Hermes gave Pandora the deceptive speech described by Hesiod. In Works and Days, Zeus orders the gods to create Pandora as part of the punishment sent to humanity after Prometheus steals fire. Hermes contributes a deceptive or guileful character, including persuasive speech.
The myth presents Pandora as a composite creation rather than the work of one deity. Hephaestus makes her form, Athena teaches her crafts, Aphrodite grants beauty and desire, and Hermes gives qualities connected with trickery and speech. These details explain why later summaries often describe Pandora as receiving gifts from many gods.
Hermes is sometimes confused with the god who gave Pandora her physical body. That role belongs to Hephaestus in Hesiod’s account. Hermes is also not the deity who taught her weaving; Athena is associated with that instruction. The different divine contributions are part of the myth’s deliberate wordplay around Pandora’s name and her status as an assembled gift.