The Dryad, a mythological tree nymph, is represented here in god-like proportions, the only being for miles around. Despite this grandeur, the nymph’s features hold sorrow—weltschmerz, a feeling experienced by someone who understands that physical reality can never satisfy the demands of the mind. The Dryad, then, stands on a threshold between two states, symbolising both the weariness of modern existence and the omnipotence of nature.