Tapio is an East Finnish

Finnish mythology

Finnish mythology is the mythology that went with Finnish paganism which was practised by the Finnish people prior to Christianisation. It has many features shared with fellow Finnic Estonian mythology and its non-Finnic neighbours, the Balts and the Scandinavians...

 forest spirit or god, who figured prominently in the Kalevala

Kalevala

The Kalevala is a 19th century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology.It is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature...

. Hunters prayed to him before a hunt. His wife is the goddess of the forest, Mielikki

Mielikki

Mielikki is the Finnish goddess of forests and the hunt. She is referred to in various tales as either the wife or the daughter-in-law of Tapio. She is said to have played a central role in the creation of the bear....

. He was the father of Annikki, Tellervo, Nyyrikki

Nyyrikki

Nyyrikki is the Finnish god of the hunt, and son of Tapio. He has been tenuously associated with Nimrod....

 (the god of hunting), and Tuulikki. Fitting the Green Man

Green Man

A Green Man is a sculpture, drawing, or other representation of a face surrounded by or made from leaves. Branches or vines may sprout from the nose, mouth, nostrils or other parts of the face and these shoots may bear flowers or fruit...

 archetype, Tapio has a beard of lichen and eyebrows of moss.

He lends his name in the form of Tapiola

Tapiola

Tapiola or Hagalund is a district of Espoo on the south coast of Finland, and is one of the major urban centres of Espoo...

 to: (a) one of the major urban centres within the city of Espoo

Espoo

Espoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland. The population of the city of Espoo is . It is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen....

, outside of Helsinki; and (b) an unincorporated community in the USA state of Michigan

Tapiola, Michigan

Tapiola is an unincorporated community in Houghton County, Michigan, United States. Tapiola is located in Portage Township, west of Keweenaw Bay.- History :...

. He also appears in the Nightwish

Nightwish

Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland. Formed in 1996 by songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former vocalist Tarja Turunen, Nightwish's current line-up has five members, although Tarja has been replaced by Anette Olzon and the...

song, Elvenpath, as Tapio, bear king, ruler of the forest.

Jean Sibelius's tone-poem Tapiola (1926) is a depiction of the forest Tapio inhabits.