Tapio is an
East Finnish forest spirit or god, who figures prominently in the
Kalevala. Hunters prayed to him before a hunt. His wife is the goddess of the forest,
Mielikki. He was the father of Annikki,
Tellervo,
Nyyrikki (the god of hunting), and
Tuulikki. Fitting the
Green Man archetype, Tapio has a beard of lichen and eyebrows of moss.