The Lore of Zelda’s Famous Locations (The Wind Waker)

Hey folks, welcome back to the  Lore of Zelda’s Famous Locations, as per results of your voting for which game I  should cover next in this series, today we’ll be looking at Link’s first seaside adventure,  The Wind Waker. If you missed episode one on my favorite game of all time Twilight Princess then  be sure to check that episode out afterwards, I’ll have it linked in the description or you  can find it in the new Lore of Zelda’s Famous Locations playlist. In this series I take a look  at som

e of the Zelda series most famous locations across each game and delve into their lore,  backstory and any mysteries they may have. From fan favorites to undeniable interesting places.  I’ve picked those from The Wind Waker for today's video. These videos take a wee bit of extra  research, writing and overall production time so I’d like to quickly plug my supporters pages  across Memberships and Patron. If you’d like to financially back my videos and get yourself some  rewards in doing so then c

onsider checking out my supporting found in the description. It really  helps to make videos like this one all the more possible. Dropping a wee like is also highly  appreciated and if you aren’t already then be sure to subscribe for more fabulous Zelda content  coming your way. And now get yourselves comfy, be sure to go and grab yourself a delicious snack  and drink for the video, and let’s take a look at The Lore of Zelda’s Famous Locations  in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Starting of

f at the heart of the Kingdom. Or  rather the former heart of the Kingdom. Hyrule Castle. Found deep below the Great Sea. A land  forgotten in time, washed beneath the waves. A bit of important backstory for not just this  opening location but the entire video is that The Wind Wakers setting takes place at sea. This  is because the game is the beginning of the adult timeline split, the branch in which the events at  the end of Ocarina of Time were the gods flooding Hyrule in order to stop Ganond

orf from taking  over and ultimately destroying the Kingdom. In the desperate hours the people of Hyrule fled to the  mountain tops, now seen as Islands as the rest was submerged beneath the Great Flood orchestrated by  the gods. However Hyrule Castle was protected by a magical seal. Stopping the flood from destroying  the castle and the important relics inside. It also froze the castle in time. When Link first  gets down to the castle following the tower of the gods he finds it still frozen. Mo

nsters  that were part of Ganondorf's attack before the Great Flood frozen in time. Moblins and Darknuts  menacingly waiting to strike. This alone tells us how brutal the attack was. These two enemies are  large brutes, they’d wipe out soldiers with ease and the place is crawling with them. Link ventures  down here in order to retrieve the Master Sword, which can be found in a chamber down below the  Castle. Sealed over with a statue of the Hero of Time. In the chamber itself we can see stained 

glass on the walls depicting the sages seen in Ocarina of Time. A nod to the Sacred Realm as well  where we see the sages in a circle much like this. Once Link retrieves the blade of evil's  bane required to take out Ganondorf, something interesting happens. The freeze on time  defrosts. The magical seal protecting the castle from water remains intact, however all of those  darknuts and moblins are free and Link must fight his way out of the Castle with his new sword.  It’s also down here a lit

tle later on in the story that Tetra discovers her true identity,  Princess Zelda and she decides to stay down here whilst Link seeks out the triforce of courage  but this would turn out to be a bad decision. When Link eventually returns to the Castle, Tetra has  been kidnapped by Ganondorf and taken to his Tower over the hills from Hyrule Castle. I’m a big fan  of how despite the fact the castle is deep below the sea it’s still decently involved in the game's  story beyond just one visit for th

e Master Sword. It’s also just a really cool version of Hyrule  Castle. Taking on a very fitting cartoonish design to match The Wind Wakers artstyle, whilst still  capturing the epic medieval style castle vibes. The inside contains loads of really cool details  and bits of lore such as the paintings on the wall depicting the King of Hyrule and this one with  Princess Zelda and presumably other members of the Royal Family. A really interesting detail to see  here is that everyone in the photo aro

und Zelda strongly resembles the pirate crew on Tetra's  ship. Perhaps like Tetra being Zelda, the pirate crew are also one of the same but just don’t  know it. Overall Hyrule Castle in this game isn’t massively involved, and understandably so as it’s  deep below the waves. But the ways in which it is involved are extremely cool and really help piece  the lore and backstory of this game all together. Far in the North West corner of the Great  Sea, in the darkness of an eternal night we can find

