Nymph not specified in the source texts. For lists of Naiads, Oceanids, Dryades etc. see respective articles. Nymph A nymph ( "nýmphē," Ancient: Modern: ) in Greek mythology is a minor female nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from other goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing; their amorous freedom sets them apart from the restricted and chaste wives and daughters of the Greek "polis". They are beloved by many and dwell in mountainous regions and forests
The Wood Nymph that the tone poem's depiction of "a fatal sexual conjunction" between Björn and the "" is a possible allusion to the composer's own youthful indiscretions. "The strong autobiographical element in "Skogsrået" is unmistakable", Murtomäki has written, adding that in the ballade, "Sibelius probably confesses an affair to Aino". For Murtomäki, the balladic nature of "The Wood Nymph" is key, as in the genre "it was expected that the singer/storyteller/composer should reveal himself". At the time, it was common for the first sexual partners of men of Sibelius's class to be prostitutes. Murtomäki says that "In their concealed or "unofficial" sexual