In the ancient Greek myth of Pandora, Hermes gave her a deceptive mind and a shameless nature. This detail appears in Hesiod’s account of Pandora’s creation in Works and Days, where different gods contribute distinct qualities to the woman fashioned for Zeus’s plan.
Pandora’s construction is presented as a coordinated divine act. Hephaestus shapes her, goddesses and other deities provide adornment or abilities, and Hermes contributes characteristics associated with cunning and deceit. Zeus then sends Pandora to Epimetheus as part of the punishment connected with Prometheus’s theft of fire.
Modern summaries often reduce the episode to the statement that Hermes gave Pandora speech. Hesiod’s wording is more pointed: Hermes is associated with a deceptive mind and a shameless character. The story is mythic rather than a historical account, and translations vary in how they render the Greek terms, but Hermes remains the named god connected with these traits.