Meliae were the
nymphs of ash-trees (melia, 'ash-tree'), born from the drops of blood that fell when Cronos castrated his father
Uranus. The ash-tree has long been regarded in many countries as a magic or mystic one, with one of the best known being Yggdrasil, the world tree of Scandinavian mythology that with its roots and branches binds together heaven, earth and
hell.
