In the Pandora myth, which god shaped Pandora from earth?

In the Pandora myth, Hephaestus shaped Pandora from earth. Zeus instructed the divine smith to form the woman as part of his punishment of humanity.

Hephaestus is the Olympian god associated with metalworking, fire, smithing, and craftsmanship. His role in the story fits the wider Greek tradition of gods creating extraordinary objects through specialized skill. Pandora’s body is made from earth, giving the myth a creation-story dimension.

The other gods then add qualities or gifts to the completed figure. Athena teaches her crafts, Aphrodite gives beauty, and Hermes contributes persuasive or deceptive speech in Hesiod’s account. These details explain why Pandora is presented as a carefully assembled divine creation rather than as an ordinary human birth.

Hephaestus’s role should not be confused with Zeus’s. Zeus devises the punishment and gives the order; Hephaestus performs the shaping. Ancient versions also vary in how much detail they give about the individual divine gifts.