| Dryad | |
 | |
| |
| Sapience level | Sapient |
| Average height | 5-6 ft. |
| Nature | Shy, benevolent |
| Subspecies | Hamadryad, Meliai, Epimeliad, Caryatids |
| Related species | Ent, Kodama |
Dryads are a race of nymphs closely associated with trees.
Technically, Dryads are specifically the nymphs of oak trees (Greek drys signifies "oak"), though the term has come to be used for all tree nymphs in general.
Anatomy and appearance[]
In most depictions, Dryads are virtually identical to human females. They are always young and attractive in appearance.
Behavior[]
They were normally considered to be very shy creatures, except around the goddess Artemis, who was known to be a friend to most nymphs.
Subspecies[]
The Dryads of ash trees were called the Meliai. Those associated with apple trees were Epimeliad, and walnut-trees Caryatids.
Dryads, like all nymphs, were supernaturally long-lived and 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 died as well. For these reasons, Dryads and the Greek gods punished any mortals who harmed trees without first propitiating the tree-nymphs.
Demographics[]
Beings known as Dryads inhabit many different worlds, some of which are described here.
Ancaria[]
The Dryads live a secluded life in harmony with their environment. They go hunting, they are skillful in using poison and traps and they observe their traditions diligently. Most of them never see life outside their homeland and generally, they are not interested in affairs beyond their borders. Their tight bond with nature bestows abilities deriving from the very strengths of the wilderness upon these fighters of the forest. The most powerful of the Dryad hunters are even knowledgeable of the dark arts of Voodoo.
Narnia[]
Dryads (also can be refered as "Wood Nymphs", "Wood Gods", "Wood Goddesses", "Hamadryads", "Tree People", and "Silvans") are spirits of trees. They are able to assume physical bodies identical to human form and the same size as normal humans, and they could go in and out of their trees. Male dryads lived in Oak, Elm, Holly, and Rowan trees, while female dryads lived in Beech, Silver Birch, Larch, and Willow trees. Each individual dryad was spiritually tied to one tree and if that tree was cut down or destroyed, the dryad tied to it would fall down, die, and then dissappear into thin air.
World (Witcher)[]
Dryads, (Aen Woedbeanna in Elder Speech and 'eerie wives' by the Rangers), are the female inhabitants and guardians of the Brokilon forest. They are known for their amazing archery skills (they can easily kill a human from the distance of 200 feet), as well as their love for the trees, forest and music.
They look like normal, pretty, young girls. They wear clothes that make them hard to spot in the forest and paint their bodies to make themselves even less visible. They have skills unique to their race such as shaping trees with their will and moving without making any sounds.
Dryads are exclusively female and use human or elven males for mating. They sometimes raise normal, human children as dryads, even though they do not possess all the skills of real dryads. They are sometimes also called nymphs.