the Forsaken Fortress. A dark stone  sea fort. Crawling with monsters patrolling the inside and out. Searchlights scanning the  place and these big boys sniffing your feet. The Forsaken Fortress is trapped in a constant  state of darkness. Regardless of the time of day, as soon as Link sails into the vicinity the skies  will rapidly turn dark. Link first visits the fortress early on in the game after leaving  his home Island in search for his sister. Tagging along with a Pirate crew they are led

to  believe his sister might be out here. In one of the series most funny scenes Link is catapulted  into the fortress inside a barrel. The only way to enter whilst avoiding the lookouts. However he  loses his sword in doing so and is forced into a stealth mission to get around. After sneaking his  way to the top he finds his sister in a jail cell, however before he can free her and the other  girls trapped here a massive bird known as King Helmaroc grabs him, bringing him to this  mysterious m

an in a shipwrecked room high above, with a decision being made to toss the hero  out into the darkness of the night time sea. So what is this Fortress that the young hero  bravely entered so early on in his adventure? Well it’s where the games main antagonist Ganondorf has  been residing. The King of Evil. He’s using the Fortress as a hub to try and find Princess Zelda,  this is actually why Link's younger sister Aryll ended up here as Ganondorf sent the Helmaroc King  out to find young girls t

hat could be Princess Zelda. Thus far it has failed and would continue  to as previously mentioned, Tetra is Princess Zelda but her true identity is protected and even  hidden from herself for a large part of the game. Now the lore of the Fortress goes deeper than  just this being Ganondorf's hideaway of sorts. The Forsaken Fortress was formerly a hideout of  a group of no good pirates, as said by Tetra. However that extends just a bit deeper as through  the Hyrule Encyclopaedia book we learn th

at the Forsaken Fortress is actually the very same as the  Gerudo Fortress seen in Ocarina of Time. The game which this timeline split originates from. We’re  even shown a comparison map of original locations prior to the Great Flood, and what survived as  mountain peaks, now Islands in the Great Sea. I made a video all about this a few years back  if you’re interested in checking it out later but to recap the key details yes this fortress  is the very same as that seen in Ocarina of Time accord

ing to the information provided.  The canonicity of these books is questioned by some but I personally choose to believe the  large majority of it, or at least believe it but take some specifics with a grain of salt. It’s not  worth the headache of overthinking right? Right? We can see just how well it matches up by having  a look around too. Obviously it’s not one for one in design as first and foremost this is a  different game, but also just due to the fact it would have had to adapt to the n

ew setting  of the world. Going from Desert to Sea. A very drastic change and probably a large part of why  the Gerudo that once occupied here were considered pirates. In Fact in Majora’s Mask the Gerudo are  pirates but that is a different timeline split, just a point worth mentioning that it  also happened over in that timeline. Across the Fortress we can find little subtle nods  and reference to its origins. From the designs of the pots, to the subtle blade designs carved into  the stone. Ref

erencing the duel blades used by the Gerudo in Ocarina of Time. But also the insides in  general. We find several holding cells across the place. Exactly how it was back in Ocarina of Time.  Not all in the one place, rather dotted around. There’s also the fact that Ganondorf chose to set  up here, being a Gerudo himself it all adds up. Link comes back later on in the  story after getting the Master Sword, this time being successful in rescuing his sister  but only after fighting through Phantom

Ganon and the Helmaroc King. This time not needing  to sneak around as he has his sword and shield. He can also return again even later  and see the Fortress no longer in darkness, nor packed with enemies. This happens after Voloo  attacks Ganondorf. So the darkness was likely a curse or some sorts placed by the King of Evil,  now no more. Speaking of, we also see that later on whilst exploring Ganon's Tower down in Hyrule  we find a portal of darkness connected to the Forsaken Fortress, allowin

g for a quick passage  between the two locations. This was how Ganondorf managed to escape the sealed Kingdom of Hyrule  originally, and attack the life of the Great Sea. The Fortress has quite the reputation from  sailors and inhabitants of the Great Sea. It’s known as somewhere you should avoid, and  for good reason. It’s Ganondorf's new home, crawling with monsters and the former home of  Pirates and once upon a time, the Gerudo Warriors. In the north of The Great Sea we can find  Spectacle I

