In the Greek myth of Pandora’s jar, Hephaestus created Pandora’s physical form from clay.
Hesiod describes Zeus ordering Hephaestus, the divine smith, to shape Pandora from earth. Hephaestus was the Olympian god of metalworking, fire, craftsmanship, and workshops, so the act of molding a figure suited his traditional role.
Other gods then contributed qualities or gifts. Athena taught Pandora crafts, Aphrodite gave her beauty, and Hermes supplied a deceptive or persuasive character in accounts derived from Hesiod. The name Pandora is commonly understood as “all-gifted” or “the one who receives all gifts.”
This detail differs from Pandora’s later cultural adaptations, where she may be portrayed as a goddess, a supernatural being, or an ordinary human. In the classical story, however, her body is specifically fashioned by Hephaestus at Zeus’s command.