In the Greek myth of Pandora, Zeus commanded Hephaestus to make a woman from earth.
Hephaestus, the divine smith and craftsman, is ordered to shape the first woman from earth. The other gods then participate in completing her character and appearance. This construction makes Pandora a divine creation rather than the daughter of a human couple, a point that distinguishes the myth from many later stories about the origin of women.
Hesiod’s account connects the creation directly to the conflict between Zeus and Prometheus. Prometheus had tricked Zeus during a sacrifice and later stolen fire for humans. Zeus responds by arranging a punishment that appears beneficial because Pandora is beautifully adorned and richly equipped, while also carrying harmful consequences for the human race. Later artistic and literary versions add details, but the core scene remains the gods’ manufacture of a woman from earth.