sland. A wee piece of land shaped out of two small peaks and a bridge connecting them.  We can find the barrel shot mini game here, run by the Great Sea's most cheerful man Salvatore.  It’s set up on this small little structure on the Island, with the game being set up at the  very top. It’s nothing more than a fun minigame which Link can even win a piece of heart from,  but there’s history hiding in plain sight here. The name Spectacle Island, as well as  the shape of the Island itself is a ref

erence and continuation of Spectacle Rock. A  recurring location throughout the series which we first saw in the very first Zelda game.  As well as the second, A Link To The Past, Ocarina of Time and most recently in the Wilds Era  games. The exact location tends to move around, but this rock formation of two peaks connected by  a bridge has been appearing time and time again across the series. In its first appearance  Spectacle Rock is the entrance to Ganon’s Lair. Now unfortunately Ganon's tow

er deep  below the sea isn’t directly below here, though that would have been a really cool  detail. There’s not much more to say, the Island is also one of the destinations of the  Ghost Ship but otherwise it is just a small mini game Island. Despite the world being flooded and  washed away, some of that world remains from the high mountain tops. This one continues a rather  small but pretty interesting piece of Zelda lore. One of my favorite mysterious locations in the  entire Zelda series can

be found in this game. Located… well in several places is the Ghost Ship.  A haunting phantom pirate ship, partly wrecked and transparent, luminated by blue flames can be  seen sailing the Great Sea and haunting seven different Islands, each one depending on the moon  cycle at that given time. Whenever the Ghost Ship appears the weather changes to dark stormy clouds  and a chilling melody begins to play. In order to enter the ship Link must first obtain the Ghost  Ship chart from Diamond Steppe

Island. One of the seven that the ship can be seen sailing by. The  design of the ship itself is fairly similar to the standard pirate ship style. Much like tetras  ship, but spooky. The figurehead depicts someone praying. Bits and pieces are broken but it’s  on the inside that gets even more mysterious. We see the ceiling cracked open, but rather than  looking outside we see spirits flowing around. As well as these haunting faces on the floor. The  Ghost Ship is truly controlled by spirits tha

t haunt the Great Sea, with the enemies inside being  poes and wizzrobes. Spiritual creatures. The ship even contains a triforce shard in its treasure  chest, or a triforce chart in the original version of the game. Why is this found here? It  adds so much more mystery to this location, and the frustrating but yet enticing thing is we don’t  really know anything about the Ghost Ship. Was it a sailor of the royal family? Was it a past hero?  It just appears and has this lore but there’s no backst

ory or explanation as to where it came from,  who originally sailed it and if it has a mission of some sorts or just spends its days haunting  the Great Sea. Why those specific seven Islands? What’s the connection to the moon cycle? It’s a  great mystery of the Zelda series and arguably one of the coolest but yet mysterious and spooky  locations in the Wind Waker. To round it all off, after Link retrieved the triforce piece  he’s met with a loud demonic scream and after that he just wakes up bac

k on the King of  Red Lions, with the Ghost Ship never seen again. In the south of the Great  Sea we start this adventure on the peaceful Outset Island.  Woken up by our sister Aryll, Link is found fast asleep atop the lookout  spot and this is where The Wind Waker begins. The Island is made up of two large Islands  connected by the shallow waters and this bridge at the top, linking to the Forest of Fairies.  The large Island is home to only a few families and residents, but it’s a cozy seaside

settlement.  It’s also where Link and Aryll live with Grandma, the parental figure in their life. They live in  this home over at the end of the Island. Warm and homey. A family home and Grandma's banging  soup. There are other lovely personalities across the Island too such as Orca, the man who  teaches Link the ways of a sword before setting off on his adventure. Zill, the booger kid.  Sue-Belle. Abe and a few others that make up the life of Outset. A fun detail about the name  is that Outset

itself actually means start or beginning. Which this Island literally is, it’s  where we start and begin our adventure. The day we kick off our adventure is Link's birthday  and we learn of an Outset Island tradition where when young boys become of the age of the  fabled legendary hero, they’re given a green tunic to wear. It’s a custom here on Outset  and Link gets his green tunic from Grandma. In terms of the story, not long after Link  is given his tunic chaos ensues. Whilst testing out his n

