In Greek mythology a Hamadryads spirit guarded what

Trees
A hamadryad (/hæməˈdraɪ.æd/; Greek: Ἁμαδρυάδες, Hamadryádes) is a Greek mythological being that lives in trees.

They are a particular type of dryad, which are a particular type of nymph.

Hamadryads are born bonded to a certain tree.

Some believe that hamadryads are the actual tree, while normal dryads are simply the entities, or spirits, of the trees.

If the tree died, the hamadryad associated with it died as well. For that reason, dryads and the gods punished any mortals who harmed trees.

The Deipnosophistae of Athenaeus lists eight Hamadryads, the daughters of Oxylus and Hamadryas:

Read more...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamadryad

Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths (9780553259209): Bernard Evslin: Books http://tipsandsteps.com/shortlink/as