Which god was ordered to mold Pandora’s body from clay in Hesiod’s myth?

Hephaestus was ordered to mold Pandora’s body from clay in Hesiod’s myth.

Hephaestus is the Greek god of fire, metalworking, craftsmanship, and the forge. In Works and Days, Zeus commands him to create Pandora, and the smith god shapes the woman from earth. Other gods then contribute qualities or adornments, making Pandora a divinely assembled figure rather than an ordinary human birth.

This detail is separate from the story of Prometheus stealing fire for humanity. Hephaestus’s craftsmanship explains why he is assigned the creation, while Hermes and Athena have different roles in the wider episode. Modern retellings sometimes combine or simplify these divine contributions.

The myth uses craftsmanship as a metaphor for construction: Pandora is made through coordinated divine work and presented as a gift. Her name is conventionally understood as “all-gifted,” reflecting the gifts supplied by the gods.