In Hesiod’s story of Pandora, Hermes gives her deceptive speech and a shameless mind. Hermes is the messenger of the gods, but in this creation story he also supplies qualities intended to make Pandora dangerous to humanity.
Works and Days presents Pandora as a constructed figure whose traits are distributed among the gods. Hephaestus forms her body from earth, Athena teaches her practical skills, and Aphrodite gives her beauty and desire. Hermes then gives her a deceptive character and the ability to speak persuasively.
This detail is often omitted from modern children’s retellings, which usually focus only on Pandora’s curiosity and the opened box. Hesiod’s original story is more explicitly about Zeus’s punishment of humanity. It also reflects ancient Greek ideas about speech, deception, and the threat associated with an apparently desirable gift.