Dryads (disambiguation)

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Dryads, or spirits of the wood, were creatures only mentioned fleetingly in linguistic writings. Their Elvish names were tavaro or tavaron (masc. sing.) and tavaril (fem. sing.), derived from the root TÁWAR ("wood, forest").[1][2]

In one letter, Tolkien explores the possibility that the Ents were "souls" that were sent to inhabit (animate) trees, or that became trees themselves.[3]

Other mention

According to C.S. Lewis, Tolkien once told him that historical people in a sense did not falsely claim to see "nymphs in the fountains and woods and dryads in the wood", since the the production of food was so connected to one's own land and territory: people came to internalise the nature surrounding them.[4]


See also

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References

Legendary races of Arda
 Animals:  Dumbledors · Gorcrows · Hummerhorns · Pards · Swans of Gorbelgod · Turtle-fish
Dragon-kind:  Sea-serpents · Spark-dragons · Were-worms
Evil Races:  Ettens · Giants · Half-trolls · Hobgoblins · Ogres · Snow-trolls · Two-headed Trolls
Other:  Badger-folk · Great beasts · Lintips · Mewlips · Nameless things · Spectres
Individuals:  Talking Gurthang · Talking purse · The Hunter · Lady of the Sun · Lonely Troll · Man in the Moon · The Rider · River-woman · Tarlang · Tim · Tom · White cow