Lake Hylia

Lake Hylia
Type	Lake
Location	Hyrule
Debut	The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Lake Hylia is Hyrule's main lake which acts as a recurring location within the Zelda series.

Information

Lake Hylia is a lake that is usually located somewhere in the southern area of Hyrule. It is usually depicted as being very wide and deep. It contains the water which flows down Zora's River from Zora's Domain (or Veil Falls in The Minish Cap). Depending on the game, there are usually also small islands throughout the lake, as well as a type of fishing service. The bottom of the lake has also been shown to contain two temples (the Water and Lakebed Temples) which could possibly be the same temple. Zoras of either kind usually appear around the lake as well depending on the game.

Appearances

In A Link to the Past, it was located in the lower-right (southeastern) portion of Hyrule. There was little of note about the lake, except that the Ice Rod was found nearby, and a Pond of Happiness was located on a small island at the lake's center. Additionally, that island contained a Dark World portal, which could only be accessed by using the Titan's Mitts and was the only way to reach the entrance to the Ice Palace in the Dark World's counterpart to Lake Hylia. In Ocarina of Time, the lake was located towards the far south of the map. It contained a Lakeside Laboratory, a fishing pond and a pair of scarecrows. The Water Temple was also located at the bottom of the lake, but Link could only reach it as a teenager with the Iron Boots and the Zora Tunic. As a child, Link could find the bottle containing Ruto's letter at the lake shore, which had washed down the river. During the seven years of Ganondorf's rule, Zora's Domain was frozen over, which resulted in Lake Hylia being partially drained of its water. The Serenade of Water could be used to warp to the lake.

In Four Swords Adventures, Lake Hylia was the name of the first level, but it was actually set around what appeared to be Zora's Waterfall and the river. The game's map did contain an actual lake, although it was one located directly below Death Mountain. In The Minish Cap, Lake Hylia was the only recurring Hyrule location to be seen. It was located in the eastern section of Hyrule and was fed by Veil Falls, which was located directly to the north of it. The lake contained a Minish-sized dungeon that was called the Temple of Droplets. It also seemed to be a popular vacation spot, as Stockwell and Mayor Hagen both had cabins in the area.

In Twillight Princess, Lake Hylia was in the southwestern section of Hyrule. It was considered to be part of the Lanayru Province, and it also contained Lanayru's spirit spring. It was shown to be much larger than usual, with tall cliffs and a large bridge known as the Great Hylian Bridge above it. Lake Hylia once more suffered from a drought in this game, due to Zora's Domain being frozen over. Link managed to thaw the domain out, which caused Lake Hylia to refill with water. At Lake Hylia, Link also had to fight the last of the Twilit Parasites, the Twilit Bloat, in order to save Lanayru from the Twilight Realm. Fyer, Falbi and Plumm all ran local businesses. The lake also concealed the Lakebed Temple, which was also known as the Zora Temple due to it being a place of worship for the Zoras. Later on, Midna was able to teleport the sky cannon to the lake, and it was able to fire Link (as well as Ooccoo and her son) to the City in the Sky after Fyer fixed it.

The lake appeared again in A Link Between Worlds, where its placement and general appearance was the same as in A Link to the Past. Lake Hylia's island now contained the House of Gales, a dungeon where the Pendent of Wisdom was kept. Mother Maiamai's cave was also located near the lake, just northwest of it. In Breath of the Wild, Lake Hylia was located in the south-central part of Hyrule and was considered to be part of the Faron Region. It was once more spanned by a large bridge, now called the Bridge of Hylia, and the lake contained several small islands, one of which was called Hylia Island. There was a shrine located on Hylia Island, the lake was also notable for being one of the areas visited by Farrosh.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• In Hyrule Warriors, Lake Hylia appeared as a stage that was featured in several Legend Mode scenarios. Part of the stage was Lake Hylia itself, now containing some parts of the frozen version of Zora's Domain, while the rest of the stage included the Water Temple.

Trivia

• There is also an unnamed lake located in the center of the map of The Legend of Zelda which could possibly be Lake Hylia. It contains two islands which house the Eagle and Snake Labyrinths.