InGreek mythology, aHamadryad orHamadryas (/hæməˈdraɪ.æd/;Ancient Greek:ἁμαδρυάς, pl: ἁμαδρυάδες,romanized: Hamadryás, pl: Hamadryádes[1]) is a treenymph.[2] They are born bonded to a certain tree on which their life depends.[3][4] Some maintain that a Hamadryad is the tree itself, with a normaldryad being simply the indwellingentity, orspirit, of the tree. If the tree should die, the Hamadryad associated with it would die as well. For this reason, both dryads and the other gods would punishmortals (such asKing Erysichthon) who harmed trees.
The name of the Hamadryades was compounded from the ancient Greek words háma (ἅμα, Doric:ἁμᾶ, "together, concurrently"[5][6]) and dryás (δρυάς, "tree, wood nymph"[7]). This informs the understanding that the life of a Hamadryas is concurrent with that of its tree: one cannot exist without the other.
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TheDeipnosophistae of Athenaeus lists eight Hamadryads, the daughters ofOxylus andHamadryas:
The mother, Hamadryas, is immortalized in three scientific names, two of which are still valid: the generic name of thecracker butterfly, the specific name of the northernmost monkey inAsia Minor, thehamadryas baboon, and the original (but no longer valid) genus name of theking cobra (originallyHamadryas hannah, nowOphiophagus hannah).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 inHellenic 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.
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