In Pandora’s myth, Hermes gave her a deceptive mind and persuasive speech. Hermes was the Olympian messenger, but Greek mythology also associates him with cunning, trickery, commerce, and eloquence.
Hesiod’s Works and Days describes Pandora as receiving traits from multiple gods. Hermes’s contribution helps explain why Pandora is not merely a passive container for the story’s troubles. Her speech and mental qualities are part of the divine design that Zeus uses in his punishment of Prometheus and humanity.
Different translations use slightly different wording for Hermes’s gifts, including lies, a shameless nature, or a deceptive character. Those variations reflect the difficulty of translating archaic Greek poetry rather than a different myth. Athena’s clothing and Aphrodite’s beauty belong to separate parts of Pandora’s creation.