DRIADS. – Minor Greek divinities. They are the nymphs of the trees, who play with Pan, the satyrs, and the fauns. Generally they were not considered immortal.
They belong to mythology, not to cult: in fact their name recurs especially in Greek and Roman grammarians and antiquarians who divided the nymphs into numerous categories; in cult they are remembered only as nymphs in general. Like other rural deities, however, they held importance in popular beliefs and superstitions.