In Hesiod’s Theogony, Pandora is fashioned from earth.
The myth presents Hephaestus as shaping the first woman from earth or clay at Zeus’s command. This creation resembles other ancient stories in which a divine craftsman forms a human figure from earthly material, but Pandora’s purpose is distinctive: she is made as part of Zeus’s response to Prometheus’s theft of fire.
The Theogony and Works and Days provide related but not identical accounts. The Theogony emphasizes the divine assembly and the gifts given to Pandora, while Works and Days develops the jar episode and its consequences for human life. Modern summaries often merge details from both poems into one continuous story.
“Clay” is a familiar English shorthand, but “earth” is the safer answer for the wording associated with Hesiod’s Theogony. Pandora should also not be confused with the biblical Eve or with later fictional characters who are made from metal, stone, or artificial materials.