In Hesiod's Works and Days, Hermes gave Pandora a deceptive character. Zeus instructed the messenger god to place a false or deceptive mind within her, along with speech capable of misleading others.
Pandora's creation involved several gods, each contributing a different feature. Hephaestus shaped her body from earth, Athena taught or adorned her with skills, Aphrodite supplied beauty, and Hermes provided deceptive speech and a dishonest disposition. These details make Pandora a constructed divine punishment rather than a goddess born in an ordinary mythic way.
Hermes served as the gods' messenger and was associated with travel, trade, eloquence, cunning, and trickery. His involvement therefore reinforces the story's emphasis on persuasive words and concealment.
Modern versions sometimes assign every gift to Zeus or Athena, but Hesiod distributes them among several deities. The exact wording varies between translations, so “deceptive character” is a concise modern rendering of Hermes's role in the ancient account.