Death Mountain

Death Mountain
Type	Mountain
Location	Hyrule
Debut	The Legend of Zelda

Death Mountain is one of Hyrule's most notable locations which has appeared multiple times throughout the The Legend of Zelda series. Though not always present, it is typically the home of the Goron clan. It is generally portrayed as a large volcanic mountain, often with smaller mountains accompanying.

Information

Hyrule is described as a land of mountains and forests, with Death Mountain being on of its largest and most prominent. It is volcanic in nature, and so it most appearances some parts of the volcano are filled with magma. Large boulders falling down the mountain are also a common hazard in most appearances. On top of that, it is often filled with dangerous enemies. Entry to the mountain is prohibited during A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time unless one has the king's permission.

The mountain has some notable recurring locations. One of them is Spectacle Rock, a pair of large rocks which are sometimes connected and usually hide some type of secret, including Ganon's lair in the original The Legend of Zelda. The mountain is also often shown to have a large tower. There is the Tower of Hera in A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds, as well as the similar Tower of Flames in Four Swords Adventures. The mountain is also often home to the Goron tribe, living in some version of Goron City. Different versions of Goron City are either within the mountain's caverns or on the outside. It has also been shown to contain mines in several games, operated by either Gorons or Rosso in A Link Between Worlds, and in some cases hot springs.

In some games, Kakariko Village is found at the base of the mountain.

Individual Games

Death Mountain was first seen in The Legend of Zelda, where it was home to The Lizard and Dragon Labyrinths. In Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Death Mountain is found to be part of a larger area of mountains south of Saria Town. The maze-like path connects two parts of Hyrule. The path itself is long and complex, full of circles and dead ends. The area south of it is the 'Death Mountain Area', believed to be a compressed version of "South Hyrule", the location of the other Zelda games.

In Ocarina of Time, its notable locations included Dodongo's Cavern and the Fire Temple, the latter of which was located within Death Mountain Crater.

It also appeared as one of the worlds in Four Swords.

Alternate Versions

In A Link to the Past, Death Mountain also refers to its counterpart in the Dark World, the corrupted version of the Sacred Realm. It is a darker and more perilous version of the mountain. At the top of the western mountain is Ganon's Tower, where Aganhim operated. On the eastern mountain was Turtle Rock where Princess Zelda was held. It was the first Dark World area that Link entered in the game.

Death Mountain also had a counterpart in Lorule in A Link Between Worlds. This version of Death Mountain was covered in snow, with its volcano seemingly dormant. It contained the Treacherous Tower (a counterpart to the Tower of Hera) and the Ice Ruins.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• In Hyrule Warriors, Death Mountain was featured as one of the stages, based on Ocarina of Time. It was the setting of Impa and Sheik's battle against Darunia and the Gorons, who had been brainwashed by Wizzro.

Trivia

• In the Japanese version of A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds, it is instead called Mount Hebra, and only the Dark World/Lorule versions are called Death Mountain.
• It is possible that the top of Death Mountain could be one of the islands seen in The Wind Waker. Theories have connected it to Spectacle Island, Fire Mountain or Dragon Roost Island.
• The instruction manual of A Link to the Past describes Lynels as the mountains' guardians.
• In Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, Tingle visits an island with the volcanic Mt. Desma. This is likely meant to be Death Mountain, as it is described in ancient times as being the "Mountain of Death".
• The Minish Cap, Link visits Mt. Crenel. Though the game takes place in Hyrule, Death Mountain (and other notable locales) do not appear.