In the Greek myth of Pandora, Hephaestus molded Pandora from clay on Zeus’s orders.
Hesiod’s Works and Days describes Zeus commanding Hephaestus, the divine smith, to create a woman whose arrival would bring hardship to humanity. Hephaestus shaped her body, while other gods supplied qualities, skills, and adornments. This collaborative creation explains why Pandora is presented as a divinely fashioned figure rather than an ordinary human.
The myth belongs to a wider Greek story about Prometheus, fire, and the consequences of defying Zeus. Pandora was sent to Epimetheus, Prometheus’s brother, and her opening of the storage jar released evils into the world. Hephaestus’s role is sometimes confused with Athena’s: Athena taught Pandora crafts, but Hephaestus performed the physical molding. The ancient account therefore gives different gods distinct contributions to her creation.