The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time #2 - Greater Hyrule

1. Fairy's Fountain, Greater Hyrule

Fairy Fountains are all mostly hidden underground in Ocarina of Time, either beneath large boulders or below a circle of rocks. Upon entering, there is a short hallway leading to the elegant Fairy's Fountain that houses several Fairies above its pond of water. It is surrounded by several columns, having a type of angel mark on top of them. Link can easily exit these fountains by stepping onto the platform with a shining ray of light found at the beginning of the fountain.

Other times, however, a Fairy's Fountain can be found outside, such as the one found in the oasis of the Desert Colossus, and just like its predecessor, Link can also stumble upon one in certain dungeons or temples.

2. Great Fairy's Fountain, Greater Hyrule

Great Fairy Fountains (The Minish Cap | Breath of the Wild), also known as Faerie Springs (Link's Awakening), Fairy's Fountains (Majara's Mask), Fairy Fountains (The Wind Walker | Hyrule Warriors), and Great Fairy's Fountains (Ocarina of Time | Four Swords Adventures) are recurring locations in The Legend of Zelda series in which a Great Fairy resides. Great Fairy Fountains go unnamed in Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, and Four Swords.

They are usually located in holes or caves; however, they are inside of houses shaped like seashells in The Wind Waker and out in the open in Breath of the Wild. They are often inaccessible without special abilities or items, for example, behind giant rocks or walls that must be bombed. Upon accessing the Fountain, Link may be rewarded with important items or power-ups which are helpful or necessary to finish the game. However, in some games such as A Link to the Past, Great Fairies residing within fountains only heal Link without granting him any special abilities.

There are a total of six Great Fairy's Fountains located all over Kingdom of Hyrule in Ocarina of Time. All of the Great Fairies within grant Link special power-ups such as Defensive Power or spells like Din's Fire, among other abilities. After Link has received the power-up in its respective Great Fairy's Fountain, he can go back and get his wounds healed and Magic Meter replenished by the Great Fairy.

The location of each of the Great Fairy's Fountains as well as the power-ups received are:

• The summit of Death Mountain – Magical Spin Attack and Magic Meter
• Death Mountain Crater – Enhanced Magic Meter
• The path to Hyrule Castle – Din's Fire
• Zora's Fountain – Farore's Wind
• Desert Colossus – Nayru's Love
• The path to Ganon's Castle – Defensive Power

All of the fountains in the game have the same appearance, including two torches on each side of the fountain, a rather large pond in the middle from which the Great Fairies come out, and a Triforce symbol in front of said pond. In order to get the Great Fairy to appear from the fountain, "Zelda's Lullaby" must be played with either Ocarina while standing on top of the Triforce symbol.

3. Sacred Realm, Greater Hyrule

The Sacred Realm, also known as the Golden Land, is a holy world connected to the land of Hyrule, said to be the resting place of the Triforce. The three Golden Goddesses, once they finished the creation of the land of Hyrule and its inhabitants, left behind a symbol of their strength, the Triforce, before departing for the heavens. The land where they left behind the golden power was said to be the Sacred Realm. The realm is said to be of twilight golden skies rather than the blue of Hyrule.

The Golden Goddesses left the omnipotent Triforce under the protection of the Goddess Hylia. During the Era of Chaos, the Temple of Light, located at the center of the Sacred Realm, became the resting place of the Triforce, and was isolated from Hyrule, with the Temple of Time being the only entrance.

The Sacred Realm would serve as a mirror to reflect the heart of any who would enter it and come to claim the Triforce as their own. If that person's heart was pure, the realm would become a paradise. However, if that person's heart was wicked, the Sacred Realm would become a world of evil. It is thought that if another would challenge and defeat the one who shattered the Triforce, the Sacred Realm would return to its former beauty. The sages and the Royal Family of Hyrule protect the Sacred Realm.

The Sacred Realm makes its next appearance (and first under that name) in Ocarina of Time, which takes place many centuries prior to A Link to the Past. The game begins at a time when the Sacred Realm has never been successfully opened and the only known gateway to it resides in the Temple of Time. The game also shows the origins of Ganondorf, the thief spoken of in the backstory of A Link to the Past, where he is depicted fittingly as the leader of a band of thieves, the Gerudo, residing in the desert of Hyrule, namely Gerudo Valley. Ganondorf somehow learns of the legends of the magical Triforce and lusts for its power. He travels to the land of Hyrule in search of a way into the Sacred Realm so he can steal the Triforce.

The Sacred Realm is first seen in the tale of Hyrule's creation told by the Great Deku Tree to the game's hero, Link, where it is shown as a magical place that serves as the home of the legendary Triforce and has not been visited by any in living memory since the departure of the Goddesses back to the heavens. The Triforce is shown to be shining down upon the Sacred Realm from above in this story as well as a later one told by Princess Zelda to Link, awaiting the time when one worthy of its power would come to claim it from its hiding place.

Creation

The Sacred Realm is first seen and mentioned within the game by the Great Deku Tree, who after being relieved of a debilitating curse by Link sees fit to give the young Hero information about his coming quest to stop the evil Gerudo King Ganondorf and relates to him the story of Hyrule's creation as well as the creation of the Sacred Realm. In his story, the Sacred Realm is shown to be a serene place that serves primarily as the home of the Triforce, with the magical relic shining down upon the realm from above.

