nature.” These phrases represent translation choices rather than separate characters or events. Hermes is the consistent deity associated with this part of the creation account.
This detail is distinct from the later popular idea that Pandora was simply curious. Hesiod’s narrative emphasizes divine design, punishment, and the consequences of opening the container.