Lost Woods

Link exploring the Lost Woods in A Link to the Past.
Lost Woods
Type	Forest
Location	Hyrule
Debut	The Legend of Zelda

The Lost Woods (originally referred to as Forest of Maze in the American translation of The Legend of Zelda) is a mysterious and maze-like forests which is featured as a recurring location in the Zelda series.

Information

The specifics of the Lost Woods vary from game to game, but in most appearances it is a mysterious forest with some sort of maze-like structure. The woods usually also contain log tunnels and are a good source of mushrooms. However, the difference between the depictions of the Lost Woods' location and the details about the forest suggest that there are actually multiple Lost Woods. The possibility is confirmed in Four Swords Adventures, where a Deku Scrub's dialogue implies that any forest has the potential to turn into a Lost Woods. This also explains why there is also a Lost Woods in Holodrum and New Hyrule, as well as why the Lost Woods of Hyrule would seem to have at least two different geographic locations when comparing maps from different games.

The Lost Woods have been stated to have dark powers over outsiders in several instances, and it is implied that outsiders can turn into monsters after they get lost in the forest: Stalfos in Ocarina of Time and Deku Scrubs in Four Sword Adventures. The Skull Kids have also come to be particularly associated with the Lost Woods, and it is believed that were kids who got lost in the forest.

Appearances

The woods were first shown in The Legend of Zelda, where they consisted a small area of dead-looking trees in the western portion of Hyrule. The player had to follow specific directions to get through the forest and reach the graveyard. In A Link to the Past, the Lost Woods were found in the upper-left (northwestern) area of Hyrule, adjacent to Death Mountain and just beyond Kakariko Village. The forest was relatively normal compared to other games, as it had less maze elements, aside from a disorienting amount of log tunnels, and more normal enemies. It was also filled with thieves and fake Master Swords. The actual Master Sword was kept in a pedestal within a secluded grove, and it could only be drawn after Link had gathered the three Pendants of Power. The forest was also filled with a strange fog or mist which cleared after the Master Sword was drawn. The Master Sword was returned to the pedestal at the end of the game to sleep there forever. Its Dark World counterpart was the Skull Woods.

In Ocarina of Time, the Lost Woods were located in the southeastern portion of Hyrule, and they surrounded the secluded Kokiri Forest. These woods were a somewhat dangerous place that was filled with Deku Scrubs and Skull Kids, although not all of them were immediately hostile. There was also the more dangerous Wolfos, as well as Moblins which raided the forest during the seven-year gap. The Lost Woods contained the Forest Sanctuary, a sacred area where Saria played her song, and the entrance to the Forest Temple. This version had more maze elements, as entering the wrong log tunnels would return Link to the entrance. There was even one log tunnel which inexplicably led to the Goron City at Death Mountain. There were some sidequests associated with the Lost Woods, such as Grog's foray into the forest which ended with him disappearing.

In Majora's Mask, the Lost Woods was the only Hyrule setting to appear and was shown to contain a link to Termina. The game started with Link exploring the woods on Epona in search of Navi, and the Skull Kid attacked him there. During the ensuing chase, Link was brought through some strange portal after entering a tree which seemed to bring him into Termina. However, the next area still contained some forest-like elements, which implied that it was somehow still part of the Lost Woods. Link was returned to the Lost Woods at the end of the game after saving Termina. A Lost Woods was also shown as a location in northeastern Holodrum in Oracle of Seasons. It could only be navigated by taking a certain path. Additionally, at the end of the trading sidequest Link would receive special directions to bring him to a grove of the Lost Woods containing an upgraded sword (either the Noble Sword or the Master Sword).

The Lost Woods was also depicted in Four Swords Adventures and was the same forest from A Link to the Past with a new backstory. The forest was apparently once called the Forest of Light until it had been corrupted by darkness, which made it become the Lost Woods, also called the "Forest of Dark". The forest was filled with evil Deku Scrubs who worshiped Ganon and implied that they could only survive within Lost Woods. The Deku Scrubs had ambitions to turn all of Hyrule's forests into Lost Woods. In Spirit Tracks, the Lost Woods was part of New Hyrule's Forest Realm. Link navigated it purely by train, but he had to take certain paths when the tracks branched in order to avoid being returned to the beginning of the forest. The Lost Woods had to be navigated to reach the Forest Sanctuary, and most of the trees pointed out the directions save for the last, which pointed in the wrong direction.

In A Link Between Worlds, the Lost Woods was very similar to its depiction in A Link to the Past, from its geographical location and general appearance to its housing the Master Sword in the same grove. However, the path to the Master Sword was expanded into a log tunnel maze in which Link had to follow the directions of a group of Poes to proceed. After solving the maze once, however, it disappeared and allowed Link to head straight to the Master Sword's grove. Once again, the sword required the three pendants to be drawn, and it was returned to its pedestal at the end of the game. The Skull Woods also appeared again, this time as the Lost Woods' Lorule counterpart.

The Lost Woods were also featured in Breath of the Wild. It was located in the northern part of the map and to the west of Death Mountain, similar to its placement in A Link to the Past and its related games. It was part of the Great Hyrule Forest and was surrounded by Lake Mekar. The Korok Forest was located at the center of the Lost Woods, and that is where the Master Sword was kept. As for the Lost Woods itself, this incarnation was filled with a deep fog that could overwhelm Link and return him to the entrance if he strayed from the correct paths. The main way to navigate the paths through these Lost Woods was to follow the direction in which the flame of a lit torch blew in the wind.

Other Games

Other games feature similar forests which may or may not be an incarnation of the Lost Woods. In The Wind Waker, it is implied that the Forbidden Woods used to the the Kokiri Forest and/or the Lost Woods before it was overrun by monsters. In Twilight Princess, Faron Forest contains the Sacred Grove, an area which is very like the Lost Woods, complete with the usage of Saria's Song and a local Skull Kid. The Sacred Grove also contained the ruins of the Temple of Time, which had deteriorated to the point where the Master Sword's pedestal was located in the middle of a grove similar to A Link to the Past.

The Lost Woods also has counterpart locations in alternate worlds: Koholint Island's Woods of Mystery in Link's Awakening and Termina's Maze Woods in Majora's Mask. The Fairies' Woods of Labrynna from Oracle of Ages also uses a similar mechanic. In The Minish Cap, a similar unnamed forest maze, which is haunted by ghosts, acts as the entrance to the Royal Valley. The Deku Forest from Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland also has similarities with the Lost Woods, especially an area called the "Forest Maze".

Other Appearances

Video Games

• In Cadence of Hyrule, the Lost Woods was a portion of an unspecified forest area of Hyrule. As in other games, it could only be navigated by taking certain paths through the area. These paths could be determined by using a special dowser that could be gained from Tingle. A dungeon called the Lost Swamp was located at the end of the Lost Woods.

Other Media

• The Lost Woods was featured in one chapter of the Ocarina of Time manga, where it was shown to be darker and more dangerous. It was ruled by the Bagu Tree, a dark counterpart to the Deku Tree of the Kokiri Forest. The Bagu Tree nearly kills Link and Saria and is shown to be possessed by a bug. Additionally, the manga maintains that those who get lost in the forest eventually become Skull Kids.

Trivia

• The forest's name was originally translated as the "Forest of Maze", which is a very literal translation of its Japanese name.
• Ever since Ocarina of Time, the forest has been associated with Saria's Song.