Dryad

Dryad
Wood's artwork from the All About Akumajō Dracula guide
Japanese name(s)	ドライアド Doraiado Tree Spirit, Wood
Abilities	Drain Seed Protrudes and attacks unexpectedly from trees
Type(s)	Plant Monster, Spirit
Origins	Greek mythology
Appearances	Aria of Sorrow Chronicles Circle of the Moon Haunted Castle Super Castlevania IV

Dryads are enemies in the Castlevania series. They are evil tree spirits.

Origins

The Dryad by Evelyn De Morgan.

A dryad is a tree nymph, or tree spirit, in Greek mythology. In Greek drys signifies "oak"; thus, dryads are specifically the nymphs of oak trees, though the term has come to be used for all tree nymphs in general.

They were normally considered to be very shy creatures, except around the goddess Artemis, who was known to be a friend to most nymphs.

Description

Dryads are evil tree nymphs, or female tree spirits. The first dryads in the Castlevania series protruded suddenly from the trunk of a tree like a human-shaped branch. The Dryad tree in Castlevania: Circle of the Moon emitted seeds that slowly moved toward the player. The dryad formed the shape of a woman from the upper trunk of the tree in Aria of Sorrow.

Appearances

Haunted Castle

First appearance of Dryads in the series. Only two are found in the entire game, both in the Graveyard after exiting the burning section. Due to their unconventional way of making their presence and attack, they may take the player by surprise. Even then, however, they are easily avoidable and will be put down in just a few whip strikes.

Super Castlevania IV

After a long absence, Dryads return once more in Super Castlevania IV. Once again, only two appear in the entire game, at the beginning of the Sorcery Tower, and they protrude from solid walls instead of trees. Their shapes are more akin to that of a feminine body this time around.

Castlevania Chronicles

Dryads are the very first enemies encountered in the Courtyard and appear all throughout the first section of the level. They retain their usual means of attack by protruding from dead trees in an attempt to surprise the player.

Circle of the Moon

Dryads in Circle of the Moon deviate from their usual portrayal and instead appear as monstrous tree trunks which, along with their branches, give them a humanoid appearance that boasts a face contorting in pain.

They are only encountered in a long tunnel of the Underground Warehouse which leads back to the Catacomb. They are mobile this time around, although they move very slowly and resort in spewing giant spores that travel across the ground to inflict Plant damage. While not particularly difficult to avoid, they can become a nuisance should the player let them populate the screen.

Aria of Sorrow

A most faithful depiction of the mythological nymph, the Dryad in Aria of Sorrow appears as a female torso protruding from a dead tree trunk, with its long branches making the role of hands. They are found in the Underground Reservoir guarding the secret path to the Forbidden Area.

Unlike their Circle of the Moon counterparts, they remain stationary this time around and only resort on hurling three persimmons which they grow themselves at Soma. If one of these manages to connect, it will stick to him for a short time and deal small but constant damage until it disappears. This attack is the only one in the entire game which does not cancel Soma's bat transformation.

Gaining dominance over their soul grants Soma the Drain Seed ability, which allows him to hurl the same kind of fruits at enemies to deal damage and transfer their HP to himself.

Enemy Data

Enemy Data: Dryad
Image	Name - Game Description	Statistics	Items	Location	Notes
	Dryad  - Haunted Castle				[ edit ]
	'	HP: 6 Exp: 200 Atk: 1		1. Graveyard
	26. Dryad  (Wood) - Super Castlevania IV				[ edit ]
	'	HP: 0 Exp: 100 Atk: 2		4. The Trick Manor
	Dryad  (Tree Spirit) - Chronicles				[ edit ]
	'	HP: 12 Exp: 300		3. Courtyard
	Dryad (jpn) - Circle of the Moon				[ edit ]
	'	Strong: Plants HP: 120 Exp: 300 Atk: 300 Def: 360	Common Drop: Heart High (1%) Rare Drop: Heart Mega (0.2%)	Underground Warehouse
	71. Dryad (jpn) - Aria of Sorrow				[ edit ]
	An evil tree spirit.	Weak: Flame HP: 350 MP: 212 Exp: 200 Atk: 45 Def: 38	Common Drop: Mystletain Rare Drop: Persimmon Soul: Drain Seed	Underground Reservoir, Forbidden Area

Item Data

Item Data: Dryad
Image	Name - Game   Type - Users Description	Attributes / Consume	Statistics / Sell	Found	Notes
	Mystletain (jpn) - Aria of Sorrow   Weapon - Soma				[edit]
	Sword carved from a sacred tree	Attrib: Sword, Holy	ATK +36 Sell: $4,000	Find: Clock Tower (hidden) Common Drop: Dryad
	Persimmon (jpn) - Aria of Sorrow   Food - Soma				[edit]
	A bitter fruit.		HP +80 Sell: $500	Rare Drop: Dryad
	Dryad - Drain Seed - Aria of Sorrow   Bullet Soul - Soma				[edit]
	Grows stronger by stealing HP from its enemies.	Consume: 33 MP	59 ATK	Rarity: 50 Drop: Dryad

Gallery

Dryad

Wood from the All About Akumajō Dracula guide for Super Castlevania IV