The Tree Spirits of St. Simons
As you ride
around St. Simons
island, look closely
at our majestic oak
trees. You may be surprised
to see one of them looking back at you. What’s
that, you ask? Yes, there are tree Spirits on St.
Simons Island!
The Tree Spirit, also known as Wood Spirit,
Tree Troll, Wood Dryad and other names, is a
vivid and powerful character and
enjoys a long and noble history.
From Greek mythology to fairy
tales to the stories of Native
Americans, they are common to
folklore, in different forms, in
almost every culture on earth. He
is said to be Lord of the Forest
and all things natural.
There are over 20 Tree Spirits
engraved into the trees of St.
Simons
Island and
while some
are on
private
property
many are
in public spaces
waiting to be
discovered.
The carvings are
a creation of
woodworker Keith Jennings who started
the project in the early
1980s.
While some believe
that the Tree Spirits of
St. Simons Island
immortalize the spirits
of sailors lost at sea or
soldiers killed long ago
in the Island’s dense
forests, Keith says it isn’t
so. According to him
each tree has its own
spirit waiting to be
unleashed. His work
is to find and release.
These are a few of
the beautiful faces to
look for and here’s a
few hints for places to look:
• Golden Isles Welcome Center
529 Beachview Drive
• Mallery Park baseball
field on Park Ave
• Mallery Park
Basketball Court - Park Ave
• On Mallery Street
next to Murphy’s
Tavern in the Pier Village
• On DemereRoad at
Skylane Drive
• In Redfern Village
across from Gnat’s
• Gascoigne Bluff Park
- along the dirt road
beside the river, near
picnic area
• At 3305
Frederica Road in
front of
Anderson Fine Art
Gallery.
Keep a
photographic record of
your finds - new ones
are always popping up -
and see what the spirits
tell you of their stories.
For additional help
locating the Tree Spirits,
look for the Tree Spirit
symbol
on the map on page 79.
SPRING 2019 13