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A dryad (/ˈdraɪ.æd/; Greek: Δρυάδες, sing. Δρυάς) is an oak tree nymph or oak tree spirit in Greek mythology; Drys (δρῦς) means "tree", and more specifically "oak" in Greek.^[1] Today the term is ofter used to refer tree nymphs in general.^[2]

Types

Daphnaie

These were nymphs of the laurel trees.

Epimelides

The Maliades, Meliades or Epimelides were nymphs of apple and other fruit trees and the protectors of sheep. The Greek word melas, from which their name derives, means both apple and sheep. The Hesperides, the guardians of the golden apples, were regarded as this type of dryad.^{[citation needed]}

Hamadryad

Dryads, like all nymphs, were supernaturally long-lived and, like many, were tied to their homes, but some were a step beyond most nymphs. These were the hamadryads, who were an integral part of their trees, such that if the tree died, the hamadryad associated with it also died. For these reasons, dryads and the Greek gods punished any mortal who harmed trees without first propitiating the tree-nymphs. (associated with Oak trees)

Meliae

The dryads of the ash tree were called the Meliae.^[3] The Meliae sisters tended the infant Zeus in Rhea's Cretan cave. In Hesiod's Theogony, Gaia gave birth to the Meliae after being made fertile by the blood of the castrated Uranus.^[4]

Names

Some of the individual dryads or hamadryads are:

Atlanteia and Phoebe, two of the many wives or concubines of Danaus^[5]
Chrysopeleia^[6]
Dryope^[7]
Erato^[8]
Eurydice
Phigalia^[9]
Tithorea^[10]

In popular culture

Keats addresses the nightingale as "light-winged Dryad of the trees", in his "Ode to a Nightingale" .
In the poetry of Donald Davidson they illustrate the themes of tradition and the importance of the past to the present.^[11]
In The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, dryads appear as inhabitants of Narnia, as do many creatures from Greek mythology.^[12] In Prince Caspian the activity of the Telmarines in felling trees and defiling streams forces the dryads and naiads – denizens of 'Old Narnia' – into a deep sleep, from which they awaken when Bacchus and Silenus are summoned by Aslan to aid in the fight against King Miraz's army.^[13]

References

Citations

^ Liddell, Henry; Scott, Robert, eds. (1940). "δρῦς, n.". A Greek-English Lexicon. Clarendon Press.
^ Łaszkiewicz (2017) p. 131.
^ Larson (2001) p.11.
^ Hesiod, Theogony 183–87.
^ Apollodorus, 2.1.5
^ Tzetzes on Lycophron, 480
^ Ovid, Metamorphoses 9.330 ff; Antoninus Liberalis, 32
^ Pausanias, 8.4.2
^ Pausanias, 8.39.2
^ Pausanias, 10.32.9
^ Martha E. Cook (1979). "Dryads and Flappers". The Southern Literary Journal. 12 (1). University of North Carolina Press: 18–26. JSTOR 20077624.
^ Niedbala (2006) p.87
^ Sellars (2008) pp.37–38.

Bibliography

Burkert, Walter, 1985. Greek Religion (Cambridge: Harvard University Press).
Evelyn-White, Hugh, ed. (1914). Hesiod. The Homeric Hymns and Homerica. Harvard University Press.
Larson, Jennifer Lynn (2001). Greek nymphs: myth, cult, lore. Oxford university press. ISBN 0-19-514465-1.
Łaszkiewicz, Weronika (2017). "Into the Wild Woods: On the Significance of Trees and Forests in Fantasy Fiction". Mythlore. 36 (1 (131)): 39–58. ISSN 0146-9339.
Niedbala, Amanda M. (2006). "From Hades to Heaven: Greek Mythological Influences in C. S. Lewis's "The Silver Chair"". Mythlore. 24 (3/4 (93/94)): 71–93. ISSN 0146-9339.
Sellars, Jeff (2008). "Toward a Narnian Valuation of Nature: Participatory Ontology". Sehnsucht: The C.S. Lewis Journal. 2 (1): 29–46. ISSN 1940-5537.

