Songs from The Legend of Zelda series
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The Legend of Zelda series is a classic series of video games from Nintendo. Musical instruments are a common part of the gameplay, having appeared in the very first game as well as every other one since (with the exception of the multiplayer Four Swords titles). They are most commonly used to teleport or otherwise transport Link from one place to another, however they can be used for a variety of other tasks, including defeating enemies, summoning and awakening characters, and manipulating time. In his various quests, Link comes upon many instruments upon which these songs are played, and several games cannot be completed without their aid. While it may not always be required to learn every song in the game in order to beat it, it is often advantageous to the player.
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[edit] The Legend of Zelda
In The Legend of Zelda Link plays a melody on his recorder. In the Overworld, this summons a whirlwind which can wipe out enemies, or carry Link to a dungeon entrance he's already visited (in numerical order). It's also used to open one dungeon. In the Underworld, certain enemies are vulnerable to the sound of the Recorder being played. (Interestingly, the Warp Whistle from Super Mario Bros. 3 plays the same tune and also summons a whirlwind for transportation.)
See also: A Link to the Past and The Minish Cap
[edit] The Adventure of Link
In The Adventure of Link, playing the Recorder will get Link past certain obstacles on the Overworld Map. It is also used to open the 6th dungeon.
[edit] A Link to the Past
In the Light World in A Link to the Past, the ocarina is used to summon a bird that can carry Link to eight different locations. The ocarina was called a flute in the SNES version of the game, but in the Japanese version of the game, it was always called an ocarina. In the re-release for Game Boy Advance, it is labeled as the Ocarina.
[edit] Link's Awakening
In Link's Awakening, Link obtains an ocarina. He can play it before he learns any songs but will only produce a flat, tuneless string of notes with no coherent melody. However, it does bear a slight resemblance to the recorder melody from The Legend of Zelda.
[edit] Ballad of the Wind Fish
This is used to open the entrance to the final dungeon, as well as to kill Pols Voices (enemies that look like rabbit heads). Also appears in Majora's Mask, though the tune is distinctly different.
[edit] Manbo's Mambo
This song is used to teleport Link to Manbo's Pond next to Crazy Tracy's house, which is more or less in the center of the island map. In dungeons it takes him to the entrance.
[edit] The Frog's Song of Soul
Learned from the frog Mamu. This song is used to resurrect the dead and animate the non-living. It is possible Mamu is the same frog as Wart, the final boss in Super Mario Bros. 2. (In the Japanese version of the game, his name is Mamu)
[edit] Ocarina of Time
In Ocarina of Time Link receives two instruments: a Fairy Ocarina and the Ocarina of Time (which replaces the Fairy Ocarina). There are 12 songs to be learned in the game; however, it is also possible to play songs of the player's creation, due to the ocarinas requiring the gamer to play each note, instead of just using the instrument as in previous Zelda games.
[edit] Zelda's Lullaby
A simple arrangement of Zelda's theme (which was actually first heard in A Link to the Past), this is the first song Link learns, and is used to perform various actions throughout Hyrule by playing it when standing on Triforce emblems. Playing Zelda's Lullaby near a Gossip Stone will generate a fairy and repair broken signs when played near one. It also serves as the Zelda theme song and background music for the courtyard that she is in early on in the game. The C buttons are: Left, up, right.
[edit] Epona's Song
This song is taught to Link by Malon when he is a child and is used to first gain the trust of and then later summon the horse Epona when Link is an adult. It is the same song that Malon sings as a child, and composes the melody of the background theme music from Lon Lon Ranch. Also appears in Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess. The c buttons are: Up, left, right.
[edit] Saria's Song
Young Link is taught this song by his best friend Saria, and can use it to communicate with her over long distances. It is also used as the background music for the Lost Woods in Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Twilight Princess. The C buttons are: Down, left, right.
The background music in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, specifically that of the Forest Haven, occasionally has a bass section that sounds vaguely similar to part of Saria's Song.
[edit] Song of Time
When played in the Temple of Time on the Ocarina of Time by one who holds the three Spiritual Stones, the "Song of Time" opens the Door of Time. This allowed the Hero of Time to access the Master Sword in its pedestal, which acted as the gateway to the Sacred Realm for him (and others). It is also used for the background music in the Temple of Time. Also appears in Majora's Mask where it plays a much more significant role. The C buttons(and A button)are: Right, A, down, right, A, down.
[edit] Song of Storms
This is used to summon a rainstorm at practically any time, even inside buildings. It is also used as the background music for the Windmill. It is taught to Adult Link by the man in the Windmill when he tells Link that a boy in green clothes played it seven years ago and made the Windmill go faster that it was supposed to. Later on in the game, Young Link plays the song inside the Windmill in order to open the way to the well, making Link himself the boy who taught the song to the man and effectively creating an ontological paradox. Also appears in Majora's Mask. The C buttons are: A, down, up.
