In Hesiod’s Theogony, who fashioned Pandora’s physical form from earth?

In Hesiod’s Theogony, Hephaestus fashioned Pandora’s physical form from earth. Hephaestus, the Greek god associated with metalworking and craftsmanship, is ordered to make the first woman as part of Zeus’s response to Prometheus’s theft of fire.

The detail appears in Hesiod’s account of Pandora’s creation, where she is shaped by divine workmanship rather than born through an ordinary human family. Other gods then contribute attributes, clothing, ornaments, speech, or persuasive qualities, creating a figure assembled through coordinated divine actions.

This answer is sometimes confused with Prometheus because Prometheus is central to the surrounding story. He steals fire for humanity, and Zeus’s punishment for that act leads to the creation of Pandora. Prometheus is therefore part of the cause of the episode, but Hesiod assigns the physical making of Pandora to Hephaestus.

The myth also connects Hephaestus with other acts of divine craftsmanship, including the making of weapons, armor, and objects for the Olympian gods. Pandora’s creation fits that wider literary portrayal.