To the ancient Romans, a dryad (oak tree) was a type of nymph whose life is bound up with that of a tree. Dryads, some specific to particular trees, appear in several mythful tales, such as the story of Daphne and Apollo. Daphne was a beautiful nymph, and Apollo, the sun god, fell in love with her. However, she rejected his advances, and prayed to her father, a river god, for relief. The river god turned her into a laurel tree, which became sacred to Apollo. It's branches were used to crown victors of Roman games and in the Roman senate.
English word: Our word dryad refers to a Roman dryad.
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