External links

Hans Christian Andersen, "The Dryad", 1868 (e-text)
Andersen, H. C.; Craigie (transl.) "The Dryad" Fairy tales and other stories London; Toronto: Oxford University Press. 1914
Tim Hoke, "The Dryad", 2002 (e-text; strong language)

[1] Liddell, Henry; Scott, Robert, eds. (1940). "δρῦς, n.". A Greek-English Lexicon. Clarendon Press.

[2] Łaszkiewicz (2017) p. 131.

[3] Larson (2001) p.11.

[4] Hesiod, Theogony 183–87.

[5] Apollodorus, 2.1.5

[6] Tzetzes on Lycophron, 480

[7] Ovid, Metamorphoses 9.330 ff; Antoninus Liberalis, 32

[8] Pausanias, 8.4.2

[9] Pausanias, 8.39.2

[10] Pausanias, 10.32.9

[11] Martha E. Cook (1979). "Dryads and Flappers". The Southern Literary Journal. 12 (1). University of North Carolina Press: 18–26. JSTOR 20077624.

[12] Niedbala (2006) p.87

[13] Sellars (2008) pp.37–38.

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[2]

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[4]

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[8]

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{short description|Tree nymph in Greek mythology}}
 {{Other uses}}
+[[File:Dryad11.jpg|thumb|''The Dryad'' by [[Evelyn De Morgan]]]]
-{{Infobox mythical creature
+A '''dryad''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|r|aɪ|.|æ|d}}; {{langx|el|Δρυάδες}}, <small>[[grammatical number|sing.]]</small> {{lang|el|Δρυάς}}) is an oak [[Tree (mythology)|tree]] [[nymph]] or oak tree spirit in [[Greek mythology]]; ''Drys'' (δρῦς) means "tree", and more specifically "[[oak]]" in Greek.<ref>{{cite dictionary
-| name              = Dryad
+| title = δρῦς, ‘’n’’. | dictionary = A Greek-English Lexicon | editor1-last = Liddell | editor1-first = Henry |editor2-last=Scott |editor2-first=Robert |publisher=Clarendon Press | date = 1940 |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Ddru%3Ds}}</ref> Today the term is ofter used to refer tree nymphs in general.<ref>Łaszkiewicz (2017) p. 131.</ref>
-| AKA               =
-| image             = Dryad11.jpg
-| image_size        = 130px
-| caption           = ''The Dryad'' by [[Evelyn De Morgan]].
-| Mythology         =
-| Grouping          = [[Legendary creature]]
-| Sub_Grouping      =
-| Parents           =
-| Country           = [[Greece]]
-| Habitat           =
-| Similar_creatures = [[Nymph]], [[elf]]
-}}
-A '''dryad''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|r|aɪ|.|æ|d}}; {{lang-el|Δρυάδες}}, ''sing''.: {{lang|el|Δρυάς}}) is a [[Tree (mythology)|tree]] [[nymph]] or tree spirit in [[Greek mythology]]. ''Drys'' (δρῦς) signifies "[[oak]]" in Greek, and dryads were originally considered the [[nymph]]s of oak trees specifically, but the term has evolved towards tree nymphs in general,<ref name=Graves862>Graves, ch. 86.2; p. 289</ref> or human-tree hybrids in [[fantasy]]. Often their life force was connected to the tree in which they resided and they were usually found in sacred groves of the gods.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nymphs {{!}} Theoi Greek Mythology |url=https://www.theoi.com/greek-mythology/nymphs.html |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=www.theoi.com}}</ref> They were considered to be very shy creatures except around the goddess [[Artemis]], who was known to be a friend to most nymphs.
 == Types ==
@@ Line 26: / Line 14: @@
 ===Epimelides===
 {{main|Epimeliad}}
-The Maliades, Meliades or Epimelides were nymphs of apple and other fruit trees and the protectors of sheep. The Greek word ''melas'', from which their name derives, means both apple and sheep. [[Hesperides]], the guardians of the golden apples were regarded as this type of dryad.
