Which god gave Pandora beauty in Hesiod’s account of her creation?

In Hesiod’s account, Aphrodite gave Pandora beauty.

Pandora’s creation involved several gods, each contributing qualities that made her appear attractive, persuasive, and socially complete. Aphrodite, the Greek goddess associated with love and beauty, supplied her physical beauty. Other divine figures contributed different traits, including clothing, adornment, speech, and skills.

This detail matters because Pandora is described not as a monster or spirit but as an idealized woman assembled through divine gifts. Her attractiveness is part of Zeus’s punishment: she is presented as a seemingly desirable gift to humanity, yet her arrival is connected with the release of hardship.

Aphrodite’s role is sometimes mixed up with Athena’s. Athena is associated with crafts and taught Pandora weaving, while Aphrodite is the deity linked specifically with beauty in Hesiod’s description. The myth reflects ancient Greek assumptions about gender and divine power, so modern retellings often reinterpret Pandora less as a warning about women and more as a figure representing consequences and human agency.