Hello, lovelies!
Tree spirits have been part of human folklore since there have been trees. Something about these weird, natural trunks full of arm-like branches, big or small, makes us feel so connected to them. So, it's not so strange that this is yet another example of folklore motifs spanning across the globe.
Still, there are a number of variations of tree spirits for you to choose from, some more human than others, some more fae-like than others. And then there are the vast amount trees on this earth, each with their own symbolism and lore as well.
Long story short, there is very wide net to cast, and I am going to address a number of ways to use tree spirits in your writing.
General Description:
This both depends on the region, and on the type of tree the spirit is attached to. Sometimes they are beautiful, young, nymph-like creatures, able to detach themselves from the tree and even marry mortals, other times they are just ... a tree. If the tree spirit is meant to be a more humanising character, then you may want to choose something similar to a dryad or a fae, who can take human form. If you want the spirit to have a more otherwordly presence, you may choose to only have a voice for the tree, or have a strange face carved in it, which interacts with humans. You can pretty much go every direction.
However, their temperement, and the way they interact wth mortals, can drastically differ from tree to tree. The folklore and symbolism tied to the tree is especially significant in this. As an example, the elder tree has long been associated with magic, the fae world, death, and the Crone, among many other things. So, it's not very surprising that the Elder fae often appears as an old woman, brimming with old magic, who you most definitely don't want to offend if you don't want to suffer a very unlucky fate. So, make sure you research the lore behind a tree before writing in the spirit tied to it.
Use:
-Magic Source:
Trees in folklore are often not just spirits standing along the earth, they hold incredible magic in their roots, making their wood, blossoms, and fruits easy ingredients for witchcraft and other spells.
So, writing tree spirits as magical sources is definitely a route you can go down on.
Your characters may want to seek out certain ingredients from certain trees for either their personal storyline or the narrative overall. However, how succesfull, or how willing the tree spirit is, is completely up to how you choose to characterise it.
Some tree spirits may willingly give part of their wood to someone looking to make a wand for example, or issue a challenge first, like many other creatures in fables do. However, since they are a sentient, conscious being, you may also choose to have a tree spirit be unwilling, and maybe even malicious. Giving part of oneself, to a random person is not exactly appealing to everyone.
-Ancestor:
Some trees are so old, our great-parents probably played on their branches, and even generation much earlier than that may have stood in the tree's shadow. And then there's the visual of the tree itself: a trunk spouting out branches, which then spout smaller branches, like an ancestor with its descendants.
Trees have always had a connection to the ancient past, the earth, and our ancestral heritage, not the least of which being their age and shape. So, presenting tree spirits in an 'ancestor role' is a very compatible characterisation. This doesn't mean you need to literally turn older generations into trees, unless that works with your worldbuilding, but showing them as old guides and keepers of history is very much a good possibility.
-Reverence of Nature:
Within older societies, religions were based around the divinity of nature, with gods and creatures being representations of said nature. Trees also, unsurprisingly, followed this path of reverence, whether them being seen as deities, or have associations to other gods.
In terms of worldbuilding, these tree spirits can therefore inform the reader about what kind of society the characters live in. If you choose to make the trees and their spirits sources of divinity, it will become a basis for daily life and religious activities.
How ingrained this is in the characters is up to you, but considering tree spirits are closer to the earth than deities usually are, they will have a larger impact on day-to-day activities than most revered creatures, especially if the characters live near a forested area.
I hope this has been helpful and fun for you all! If there's a creature you want me to cover, feel free to tell me in the comments!
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Goodbye, lovelies!
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