Eldin Province

The Eldin Volcano as seen in Skyward Sword.
Eldin Province
Type	Province
Affiliation	Hyrule
Debut	The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The Eldin Province is a province of Hyrule that was first established in Twilight Princess. It has been shown to be Hyrule's mountainous region.

Information

Skyward Sword

The Eldin Province, vaguely indicated to be located in the northern part of the land, contains the Eldin Volcano and the surrounding area. It is filled with lava from the active volcano that is "enriched by the power of the earth". There are several fossils of large creatures which can be used as bridges. The mountain also contains various slopes that are covered in what seems to be volcanic dust. Some areas have whirlwinds traveling upwards, which can be ridden to ascend parts of the area quickly. The primary inhabitants of the area are the Mogma tribe, who live in a subterranean cavern. The area's high temperature has also caused a variety of heat and flame-based creatures to thrive there. The province's guardian is Eldin, who primarily resides in his shrine within the crater of the volcano, and some of the volcano's activity was linked to his power. According to him, the mountain was not always so dangerous, and there one was a time "when those above-ground and those below lived together in harmony by the blessing of the great mountain."

Near the top of the mountain is the Earth Temple. This contained the Earth Spring, where Zelda performed the second part of her purification ritual. There was also the Fire Sanctuary, which spread across several mountains adjacent to Eldin Volcano. This area held Din's Flame and a mural which hinted at the locations of the two Gates of Time. Within Skyward Sword, the area was occupied by Bokoblins, which forced the Mogmas into hiding. Link drove most of them out and earned the Mogmas' gratitude, and he later saved more Mogmas who were held captive at the Fire Sanctuary. The Bokoblins later reclaimed the land when Link returned during the Song of the Hero quest. A sudden eruption that was apparently caused by Eldin's excess power wound up knocking Link off course and off guard, at which point the Bokoblins were able to capture him with ease. Afterwards, Link had to escape and slowly reclaimed his weapons as he made his way back up the mountain. The area was soon returned to normal after Link met with Eldin.

Twilight Princess

The province consists of Death Mountain and Kakariko Village, which is situated in the former's adjacent canyon. The village had a small human population as well as a graveyard that was also used by Zoras. Death Mountain itself was home to the Goron tribe. The mountain's heat produced hot springs which were mostly utilized by the Gorons, and it contained the Goron Mines, which also housed a Fused Shadow. The light spirit Eldin resided in the spring at Kakariko Village and acted as the province's protector. During the game's events, Eldin was covered by twilight, and it is implied that several villagers were slaughtered by the monsters. Link restored the light spirit Eldin to save the province, and he also saved the Goron leader Darbus once he was possessed by the Fused Shadow.

The area was connected to the rest of Hyrule by bridges. The southern one crossed a wide area called Kakariko Gorge, while the northern one went towards Lanayru Province and was known as the Bridge of Eldin. Both bridges were broken during the game (the latter by King Bulblin), and the missing pieces had to be warped in by Midna, being found within the Faron Woods and Gerudo Desert, respectively. The Hidden Village is also hidden at the far end of the field north of the Bridge of Eldin.

Breath of the Wild

The main areas of the province in this game were Death Mountain, a mountain range known as the Eldin Mountains, Eldin Canyon and the Great Hyrule Forest (which contained the Lost Woods).

In this game, the Bridge of Eldin was instead a part of Death Mountain, one which connected to Death Mountain's volcano. It could be drawn at times to prevent people from accessing the volcano.

Other Games

Due to Death Mountain being placed in Eldin during Twilight Princess, every appearance of Death Mountain can be counted as part of the Eldin Province. It is uncertain whether Eldin Volcano is another one of Hyrule's mountains or if is simply an earlier name for Death Mountain. It is likely that other mountains appearing within the games such as Mt. Crenel (assuming that it is also not an earlier version of Death Mountain) could be part of the Eldin Province.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• The Bridge of Eldin was featured as a stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Mimicking the game's events, King Bulblin would appear periodically throughout the battle to drop explosives that destroy part of the bridge. Midna's portal would later restore the bridge.

Trivia

• The province's name is a play on "Din", one of the three Golden Goddesses who is associated with the Triforce of Power and Ganon.