ew telescope, a birthday  gift from Aryll they see a massive bird, the previously mentioned King Helmaroc drop  somebody into the Forest. Link investigates and finds Tetra up here, who seems in a  rush to get back to her ship and push on, but as they head back Aryll is spotted waiting and  waving at Link from the other side of the bridge, and in a moment of madness the King Helmaroc  comes in for a second swoop and yoinks Aryll. Link being the brave boy he is, he attempts  to dive off the cliffs

ide and grab her but is saved by Tetra and her pirate crew as Link  was nowhere close to catching his sister. This is what kicks off the game as Link soon  after heads to the Forsaken Fortress. Later in the story we return to Outset Island  to find Jabun, who is found living in the cave behind the Island as his home Greatfish  Isle, which we’ll cover in a little bit, has been destroyed. We need to find Jabun, the  water spirit in order to retrieve Nayru’s Pearl. Another hidden part of the Island

is the Savage  Labyrinth. Hidden beneath this large Stone Watcher, it’s a challenging fifty one floor run  with enemies, with a reward if completed. Life here is normally peaceful. Rather unbothered  and the perfect place to start our adventure. In the central waters of the Great Sea,  we can uncover the Tower of The Gods. An old structure hidden beneath the waves, only  surfaced after obtaining the three goddess pearls and placing them in the arms of the  statues on the triangle islands. Three

small triangle shaped Islands that when you draw  lines from Island to Island, a triangle is formed. A sign of the triforce. In the center  of which we uncover the Tower of The Gods. It’s a sort of dungeon, but better described as  the trial to test potential heroes. Link first enters on the King of Red lions and the first  floor is a water based puzzle level. Using the timing of the water, Link must navigate and  figure out the puzzles in order to progress up to the next floor. On which, he wo

rks  with servants of the tower statues puzzles to continue proving his worth, and on the third  floor he can find another puzzle to gain the big key. During all of this he also collects  the hero’s bow, as well as learns the command melody. The puzzles are unique and the challenge  is fitting to test the hero, but it’s the final trial which truly proves Links worth. A Boss  battle against Gohdan. A large head and hands, similar to Bongo Bongo from Ocarina of Time but  appearing more like a crea

tion of the Sheikah, which would make sense if it is to test the hero.  But it’s what follows this trial that is really interesting in terms of the lore. After ringing  the bell atop the tower, Link’s trial is complete and a mysterious entrance opens in the water.  Entering this glowing circle will take Link and the King of Red Lions down into the long lost  Kingdom of Hyrule, specifically Hyrule Castle. The Tower of The Gods is an insanely lore packed  location with a few unanswered questions.

Such as who exactly built it? We can find lots  of Sheikah connections, but yet very little mentions and remains of the Sheikah across  this entire game. It’s connected to the gods, evident by not just the name but also the key  to surfacing the Tower in the first place. Link was destined to come here, and it was written  in the stars by the gods. And the fact that we find Hyrule Castle directly below must mean  that the tower was previously located beside the Castle before the flood happened. S

o it  would have also had a deep connection to the Royal Family. Also evident by the fact the King  of Red Lions, the actual King of Hyrule knows all about it. It’s an insanely cool location and  something I’d personally like to see appear again, or more so something like it. A trial  for the hero as part of the main story, something to prove himself. This appears to be a  creation of the Sheikah going off the blue energy and unique technology. With a heavy influence  from the Royal Family and G

ods of Hyrule. Found in the north of The Great Sea  we can find Windfall Island. The most populated Island in the entire Great Sea.  It’s a bustling market town with shops, a school, lighthouse, jail, bomb shop and  a nice little community that lives here. This is where Link first meets the King of  Red Lions after being launched out of the Forsaken Fortress on his first visit.  He wakes up lying on the talking boat, by the shores of Windfall Island. Link naturally  goes and explores the Island

and meets everyone. Including the fan favorite, fabulous, criminal…  Tingle. It’s a pretty standard Island at base value but there’s lore and mystery to  uncover. It’s said that Windfall is where most people from Castle Town and Kakariko  Village fled to this former mountain top, now Island. However there have been theories  and suggestions that this is possibly Kakariko Village itself. Fellow Zeldatuber Zeltik made  a theory on this exact topic a little back, I’ll link below if you wanna check

