Hamadryas (mythology)

In Greek mythology, Hamadryas (Ancient Greek: Ἁμάδρυας) was the nymph daughter of Orius (mountain-god of Othrys or the Pindus) and sister Oxylus (daimon of the mountain forest).

Name

Hamadryas' name means "Together-with-Tree" and "Together-with-Oak" from the Greek words hama and drys - the latter being both "holm oak" and generic "tree." She was probably the first oak-tree nymph.

Mythology

By her own brother, Oxylus, Hamadryas bore eight daughters — Aegeirus, Ampelus, Balanus, Carya, Craneia, Morea, Ptelea, and Syke. These were called hamadryads, and many trees derive their names from them.