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Dryad
Dryad, in Greek mythology, a nymph of the trees and forests. In early legend, each dryad was born with a certain tree over which she watched. She lived either in the tree (in which case she is called a hamadryad) or near it. Because the dryad died when her tree fell, the gods often punished anyone who destroyed a tree. The word dryad has also been used in a general sense for nymphs living in the forest.
The Naiads are nymphs of bodies of fresh water and are one of the three main classes of Water Nymph ~ The other being the Nereids ( Nymphs of the Mediterranean Sea ) and the Oceanids ( Nymphs of the Oceans ).
The Naiads preside over rivers, streams, brooks, springs, fountains, lakes, ponds, wells, and marshes. The Naiad is intimately connected to her body of water and her very existence depends on it. If a stream dries up, it's Naiad expires. The waters over which a Naiad presides are thought to be endowed with inspirational, medicinal, or prophetic powers. Thus the Naiads were frequently worshipped by the ancient Greeks in association with divinities of fertility and growth.
Like all the Nymphs, the Naiads were in many ways female sex symbols of the ancient world and played the part of both the sedused and the seducer. Classical literature abounds with the stories of their love affairs with gods and men and with tales of their resulting children.
HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE
"Dryad," Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Naiads
The NYMPHS are female spirits of nature, who though living many years are nevertheless bound to die; some talk however as if they were immortal. Different kinds can be distinguished: OREADS (Mountain Nymphs), DRYADS (Nymphs of the Oak), HAMADRYADS (Tree-Nymphs), NAIADS (Water Nymphs), HYDRIADS (Water Nymphs), MELIADS (Nymphs of the Ash-trees), HELEADS (Nymphs of the Fen), EPIMELIADS (Nymphs, protectors of sheep).
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