Hermes gave Pandora a deceptive mind in Hesiod’s account of her creation.
Hesiod describes Pandora as a divinely constructed figure whose traits are supplied by several gods. Zeus orders her creation, Hephaestus shapes her from earth, and Hermes gives her a character associated with guile and deceptive speech. This contribution fits Hermes’s wider mythological associations with cunning, communication, and trickery.
The story appears in Hesiod’s Theogony and receives a fuller treatment in Works and Days. The wording differs across English translations, so Hermes’s gift may be rendered as a deceptive nature, a deceitful mind, or crafty speech. These versions point to the same role in the narrative.
Hermes is sometimes remembered mainly as the messenger of the gods, but classical mythology gives him many other functions. His involvement in Pandora’s creation helps explain why the figure is not presented as merely curious or unfortunate. She is part of a divine plan designed to bring suffering to humanity after Prometheus’s defiance of Zeus.