+The Maliades, Meliades or Epimelides were nymphs of apple and other fruit trees and the protectors of sheep. The Greek word ''melas'', from which their name derives, means both apple and sheep. The [[Hesperides]], the guardians of the golden apples, were regarded as this type of dryad.{{cn|date=November 2024}}
 ===Hamadryad===
 {{main|Hamadryad}}
-Dryads, like all [[nymph]]s, were supernaturally long-lived and tied to their homes, but some were a step beyond most nymphs. These were the [[hamadryad]]s who were an integral part of their trees, such that if the tree died, the hamadryad associated with it also died. For these reasons, dryads and the [[Greek god]]s punished any mortal who harmed trees without first [[wiktionary:propitiate|propitiating]] the tree-nymphs. (associated with Oak trees)
+Dryads, like all [[nymph]]s, were supernaturally long-lived and, like many, were tied to their homes, but some were a step beyond most nymphs. These were the [[hamadryad]]s, who were an integral part of their trees, such that if the tree died, the hamadryad associated with it also died. For these reasons, dryads and the [[Greek god]]s punished any mortal who harmed trees without first [[wiktionary:propitiate|propitiating]] the tree-nymphs. (associated with Oak trees)
 ===Meliae===
 {{main|Meliae}}
-The dryads of the [[ash tree]] were called the [[Meliae]].<ref name=Graves862/> The Meliae sisters tended the infant [[Zeus]] in [[Rhea (mythology)|Rhea]]'s [[Crete|Cretan]] cave. Gaea gave birth to the Meliae after being made fertile by the blood of castrated [[Uranus (mythology)|Uranus]]. The [[Caryatid]]s were associated with walnut trees.<ref name=Graves862/>
+The dryads of the [[ash tree]] were called the [[Meliae]].<ref>Larson (2001) p.11.</ref> The Meliae sisters tended the infant [[Zeus]] in [[Rhea (mythology)|Rhea]]'s [[Crete|Cretan]] cave. In [[Hesiod]]'s ''[[Theogony]]'', [[Gaia]] gave birth to the Meliae after being made fertile by the blood of the castrated [[Uranus (mythology)|Uranus]].<ref>Hesiod, ''Theogony'' 183–87.</ref>
 ==Names==
@@ Line 41: / Line 29: @@
 *[[Atlanteia]] and [[Phoebe (Greek myth)|Phoebe]], two of the many wives or concubines of [[Danaus]]<ref>[[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Apollodorus]], 2.1.5</ref>
 *[[Chrysopeleia]]<ref>[[Tzetzes]] on [[Lycophron]], 480</ref>
-*[[Dryope (daughter of Dryops)|Dryope]]<ref>[[Ovid]], ''Metamorphoses'' 9.330 ff; [[Antoninus Liberalis]], 32</ref>
+*[[Dryope (daughter of Dryops)|Dryope]]<ref>[[Ovid]], ''Metamorphoses'' 9.330 ff; [[Antoninus Liberalis]], [https://topostext.org/work/216#32 32]</ref>
 *[[Erato (dryad)|Erato]]<ref>[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], 8.4.2</ref>
 *[[Eurydice]]
+*[[Phigalia (mythology)|Phigalia]]<ref>Pausanias, 8.39.2</ref>
 *[[Tithorea (mythology)|Tithorea]]<ref>Pausanias, 10.32.9</ref>
@@ Line 49: / Line 38: @@
 [[File:Augustins - La dernière dryade - Gabriel Guay (2004 1 169).jpg|thumb|''La dernière dryade (The Last Dryad)'' by [[Gabriel Guay]], 1898.]]
 {{In popular culture|date=May 2021}}
-* Dryad's Saddle is a mushroom found in North America, Australia, Asia, and Europe on dead trees, logs and stumps, so named because dryads could conceivably sit or ride on them.<ref>{{cite web |date=14 June 2011 |title=Dry Saddle for the nymph! Dryads Saddle |url=https://www.mushroomdiary.co.uk/2011/06/dryads-saddle-bracket-fungus/}}</ref>
-* In western classics such as [[John Milton|Milton's]] ''[[Paradise Lost]]'', Dryads are mentioned as a way to convey grace and elegance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Paradise Lost Book IX, lines 1–403 Summary & Analysis |url=https://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/paradiselost/quotes/section/book-ix-lines-1403/ |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=SparkNotes |language=en}}</ref>
