In
Greek mythology,
Pandora (
Greek: , derived from ,
pan, i.e. "all" and ,
doron, i.e. "gift", thus "the all-endowed", "the all-gifted" or "the all-giving") was the first human woman created by the gods, specifically by
Hephaestus and
Athena on the instructions of
Zeus. As
Hesiod related it, each god helped create her by giving her unique gifts. Zeus ordered Hephaestus to mold her out of earth as part of the punishment of humanity for
Prometheus' theft of the secret of
fire, and all the gods joined in offering her "seductive gifts". Her other name—inscribed against her figure on a
white-ground kylix in the British Museum—is
Anesidora, "she who sends up gifts" (
up implying "from below" within the earth).
