In Greek mythology, a Hamadryad or Hamadryas (; [ Brill's New Pauly, s.v. Hamadryads.] They are born bonded to a certain tree on which their life depends.
Etymology
The name of the Hamadryades was compounded from the ancient Greek words háma (ἅμα, Doric: ἁμᾶ, "together, concurrently"
) and dryás (δρυάς, "tree, wood nymph"
). This informs the understanding that the life of a Hamadryas is concurrent with that of its tree: one cannot exist without the other.
List of Hamadryads
The
Deipnosophistae lists eight Hamadryads, the daughters of
Oxylus and Hamadryas:
Other Hamadryads
Scientific names
The mother, Hamadryas, is immortalized in three scientific names, two of which are still valid: the generic name of the cracker butterfly, the specific name of the northernmost monkey in
Asia Minor, the
hamadryas baboon, and the original (but no longer valid) genus name of the
king cobra (originally
Hamadryas hannah, now
Ophiophagus hannah). The cracker butterfly is more arboreal than most butterflies, as it commonly camouflages itself on trees. It feeds on sap, rotting fruit and dung. The hamadryas baboon is one of the least arboreal monkeys, but was the most common monkey in
Greece lands. The king cobra is sometimes considered arboreal or semi-arboreal, and is also referred to by the common name "hamadryad", especially in older literature.
Notes
-
Brill's New Pauly: Encyclopaedia of the Ancient World. Antiquity, Volume 5, Equ – Has, edited by Hubert Cancik and Helmuth Schneider, Brill, 2004. .
Further reading
See also