[edit] Sun's Song
This is used to change the time from day to night and vice versa. In places where time passes normally it just greatly speeds it up so the transition takes only a few seconds. Time flow returns to normal when either the rooster crows at 6am (Hyrule time) or when the wolf howls at 6pm. In locations where time does not pass, such as towns, it fades out and reloads, depositing Link at the place he entered the area. In these instances, the in-game time is either noon or midnight. Hyrule time can be checked when Link hits a Gossip Stone with his sword, or by talking to the guard outside Kakariko Village. This song is also used to paralyze Re-Deads and Gibdos. The melody of the Sun's Song is also played, very rapidly, in outdoor areas just after the sun rises normally.
See also: Song of Passing from The Wind Waker
[edit] Teleport songs
In Ocarina of Time, each temple and sage combo have their own song, named after the temple. They are taught to Link by Sheik and used to teleport him to large pads on the ground near the temple entrances.
- "Minuet of Forest"
- Saria and the Forest Temple
- "Bolero of Fire"
- Darunia and the Fire Temple
- "Serenade of Water"
- Ruto and the Water Temple
- "Nocturne of Shadow"
- Impa and the Shadow Temple
- "Requiem of Spirit"
- Nabooru and the Spirit Temple
- "Prelude of Light"
- Rauru and the Light Temple, i.e. the Temple of Light (within the Sacred Realm, unreachable. However, it does teleport Link to the Temple of Time.)
[edit] Scarecrow's Song
This song is used to summon a scarecrow named Pierre in certain locations and unlike the main songs is not noted anywhere in the menu—it must be composed and memorized by the player.
[edit] Majora's Mask
Majora's Mask, like its predecessor, used an ocarina (the Ocarina of Time) as the main instrument. However, each of Link's transformations produced their own instrument when the player used the ocarina: the Deku scrub played the pipes (Pipes of Awakening), the Goron had tribal drums (Drums of Sleep), and the Zora played lead guitar (Guitar of Waves) in a famous Zora band called the Indigo-Gos.
[edit] Songs carried over from Ocarina of Time
Majora's Mask reused several of Ocarina of Time's songs, most notably the "Song of Time" which is crucial to the gameplay as it is used to travel back to the start of the 3-day cycle. It also featured "Epona's Song", the "Song of Storms", and the "Scarecrow's Song", which had to be re-taught to the scarecrow every 3-day cycle.
[edit] Song of Soaring
This is the game's teleportation song, and Link can use it to warp to Owl Statues he has found and activated. There are 10 in the game—one for each cardinal direction, one for each dungeon, one in Clock Town and another in Milk Road. It can also be used to warp Link to the start of dungeons while he is inside them.
[edit] Song of Healing
This song is first used to heal Link of the curse the Skull Kid had placed on him to turn him into a Deku. After that Link can use it to heal other people, mostly notably Darmani and Mikau to get their transformation masks. The first six notes of this song is the inversion of "Saria's Song", but the remainder of the two songs are nothing alike. This song can also be played to repair broken signs. The tune is used as the melody for the theme song inside the windmill where the Mask Salesman spends the game.
[edit] Oath to Order
This song is taught to Link by the first giant he frees, and is used at the end of the game to summon all 4 of them to stop the moon from crashing into Termina.
[edit] Song of Double Time and Inverted Song of Time
These are both modifications of the "Song of Time" that alter time in different ways. The "Song of Double Time" is similar to the Sun Song in Ocarina of Time and is used to jump forward to the next dawn or dusk time and is played AABBCC instead of ABCABC, while the "Inverted Song of Time" is used to slow time down (and speed it back up again) and is the "Song of Time" played backwards. They are also not noted in the menu, similar to the "Scarecrow's Song".
[edit] Dungeon appearance songs
In Majora's Mask, each dungeon can only be accessed playing a "dungeon appearance" song at the proper location. These songs are so named because when they are played, the "Dungeon Appearance" track plays in response and a dungeon appears.
- "Sonata of Awakening" - Taught by the captured monkey in the Deku Palace, this song makes the Woodfall Temple rise out of the swamp waters in Woodfall. This song may be also used to awaken sleeping characters in the game.
- "Goron Lullaby" - Taught by the Goron Elder and his son, this lullaby puts gorons to sleep, including the DaiGoron in Snowhead so that the player can reach the Snowhead Temple without getting blown off the path by the DaiGoron's blizzards.
