Dryads: The Women who lived in Trees




Dryads and Hamadryads are wood nympths who first appeared in ancient Greek Mythology. Old tales depict Dryads as female nature spirits who lived in trees and forests giving them an atmosphere of deep magic. They were said to be very fond of Oak trees which have long been celebrated in many ancient nature based religions such as Druidism, Wicca and Paganism. The word Drys translates into Oak in ancient Greek.

In ancient works of Greek art they are often depicted as being pursued by Satyrs, their male counterparts. They were shown as being very shy creatures that could only be found in very secluded places but were very fond of the Greek goddess Artemis to whom they would appear. They were not immortal but lived very long lives and were tethered to their tree homes.







The Hamadryads were different to the Dryads in that they were such a deep integral part to their trees that if it died they would also perish. Because of this it was said that the Greek gods would punish any mortal who harmed trees without the permission of the Dryads.







One famous tale involving Dryads was the demise of Eurydice,  the beautiful wife of Orpheus. Unfortunately Eurydice was killed by a snake when she she escaped from the unwanted attentions of Aristaeus.

About the Author

S.J.Budd is a writer of all things weird and creepy. Previously her tales have been featured on Deandman's Tome,  Sanitarium Magazine, Dark Gothic Resurrected, Liquid Imagination, Aphotic Realm, Aurora Wolf, Aphelion, Blood Moon Rising Magazine, The Wild Hunt, Danse Macabre, Shadows at the Door, Inner Sins, Bewildering Stories, Siren's Call and many more.
She lives at www.sjbudd.co.uk  and  @sjbuddj 
Spells and Persuasions, her debut collection of short stories of horror and dark fantasy is available now in paperback and kindle from Amazon

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