
Hearkened to the forest maiden, in the fog before her stood.
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III
Dryads are among my favorite characters from mythology and folklore. From Greek mythology to modern times, their interpretations in art and literature are varied. They are tree spirits, certain versions of which can emerge from their arboreal homes as human beings. Most of the representations I have found are female.


In other versions, they are so bound to their homes that they die if their trees are cut down. I wish I could credit the following painting, but I could find no information on the artist. If anyone knows and can tell me, I will gladly update this post (artist: Emile Jean-Baptiste Philippe Bin – many thanks to Colin Smith for the information). I was intrigued by the idea of a dryad emerging to prevent a woodsman from cutting down her tree. The painting implies a story.
In this painting by Edward Burne-Jones, the female figure is not a Dryad proper, but rather a woman temporarily transformed into a tree. She transforms back when the lover who neglected her repents of his actions. Though I haven not yet read the story, I think it comes from The Metamorphoses by Ovid. Still, the painting is reminiscent of the original concept of tree spirits.

They are sometimes portrayed as males. For The Staff in the Tree, I envisioned them as giant warriors, spirits that can emerge from their trees and take on solid form. This gave me good imagery around which to work some verses. In the story, the Dryads are forest guardians who are shrewd, severe, and entirely not to be messed with. I must cop to being influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien’s portrayal of the Ents in his Ring trilogy.
Juvenile though my drawing at the top of this entry may seem, it was a hard one for me to make with my limited technique. It certainly pales against the other images I have shown. I will end with a painting relevant to this post and last week’s as well.

Re your unnamed artist. Took a bit of creative Googling and turned out “F Bin” is actually “E Bin”, but here he is, Émile Jean-Baptiste Philippe Bin, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89mile_Bin
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Thank you so much this is helpful.
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I also find Dryad’s fascinating, probably my love of trees.
The art you included here is beautiful.
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Thank you. I have a love of trees as well. I found looking at the giant sequoias at Callaveras Big Tree State Park in California profoundly memorable.
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I so want to take my children there…
Inspiring.
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According to some sources, a male tree spirit is called a dru, while the better known females are dryads.
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Thank you. I noticed that the definition varied according to the source. One even said that whether a dryad is male or female depended on the species of the tree. As an example, oak tree spirits were male. Most representations I have seen are female, however. Perhaps I am being too “Entish.”
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Weren’t they the creatures from Disney’s Hercules in that swamp-like place running away from the satyr?
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I’m afraid I can’t answer that because I haven’t seen the movie. Is it good?
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Yes! Watch it! Please. Tell me how it is. Better do a review. I wonder if you’ll like it.
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