- "New Wave Bossa Nova" - Taught by the Zora tadpoles after the player gathers all seven and dumps them into the Marine Research Laboratory tanks, this song awakens a giant sea turtle that carries Link to the Great Bay Temple.
- "Elegy of Emptiness" - Taught by Igos du Ikana after defeating him in the Ancient Castle of Ikana, this song is used to generate mannequins of one's self that can be useful in holding down switches in Stone Tower.
- "Oath to Order" - Taught by one of the Four Guardians after the completion of the first dungeon, this song "calls" the Guardians to enable the player to travel to the moon to battle Majora.
[edit] Ballad of the Wind Fish
This is a tribute to the song from Link's Awakening. It is not a normal song as it cannot be learned. Instead Link plays it for the manager of the Indigo-Go's. He also performs four different parts, each in a different form, until he has performed all four and it shows them being played together. However, the song itself bears no similarity to the version in Link's Awakening.
[edit] The Oracle games
In both Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons Link gets a flute called the Strange Flute. It is used to summon his animal companion once he gets them, at which point the name will change to <name of companion> Flute.
[edit] Oracle of Ages
In Oracle of Ages Link is given a harp called the Harp of Ages which is able to manipulate time. He learns 3 songs for it, each of which enables him to travel through time in a particular way.
[edit] Tune of Echoes
This is used to activate Time Portals to travel between the past and the present. Time Portals are only found in certain locations so at first Link's time-travelling ability is limited.
[edit] Tune of Currents
This allows Link to travel from anywhere in the past to the present without finding a Time Portal, but not the other way around. It does however, leave a small portal on the ground in the present that allows Link to travel back to the same point in the past.
[edit] Tune of Ages
This is the final song Link learns and is like the "Tune of Currents" except that it allows travel both ways.
[edit] The Wind Waker
In The Wind Waker Link receives a conductor's baton called the Wind Waker that can be used to control the wind, as well as play other magical songs. Although played with C like the Ocarina of Time, the player must also match the tempo displayed on screen - and can also change from 3/4 to 4/4 or 6/4 time with the Control Stick.
[edit] Wind's Requiem
"Wind's Requiem" is the first song Link learns and it is used to change the direction of the wind. By doing this Link can create winds to power his sailboat and bear him to his destination.
[edit] Ballad of Gales
Link later learns the "Ballad of Gales" which is used to summon cyclones to instantaneously teleport him to select areas around the Great Sea, greatly reducing his travelling time.
[edit] Song of Passing
This is identical to the "Sun's Song" from Ocarina of Time that is used to change day to night and vice versa. Although it sounds the same as its N64 counterpart, it is played differently.
[edit] Command Melody
This is used within dungeons to take control of other characters to perform specific tasks. In Tower of the Gods it controls the statues, while in the Earth and Wind Temples it is used to take control of Link's companions, Medli and Makar respectively.
[edit] Earth God's Lyric and Wind God's Aria
These two songs are both associated with a dungeon and sage in the game: "Earth God's Lyric" with Medli and the Earth Temple, "Wind God's Aria" with Makar and the Wind Temple, similar to Ocarina of Time's transport songs. They are used to awaken their sages and open the inner entrances to the dungeons, as well as clear obstacles inside them.
[edit] The Minish Cap
This game contains only one song (that sounds like the theme to Ocarina of Time) and one instrument: the Ocarina of Wind. It is almost identical to A Link to the Past's Flute, being used to summon a transport bird. However this one can only take you to Wind Crests scattered around Hyrule, all but one of which must first be found and activated by Link before they can be used, similar to the "Song of Soaring" and owl statues in Majora's Mask. The tune played on the Ocarina is the same as the tune played on the Recorder from The Legend of Zelda. It also sounds like the tune played on the flute in Super Mario Bros. 3 to summon tornadoes to carry you to the warp zones.
[edit] Twilight Princess
In a trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Link was seen picking a plant referred to as “horse grass” and playing "Epona's Song" to summon his horse. Later in the game, Link is given a whistle that can call Epona at any given time.
Wolf Link also has the ability to howl in three different pitches (low, regular, and high). In a video released by IGN, Wolf Link can be seen howling the "Song of Healing".
In order to unlock seven sword manuevers, Link must visit six (The first one starts automatically) special stones throughout the game as a wolf, and play a song as noted above. Other songs that Link must learn (Although the player isn't given the name of these songs, and they aren't used for any other purpose) that are taken from Ocarina of Time are the "Prelude of Light" and "Requiem of Spirit".
"Zelda's Lullaby" is also used to gain access to the Master Sword, as well as a dungeon towards the end of the game.
[edit] References
- Games in The Legend of Zelda series
- Respective instruction manuals and Official Nintendo Power Player's Guides. All copyright Nintendo 1986-2006.
