Saturday, March 24, 2012

The Sending of Eight: hamadryad

Rincewind finds himself inside a tree, which is bigger on the inside than on the outside.

Hamadryads, in Greek myth:
Hamadryads (Greek: Ἁμαδρυάδες, Hamadryádes) are Greek mythological beings that live in trees. They are a particular type of dryad, which in turn are a particular type of nymph. Hamadryads are born bonded to a particular tree. Some believe that hamadryads are the actual tree, while normal dryads are simply the entities, or spirits, of the trees. If the tree died, the hamadryad associated with it died as well. For that reason, dryads and the gods punished any mortals who harmed trees. The Deipnosophistae of Athenaeus lists eight Hamadryads, the daughters of Oxylus and Hamadryas:

* Karya (Walnut or Hazelnut)
* Balanos (Oak)
* Kraneia (Dogwood)
* Morea (Mulberry)
* Aigeiros (Black Poplar)
* Ptelea (Elm)
* Ampelos (Vines, especially Vitis)
* Syke (Fig)

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