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dryad

Greek mythology
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Also called:
hamadryad
Related Topics:
nymph
See all related content

dryad, in Greek mythology, a nymph or nature spirit who lives in trees and takes the form of a beautiful young woman. Dryads were originally the spirits of oak trees (drys: “oak”), but the name was later applied to all tree nymphs. It was believed that they lived only as long as the trees they inhabited.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Matt Stefon.