Short answers, pulled from the story.
The word ash derives from the Old English æsc, which traces back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning both tree and spear. This linguistic duality reveals that the wood of the genus Fraxinus was so strong and elastic that it became the primary material for weapon shafts. The name reflects the tree's historical role as an active instrument of survival and warfare rather than merely a source of shade or timber.
Carl Linnaeus established the genus Fraxinus in 1753. The name has been challenged and redefined by a succession of botanists including Georg Rudolf Boehmer in 1760 and Friedrich Kasimir Medikus in 1791. The genus is now divided into sections such as Dipetalae, Fraxinus, Melioides, Ornus, Pauciflorae, and Sciadanthus.
The emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis, arrived in North America in the late 1980s to early 1990s. This wood-boring beetle was accidentally introduced via solid wood packing material from eastern Asia. The pest has since killed tens of millions of ash trees across 22 states in the United States and neighboring Ontario and Quebec in Canada.
Ash wood has a density of around 670 kg/m3 for Fraxinus americana, the white ash, and 710 kg/m3 for Fraxinus excelsior, the European ash. This density combined with strength and elasticity has made it a preferred material for tool handles, Morgan sports car frames, and electric guitar bodies. Fender has used ash as a tonewood for its electric guitars since 1950.
The Meliae are nymphs whose name means ash trees and are associated with the ash, perhaps specifically of the manna ash, Fraxinus ornus. They appear in Hesiod's Theogony, which states that they were born when drops of Ouranos's blood fell on the earth, Gaia. These nymphs serve as a reminder of the deep connection between the ash tree and the divine in ancient cultures.