In Hesiod’s Theogony, Pandora is made from earth before the gods adorn her.
The creation scene begins with Hephaestus forming Pandora from earth at Zeus’s command. This material connects her with the mortal human world, even though the Olympian gods give her extraordinary beauty, clothing, ornaments, and persuasive qualities.
The account is related to, but not identical with, the better-known idea that all humans were created from clay. Hesiod’s version focuses on Pandora as a specially fashioned woman whose arrival is connected to Zeus’s punishment of humanity after Prometheus’s theft of fire.
Later retellings often describe Pandora simply as being made from clay. That wording captures the general image but can obscure the more precise wording of the ancient poem, which refers to earth. The gods then transform and embellish the figure through their separate gifts, producing the first woman in Hesiod’s narrative.