Whickwithy said:

That sounds Gaelic, whispered?  Nice picture and interesting story, also.

It's from Wales. During the last Ice Age, Wales and Ireland were linked by dry land (or ice!). The forest must have grown up as the ice melted and the Irish Sea started to fill about 10,000 years ago. 

During this period of warming, agriculture was spreading across the British Isles, and by about 4,500 years ago, its quite likely that the first farmers were living in "Cantre'r Gwaelod".

But the Irish Sea continued to rise and within 500-1000 years, the land would have been submerged (that's what tree ring and carbon dating give us for the age of the forest).

So even though the folktale of Cantre'r Gwaelod can be traced only as far back as the Dark Ages, it could be that its roots are in the memories of those earliest farmers over 2000 years before that.

I bet you've got some indigenous tales from the forests where you live?

^ I now understand where the description "pools of light" comes from. It looks just as dreamlike on the forest floor when you're standing near or next to it. It's jungle light, :D. The girl in it is actually my sis, not the English rose. The English rose is of the hothouse variety and has a bit of fear of the natural world. I can't get her to hike a trail, ride a horse, swim a spring, paddle a kayak...nada. Oh well.

@whispered I love your story and image. You can't beat history and nature combined ;)

When you find her, let me know @};-

You sure you didn't mean hard spot? ;)

...Or hard....

There are sure enough forests around here but, unfortunately, those are tales that one usually would learn growing up.  I didn't grow up here.  I probably should have been.  The Band's song "Acadian Driftwood" and the lyrics "point my compass north, I've got winter in my bones" suits me to, well, the bone!

I usually do.