it out  later. Now something interesting to note is that the music for Windfall Islands shares  bits and pieces from Ocarina of Times Kakariko Village. Further tying their connections  together. I personally headcanon Windfall Island as a sort of New Kakariko Village but the  truth isn’t exactly detailed and fully known. Towards the west of the Great  Sea we can find Greatfish Isle. A not so great condition wrecked Island.  Homes tossed and turned over the rocks. The rock itself split and destro

yed.  This place is a haunting ghost town, a former home and hylian village now in  ruin. But how did this happen exactly? Well the backstory and lore to this  seemingly small wrecked village is that Greatfish Isle is the former home of Jabun, the water spirit. As well as being a small  hylian populated village, one of those previously mentioned mountain tops that the  people fled to as the Great Flood broke out. The condition we find Greatfish Isle in today is  the work of Ganondorf. The King o

f Evil took out his anger on this innocent village. Turning it  upside down and wiping it clean out. The attack is described as horrific and brutal, Ganondorf  likely didn’t take prisoners. Some such as Jabun may have escaped but it’s likely some of the  residents of the Island were part of Ganondorf's destruction. The only residents we can find now  are the traveling merchant and korok linder, both standing alone in the hollowed out village.  Tingle himself actually tells us that this place was

rather nice in its prime, indicating that  it definitely had visitors from across the sea. An interesting wee piece of lore goes back to  that previously mentioned comparison map from Ocarina of Time. Apparently back in the day,  this was the location of Lake Hylia. Obviously not with a water level this high but somewhere  deep below Lake Hylia would have been found. The only other notable information is that we find a  triforce shard in the shallows around the Island. But otherwise Greatfish I

sle is a tragic story.  A cute wee village out a sea that was brutally wiped out and made unrecognizable  by Ganondorf's rage and destruction. In the south east of the Great Sea we can  find the Forest Haven and Forbidden Woods. Two twinning forest Islands that contrast  hard in their conditions. The Forest Haven looks relatively healthy and welcoming, and the  Forbidden Woods looking dangerous and closed off. The Forest Haven is a paradise like home  of the Koroks and Great Deku Tree. Encased w

ithin the hollowed out tree drunk of  a former Deku Tree, one formerly much larger than the current. At first we find the  Deku Tree infested with Chu Chus and need to help sort that out and afterwards we’re  eventually rewarded with the deku leaf, an item that allows Link to sail through the  air. As well as nudged in the direction of the Forbidden Woods. This haven is a protected area  for the Guardian of the Forest. In Ocarina of Time the Deku Tree was protected in the  depths of the woods, h

owever due to the new conditions of the world he’s been forced  to adapt, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing. These darker and more menacing woods across from  the Forest Haven once served as the home for the Koroks. But now it’s infested with monsters and  completely overgrown. A wee Korok by the name of Makar is trapped after not listening to the  Deku Tree and flies over the Forbidden Woods, ending up trapped inside. This place was once  peaceful but is now a nightmare for the little Koroks. W

e can even see the history inside with  the Kokiri Markings on the doors. Speaking of which, that's a rather interesting bit of lore  to go into. Koroks are the evolution of the Kokiri. The young children of the Forest seen in  Ocarina of Time. The effects of the Great Flood and adapting to the new seaside lifestyle  have turned them into these adorable little creatures. I love koroks. Espically a lil korok.  The Forbidden Woods is also the third dungeon in the game and given the backstory of it

being  the former home of the koroks, possibly even dating back to the days of the Kokiri it’s pretty  cool. The boss and mini boss are also plant based enemies which fits the theme well. And at the  end of it all we rescue Makar and are rewarded with not only Farore’s Pearl but also this  really cute Korok concert in the Forest Haven. Now for the final famous location that I’ve  chosen to cover in the lore of zelda’s famous locations The Wind Waker editon… Dragon Roost  Island. Without a doubt