The Deku Tree explains that after the three Golden Goddesses (Din, Nayru, and Farore) breathed their essences into the world of Hyrule, they also created a parallel dimension to Hyrule that was the very place from which they departed the world to return to the heavens. The Goddesses also chose to leave a symbol of their power at that same location. Three golden sacred triangles were left there, joined to form one single larger triangle, each representing the three forces of power, wisdom, and courage. This golden relic came to be known as the Triforce, a relic that came to be the basis of Hyrule's providence. And the lands that served as the home of the Triforce came to be known as the Sacred Realm.

The Legend of the Triforce

Princess Zelda is the next to speak of the Sacred Realm within the game, relating to Link the story of the Triforce. She states that the Golden Goddesses left the Triforce in the Sacred Realm at the time of Hyrule's creation and that the ancient relic possesses the power to grant the wish of one who holds the Triforce in his or her hands. A similar image to the one shown by the Deku Tree of the Triforce within the Sacred Realm is shown, revealing the Triforce to be the primary point of interest within the Sacred Realm. Zelda states also that the only known entrance to the Sacred Realm from the world of Hyrule is the Temple of Time, an ancient structure located very close to Hyrule Castle Town's marketplace. She states that in order to open the gateway between the two worlds, one would need the three Spiritual Stones kept by Hyrule's various races as well as the Royal Family's sacred treasure, the Ocarina of Time. When one who possesses the three stones stands with the Ocarina of Time and plays the mystical Song of Time within the Temple of Time, the gateway between the two worlds could then be opened, yielding access to the Sacred Realm.

Transformation into the Evil Realm

The seal between Hyrule and the Sacred Realm is finally broken when Link gains possession of the three Spiritual Stones and the Ocarina of Time from Hyrule's differing races and Princess Zelda. He journeys to the Temple of Time to protect the Triforce from Ganondorf and uses the collection of objects to open the Door of Time, the mighty stone barrier separating the two worlds. Beyond the Door of Time rests the Pedestal of Time and the mythical Master Sword, the lock and key to the portal between the worlds. Link removes the sword from its pedestal, opening the portal between Hyrule and the Sacred Realm but is put into suspended animation because he was too young to properly wield the Master Sword at the time. Ganondorf is then shown entering the Sacred Realm through the portal Link opened and is later revealed by the Sage of Light Rauru to have obtained the Triforce from the Temple of Light at the heart of the Sacred Realm, causing his power to radiate from the temples of Hyrule and to transform the Sacred Realm into a corrupt world, with only the Temple of Light itself remaining free of his evil power. Link never visits the areas of the Sacred Realm surrounding the Temple of Light within the game, instead being warped to the Chamber of Sages at the temple's heart each time he succeeds in awakening one of the Seven Sages.

A Mirror That Reflects What is in the Heart

Toward the end of the game, Princess Zelda reveals a final, previously unknown legend of the Triforce that explains what happened to the Sacred Realm after Ganondorf's invasion of it. According to legend, the resting place of the Sacred Triangle, the Sacred Realm, is a mirror that reflects what is in the heart of one who enters it and touches the Triforce with a wish in their heart. If that one's heart is pure, the realm will be defined by the purity of his or her heart, transforming the Sacred Realm into a paradise. However, if that one's heart is not in balance, the Triforce will separate into its three components, leaving only the part representing the force that one most believes in and transforming the Sacred Realm into a world of evil that is reflected into the heart of the evil one that shattered the Triforce. Only when this evil person is utterly defeated can the Sacred Realm then be restored to its former glory.

The Seal of the Seven Sages

In the conclusion of Ocarina of Time, the Seven Sages, with the assistance of the Hero of Time, are able to throw Ganondorf back into the Sacred Realm-turned-Evil Realm and seal the portal to prevent Ganondorf from further destroying the land of Hyrule. Using the power of the Master Sword, Link is able to stun the Dark Beast Ganon (with the assistance of Princess Zelda) long enough to buy the Sages the time they needed to bind him and throw him back into the void of the Evil Realm before creating their seal. As he drifts away into the void of the realm, Ganondorf screams that as long as the Triforce of Power is in his hand, he will be able to return one day from the Evil Realm and exterminate the descendants of those who defeated him. This is supposedly the seal Ganon was attempting to break in A Link to the Past, as it prevented him from being able to return to Hyrule. The game ends with the Triforce separated between its three pre-destined holders (Ganondorf, Princess Zelda, and Link), and the Sacred Realm transformed into a world of evil that now serves as Ganondorf's prison.

4. Secret Grotto, Greater Hyrule

Dig Caverns (Twilight Princess), also known as Secret Grottoes (Ocarina of Time), Grotto (Majora's Mask), Secret Caves (The Wind Waker | The Minish Cap), and Secret Caverns (The Wind Waker) are a recurring location in The Legend of Zelda series.

Secret Grottoes are underground caverns accessed through holes in the ground in Ocarina of Time. Some of them must be unearthed by placing a Bomb, playing the "Song of Storms," or smashing the ground with the Megaton Hammer. Others may be covered by tall grass, with Butterflies flying above to mark their locations. The Stone of Agony, or Shard of Agony in Ocarina of Time 3D, will activate whenever a Secret Grotto is nearby. They are usually small and may only house small Treasure Chests, Bugs, Fish, Beehives, and Gossip Stones. Link can exit a Secret Grotto by stepping into the beam of light that shines through the entrance hole.

Minor Enemies

Gold Skulltula

ReDead

Skulltula

Wolfos