Wood nymphs, small female spirits of the natural world.
Nymphs were small female spirits of the natural world: little goddesses of forests, rivers, springs, meadows, mountains and seas. They were the artisans of nature's wild beauty, from growing trees, flowers and shrubs, to raising wild animals and birds and forming grottos, springs, streams and wetlands.
Nymphs are considered daughters of the gods.
In some stories written by Homer, the nymphs are daughters of Zeus, in other stories by Hesiod, some of them are daughters of the Okeanos river that surrounds the earth and they are the ones that flourish in nature, others are daughters of Gaia (mother earth ) and some from Seilenos.
Achilles and other heroes of Greek mythology are children of nymphs, since there are many stories of men who had adventures with nymphs.
Some of the famous nymphs in mythology used to be in the service of a god; Dionysus, Pan, Hermes, or the huntress Artemis.
The Dryads
The Dryads were the fascinating and supernatural nymphs of forests and trees, believed by the ancient Greeks to live in the forests and featured in ancient Greek legends and mythology.
The Dryads were minor goddesses of nature, specifically of the forest and trees. The Hamadryads were forest nymphs who were born attached to a particular type of tree. Therefore the Dryads were the guardians of forests and trees in general and were distinguished from the Hamadryads because they lived in a particular tree.
Definition of the Dryads (wood nymph)
The meaning of the Dryads (forest nymph) are as follows: they were minor goddesses and beautiful nymphs who were represented as young maidens. Dryads were originally the spirits of oaks, but eventually this name was applied to all forest and tree nymphs. Wood nymphs were often depicted in myth and art accompanied or pursued by their male counterparts, satyrs.
Definition of the Hamadriads (forest nymph associated with a tree)
The Hamadryads were supernatural tree nymphs, nature spirits who took the form of beautiful young maidens who only lived as long as the trees they inhabited.
The name is derived from the Greek word «dryos» meaning «tree» and the Greek word «hama» meaning «together.»
Wood nymphs were not immortal
The beautiful dryads of the forests were considered to be quite fragile compared to the Oreads, who were the strong mountain nymphs who were tougher and also immortal.
The forest nymphs were not immortal and it is believed that when the tree they inhabited perished, they died. The very life of the dryads and hamadryads was, therefore, irrevocably connected with that of the trees.
If the tree dies, the tree nymph dies with it. If this was caused by a mortal, the gods would punish him for the deed. The wood nymphs would also punish any thoughtless mortal who had somehow damaged a tree.
It was considered an ungodly act to ruthlessly destroy a tree and in some cases was severely punished.
The nymphs of the forests and trees 🌳
DRIADS. The Greek nymphs of the woods, trees and forests were called dryads. Some Dryads were Naiades (water nymphs) who presided in the trees that grew next to their spring or stream. Others were Oreiades (mountain nymphs) connected with highland firs and manna ashes.
HAMADRÍADAS. These peculiar wood nymphs were linked to a specific tree. They were often paired with the tallest trees in a sacred grove. Some were also the Nayades of springs, particularly those that seemed to gush from beneath the roots of a tree.
MELISSAI. These were the nymphs of honey bees. They were nymphs of ash trees and mountain forests.
OREIADES. They were the nymphs that lived in the mountain forests. Some were nymphs of highland fir and ash trees, others were spirits of rocky grottoes, Naiads of mountain springs, and Epimelides of mountain pastures.
EPIMELIDES. They were the nymphs that fed the herds of cattle, goats and means «fruit tree» and «sheep», hence the double role of the nymph.
There are several types of nymphs:
- celestial nymphs
- Earth Nymphs
- Water Nymphs
- Wood and plant nymphs
- Nymphs of the underworld