the best place to go solely to just to sit and vibe to the soundtrack.  Dragon Roost is very well known for its music alone. A fast paced catchy tune that perfectly  captures the vibes of this volcano, Rito inhabited Island. Found in the north east of the Great Sea  this is the home of the Rito Tribe. The very first appearance of the Rito in fact and right off the  bat this is some interesting lore. The Rito are the evolution of the Zora seen in Ocarina of Time.  Forced adaptation to the new fl

ooded setting. They went from aquatic fish people, to flying bird  people. The Zora in Ocarina of Time did just fine in the freshwater of the rivers, lake Hylia and  Zora’s Domain but it appears the salty water of The Wind Waker wasn’t suitable for them, forcing  this rather quick evaluation into the Rito. On the inside we can find the mail center run  by the rito. A massive connected postage system that connects the entire world of the Great Sea.  We see these red post boxes across the Islands

of the sea, these are run by the Rito postal  service and right here on Dragon Roost is where everything is sorted and sent out. An interesting  and slightly questionable piece of lore goes back to the comparison map we’ve been referring to  across this video. According to it, Dragon Roost Island was formerly Zora’s Domain. Which kind of  makes sense given the Zora turned into the Rito, but what doesn’t fully add up is where this  Volcano came from. Granted Death Mountain is not far from Zora’s

Domain so perhaps they sort  of merged over time, which whilst sounding odd is a very common thing in Zelda games. Geography  is never one for one, but often closely connected just not 100% and this makes sense as having each  game one for one would become too repetitive. If Zora can evolve into birds in this short  timeframe, I’m sure land can merge as well. Dragon Roost Island isn’t just the home of  the Rito however, it’s also home to the game's second dungeon, Dragon Roost Cavern. A volcanic

  cavern which is normally ventured by young Rito children in order to reach the Sky Spirit Valoo,  who you may have noticed sitting at the top of the mountain earlier. This is in order to receive one  of his scales. A Rito tradition for them to grow their wings. However recently the Sky Spirit  has been enraged and for reasons not known to the Rito who have in recent times been unable  to venture up to visit Valoo. This is why Link enters the cavern, to find out what’s going on. The inside is d

angerous with fire guasiers, bokoblins, keese, magtails and other enemies  crawling around. On the outside sections we find Kargaroks pecking at Link as well.  It’s a thrilling adventure and concludes with Link discovering that the reason  for Valoo’s rage is the dungeon boss, Gohma. A lave based take on Ocarina of Times  Queen Gohma. Pulling on the tail of the Sky Spirit causing understandable irritation. If someone  was yanking my chain without me wanting it, I'd probably be annoyed too. Link

sorts this  out by slaying the beast with the help of his new item, the grappling hook which by the way is  so much fun to use up here and brings peace back to Valoo and Dragon Roost Island. Following this  Prince Komali of the Riot gifts Link Din's Pearl as a thank you for helping them. Which would  later be used to surface the Tower of The Gods. Dragon Roost Island is one of the most iconic  and well known locations not just in The Wind Waker but the series as a whole. Its epic design  and ban

ger soundtrack are just two base factors as to why. And a fun little reference is that  in Breath of The Wild and Tears of The Kingdom Rito Villages theme is actually a rendition  of call back to Dragon Roost Islands theme. But the Island itself contains a lot of cool lore  from the Rito history and current situation, to being the home of the Sky Spirit Valoo. The only  appropriate way to end this video in my opinion is to just have a wee listen to the Dragon Roost  Island music play us out into

the horizon. Enjoy. Thanks a ton for watching, I really hope you  enjoyed this episode of the Lore of Zelda’s Famous Locations. If you did be sure to drop  a wee like down below and subscribe for more fabulous Zelda content, both are very much  appreciated. What did you think of the video? Did you learn anything new or interesting? Of  course I didn’t cover literally every location in the game but I chose those that I felt were the  most interesting, however if there’s any I missed that you wan

t to see covered in a future video be  sure to let me know down below in the comments. As always a massive thank you goes to my channel  supporters for the amazing backing of the channel, making videos just like this all the more  possible. If you’d like to financially support my videos as well as get yourself access to my  weekly inside scoop post, your name at the end of my videos and a shoutout upon joining then  consider supporting via the links below. You can also find my socials and discor

d server down  there. Thanks again for watching, I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day or night and  until the next time, I’ve been Hyrule Gamer.