Hephaestus created Pandora from clay at Zeus’s command in the Greek myth of Pandora’s box.
In Hesiod’s account, Zeus ordered the crafting of the first woman after Prometheus gave fire to humanity. Hephaestus, the divine smith and craftsman, shaped Pandora from earth. Other gods then gave her distinctive gifts, including beauty, persuasion, and skill.
Pandora’s creation is often simplified in modern retellings, which may describe her as being made by “the gods” collectively. Hephaestus is the specific craftsman named in the tradition. The myth also connects Pandora with Zeus’s punishment of humanity, not merely with curiosity or accidental misfortune.
The story’s details vary between ancient sources, and the familiar English phrase “Pandora’s box” reflects a later translation history. In the earliest surviving version, Pandora receives a large storage jar rather than a box.