Mercury is the Roman name commonly used for the Greek god Hermes in versions of the Pandora myth.
Greek and Roman mythology share many gods whose names differ between traditions. Hermes, associated with messages, travel, trade and cunning, corresponds to Mercury in Roman mythology. When Roman authors retold Greek myths, they sometimes used Roman names or identified Greek and Roman deities with each other.
This name can help readers compare ancient sources, but it does not mean every Roman retelling is identical to Hesiod’s Greek poem. The earliest major literary account of Pandora is Greek, and it names the gods in a Greek cultural setting.
Mercury is often confused with Vulcan in this story because Vulcan is the Roman counterpart of Hephaestus, the craftsman who forms Pandora. The two gods have different roles: Mercury corresponds to Hermes, while Vulcan corresponds to Hephaestus.