Pandora is the first woman in the Greek myth as told by Hesiod. She is created by the gods as part of Zeus’s punishment of humanity after Prometheus gives humans fire.
The gods contribute different gifts, skills, or adornments to Pandora. Hephaestus fashions her from earth, while other gods provide qualities associated with beauty, craft, persuasion, or deception. The story presents her as a divinely made woman, not as a goddess with an independent divine lineage.
Modern summaries sometimes call Pandora a goddess because gods create her and give her extraordinary qualities. That description is imprecise in the classical story. Pandora is a mortal woman, although she is formed through divine action and is connected to the gods’ plan.
Her role also differs from later artistic portrayals that make her a symbol of female curiosity or temptation. Hesiod’s account is principally about the origin of suffering and the consequences of Zeus’s conflict with Prometheus.