Apollo and Daphne is transformed into a laurel tree. The myth of Apollo and Daphne has been examined as a battle between chastity (Daphne) and sexual desire (Apollo). As Apollo lustfully pursues Daphne, she is saved through her metamorphosis and confinement into the laurel tree which can be seen as an act of eternal chastity. Daphne is forced to sacrifice her body and become the laurel tree as her only form of escape from the pressures of Apollo's constant sexual desires. Apollo crafts himself a wreath out of her laurel branches and turning her symbol of chastity into a cultural symbol for him
The Wood Nymph himself too much" in early "confessional" works, such as "En saga", "Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of the Island", and "The Wood Nymph". In the absence of any new information from Sibelius's papers, however, the reason why "The Wood Nymph" was never published ultimately "appears doomed to remain a subject of speculation". Even after the wave of publicity that followed its reemergence, "The Wood Nymph" remains rarely recorded compared to other early Sibelius works. It received its world premiere in 1996 under the BIS label with Osmo Vänskä leading the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. Some musical material was unavailable until the publication