 * [[John Keats|Keats]] addresses the nightingale as "light-winged Dryad of the trees", in his "[[Ode to a Nightingale]]" .
 * In the [[poetry]] of [[Donald Davidson (poet)|Donald Davidson]] they illustrate the [[Theme (literature)|theme]]s of [[tradition]] and the importance of the past to the present.<ref>{{Cite journal|jstor=20077624|title=Dryads and Flappers|author=Martha E. Cook|volume=12|year=1979|pages=18–26|journal=The Southern Literary Journal|issue=1|publisher=University of North Carolina Press}}</ref>
+*In [[The Chronicles of Narnia]] by [[C. S. Lewis]], dryads appear as inhabitants of [[Narnia (world)|Narnia]], as do many creatures from Greek mythology.<ref>Niedbala (2006) p.87</ref> In [[Prince Caspian]] the activity of the [[Telmarines]] in felling trees and defiling streams forces the dryads and naiads – denizens of 'Old Narnia' – into a deep sleep, from which they awaken when [[Bacchus]] and [[Silenus]] are summoned by [[Aslan]] to aid in the fight against King [[Miraz]]'s army.<ref>Sellars (2008) pp.37–38.</ref>
-* The poet [[Sylvia Plath]] uses them to symbolise nature in her poetry in "''On the Difficulty of Conjuring up a Dryad''" and "''On the Plethora of Dryads''".<ref>{{cite book|last=Britzolakis|first=Christina |title=Sylvia Plath and the theater of mourning  |publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2000|series=Oxford English Monographs|pages=85–86|isbn=0-19-818373-9}}</ref>
-* The story "''Dear Dryad''" (1924) by [[Oliver Onions]] features a dryad influencing several romantic couples through history.<ref>Norman Donaldson, "''Oliver Onions''", in
-[[E. F. Bleiler]], ed. ''''Supernatural Fiction Writers''''. New York: Scribner's, 1985. pp.505-512. {{ISBN|0684178087}}</ref>
-* In [[Lev Grossman]]'s ''The Magicians Trilogy'', the character Julia  becomes a dryad after having had her shade removed during her rape at the hands of [[Reynard the Fox]]. Her transformation accelerates when she visits Fillory in the company of the novel's other principals, and is complete when she and Quentin Coldwater visit Fillory's underworld.<ref>Lev Grossman, ''The Magician King''. New York: Viking, 2011. pp.343-357. {{ISBN|978067002231-1}}</ref>
-* [[List of The Chronicles of Narnia characters|Dryads]] (also referred to as "[[Nymphs|wood nymphs]]", "tree people", "[[Silvanus (mythology)|silvans]]", or simply "trees") appear several times in ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'' book series by [[C. S. Lewis]].
-* In the 2005 CG animated film ''[[Barbie: Fairytopia]]'', there is a character named Dahlia who is a dryad.
-* In the 1940 short story "[[The Hardwood Pile]]" by [[L. Sprague de Camp]], the antagonist is a ''sphendamniad'', a dryad-like spirit whose tree has been made into lumber.
-* The fantasy novels of [[Thomas Burnett Swann]] frequently feature dryads, along with other mythological creatures, usually endangered by the advent of more "advanced" civilisations. Swann's story "''The Dryad-tree''" is set in contemporary [[Florida]] and features a woman's reaction to the knowledge that her new husband's garden contains a tree possessed by a jealous dryad. The story was adapted as a short film in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4082936/|title=The Dryad Tree (2017) - IMDb|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=25 August 2018}}</ref>
-* In ''[[Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos]]'', [[Warcraft III: Frozen Throne|''Frozen Throne'']], and [[Warcraft III: Reforged|''Reforged'']], dryads are playable night elf characters. They are shown as taur-type creatures with the lower body of a doe.
-*Dryads are mentioned in [[Sword of Destiny]] from Andrzej Sapkowski's [[The Witcher]] books.
