An Enchanted Forest With a Magical Lake Reflection

There are a few settings that are only enchanted by their actual nature, and that is the way I would depict the area of this dream tree workmanship on a little island by the Lake. I will always remember whenever I first saw this dream tree close to a beautiful lake as we came in our most memorable evening. There was something so elegant and enchanted about the lines of those tree trunks and appendages. I have frequently said that these trees help me to remember a ballet performer trapped amidst a dance. They appear to emerge from the water as opposed to being established there.
The forest was colossal, spacious, and archaic. Its canopy was ruled by yew, beech, and hickory, who let through enough dancing beams of sunshine for vibrant ferns to flourish in the insect riddled soils below.
Silent branches dangled from the occasional tree, and a range of flowers, which were scattered sporadically, added playful elements to the otherwise beige forest floor.
A tumult of sounds, predominantly those of foraging beasts, added life to the forest, and were in harmony with the barrage of noise coming from a waterfall in the distance.
Dark tree trunks, shadows, overhanging limbs across the path seen at the last second, clumps of bushes, barely visible black trails snaking through the undergrowth, moon shining through a lattice of leaves, patchy sky & stars seen in glimpses through tree breaks, tall shadowed pines stretching up like arrows into the sky, streaks of cloud against the…
The lake showed up as though by wizardry as we peaked the edge. It was in tear silver in variety and it was formed like a totally level plate of metal. No sound rang out from the gleaming void of room around it. Religious community calm, it was fixed with pine trees and the whiff of mint drifted dependent upon us. We chose to advance toward its decanter clear shore. The unspoiled scene blew our mind. Unruffled by wind or downpour, it was vault still and peaceful. The main sounds were the blundering of honey bees and the weighty reverberation of a raven cracking.Show more

Out on the lake, tumbling trout were slapping the surface. They were wanting to get one of the group of flies that hummed about. The paradise releasing light added a brilliant color to the essence of the lake and it was heaven. A surprising aha second came unbidden, which included the excellence of the normal world. I remained quiet about it. The pinching midges didn’t detract from the joy of that day. I can in any case see the downpour pearled grass to my eye. I recollect the saccharine wonderful smell of that grass. I recall that the water posed a flavor like the nectar of the divine beings. In particular, I recall how it felt to be youthful on that exceptional day
wilderness without trying to control or disrupt it.

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This trope frequently goes hand in hand with The Maze; fairly often, portrayals of the Enchanted Forest will emphasize the difficulty of finding one's path through it and the ease of getting lost in its depths. Some cases will go beyond the regular difficulty of pathfinding in thick forest and will depict this as a supernatural effect, sometimes bordering on Alien Geometries, where specific paths must be followed to avoid becoming hopelessly lost or being taken straight back to the heart of the woods.

Historically, this trope originates from the often contentious relationship between humanity and woodlands. Agricultural civilizations tend to prefer their land to be clear, open, and carefully managed, often leading to the clearing of all but the wildest, thickest and most impenetrable woodlands. Additionally, old-growth forests often serve as refuges for large animals pushed out from farmlands and urban areas and for the undesirables of society — bandits, fugitives and runaway slaves all often sought forests and wooded swamps as refuges. Forests thus often come to represent holdouts of non-controlled landscape, the metaphorical "other" that doesn't belong to humanity, where forces of chaos and untamed nature remain dominant and strong. Combined with the difficulty of seeing very far in thick tree growth, which easily suggests the idea that who knows what peril or wonder could be hidden right under your nose, and with the tendency of many cultures to view nature and the unknown as magical and spirit-haunted, it's easy to see how the trope of the deep, magical and primordial forest originated.

This may also be a Shadowland for Arcadia, but is more likely to be one for a brilliant and happy city. Enchanted Forests are very common in the Standard Fantasy Setting.

See also The Lost Woods, which is video game levels themed around forests; these two tropes often overlap, but don't necessarily do so. Compare The Hedge of Thorns and Forest of Perpetual Autumn.