-*[[Dryad Lake]] in [[Antarctica]] is named after the nymphs.<ref>[https://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/gaz/scar/display_name.cfm?gaz_id=139222 Dryad Lake.] SCAR Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica</ref>
-*The Dryad is a NPC in the 2d sandbox adventure game ''[[Terraria]]'', helping to keep the world pure from the spread of malicious biomes in the game.
-*Dryads are featured in the trading card game ''[[Magic: the Gathering]]'' as a creature subtype.
 ==See also==
-*[[Oread|Oreads]], a related mountain nymph
 *[[Ghillie Dhu]], a similar Scottish spirit
 *[[Kodama (spirit)|Kodama]], a similar Japanese spirit
 *[[Nat (spirit)|Green spirit]], a similar spirit found in Myanmar and other Buddhist countries
 *[[Elf]], a similar mythical creature associated with nature
+*[[Plant soul]], the soul of a plant in religious traditions
 *[[Querquetulanae]], Roman nymphs of the oak
 *[[Rådande]], a similar Swedish spirit
 *[[Salabhanjika]], a similar Indian spirit
+*[[Mavka]], a similar Ukrainian spirit
 ==References==
@@ Line 82: / Line 58: @@
 '''Bibliography'''
 {{refbegin}}
+* [[Walter Burkert|Burkert, Walter]], 1985. ''Greek Religion'' (Cambridge: Harvard University Press).
-*{{cite book |last=Graves |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Graves |title=Greek Myths |year=1955 |publisher=Penguin |location=London |isbn=0-14-001026-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/greekmythsvolume00robe }}
+* {{cite book| editor-last=Evelyn-White |editor-first=Hugh |title= Hesiod. The Homeric Hymns and Homerica |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=1914}}
-*[[Walter Burkert|Burkert, Walter]], 1985. ''Greek Religion'' (Cambridge: Harvard University Press).
+* {{cite book |last1=Larson |first1=Jennifer Lynn |title=Greek nymphs: myth, cult, lore |date=2001 |publisher=Oxford university press |isbn=0-19-514465-1}}
+* {{cite journal |last1=Łaszkiewicz |first1=Weronika |title=Into the Wild Woods: On the Significance of Trees and Forests in Fantasy Fiction |journal=Mythlore |date=2017 |volume=36 |issue=1 (131) |pages=39–58 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26809256 |issn=0146-9339}}
+* {{cite journal |last1=Niedbala |first1=Amanda M. |title=From Hades to Heaven: Greek Mythological Influences in C. S. Lewis's "The Silver Chair" |journal=Mythlore |date=2006 |volume=24 |issue=3/4 (93/94) |pages=71–93 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26814545 |issn=0146-9339}}
+* {{cite journal |last1=Sellars |first1=Jeff |title=Toward a Narnian Valuation of Nature: Participatory Ontology |journal=Sehnsucht: The C.S. Lewis Journal |date=2008 |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=29–46 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/48579533 |issn=1940-5537}}
 {{refend}}
 ==External links==
 {{Commons category|Dryads}}
-* [http://www.maicar.com/GML/NYMPHS.html Greek Mythology Link: Nymphs.]
 * [http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheDryad_e.html Hans Christian Andersen, "The Dryad", 1868] (e-text)
 * Andersen, H. C.; Craigie (transl.) "[[s:Fairy Tales and Other Stories (Andersen, Craigie)/The Dryad|The Dryad]]" ''Fairy tales and other stories'' London; Toronto: Oxford University Press. 1914
 * [https://web.archive.org/web/20061124001516/http://www.mytholog.com/fiction/hoke_dryad.html Tim Hoke, "The Dryad", 2002] (e-text; strong language)
-* [https://www.dryad.net Dryad Networks] German company developing an ultra-early wildfire detection system using gas sensors and distributed LoRaWAN mesh network.
 {{Greek mythology (deities)}}
@@ Line 100: / Line 78: @@
 [[Category:Dryads| ]]
 [[Category:Nymphs]]
-[[Category:Women in Greek mythology]]