- "The Great Fairy lives on this mountaintop, and she will give you a new skill! She is the leader of the fairies, you know. Hoo!"
- — Kaepora Gaebora
Great Fairy Fountains (大妖精の泉 Daiyōsei no Izumi) are recurring locations in the Legend of Zelda series. Similar to regular Fairy Fountains, Great Fairy Fountains are hidden locations that are inhabited by Fairies. Unlike regular Fairy Fountains, however, Great Fairy Fountains house Great Fairies who will grant Link special powers, rather than just restoring his health.
Appearances[]
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past[]
There are Great Fairy Fountains scattered in caves across Hyrule that house Great Fairies that restore Link's health. There are also special types of Great Fairy Fountains called Mysterious Ponds, where Link can obtain upgraded weapons, such as the Magical Boomerang, the Golden Sword, and the Silver Arrows, from Great Fairies at their respective fountains.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time[]
Great Fairy Fountains are scattered throughout Hyrule. The first one is located on the summit of Death Mountain and is entered after Link defeats King Dodongo in Dodongo's Cavern. Once inside a Fountain, Link must play "Zelda's Lullaby" on his ocarina, to summon the Great Fairy. If it is Link's first visit to the particular fountain, she will grant him a new power. If it is a re-visit to the Fountain, Link's health and Magic Meter will be fully restored.
Interestingly, there are hidden Fairy Fountains outdoors that contain only regular fairies that appear when Link has played the "Song of Storms".
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask[]
Great Fairy Fountains (referred to as simply "Fairy Fountains") are found in five locations throughout Termina: North Clock Town, Woodfall, on the side of Snowhead Mountain, the Zora Hall Coast, and Ikana Canyon. These Great Fairy Fountains look exactly like the regular fairy fountains from Ocarina of Time. Link must find all fifteen of the Stray Fairies who are missing from the Fountain and bring them back. Once he does so, the Great Fairy of the particular Fountain will be revived, and grant him a new power or give him a new item.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker[]
Great Fairy Fountains are usually located in seashell-like houses, scattered throughout the Great Sea (the only exception being in the Forest of Fairies, which is found beneath a boulder on Outset Island). They play a similar role to the Great Fairy Fountains in Ocarina of Time, granting Link an upgraded Wallet, Quiver, or Bomb Bag on his first visit; however, instead of restoring his health and magic meter on every subsequent visit, a large number of ordinary Fairies can be found.
Link can also encounter the Queen of Fairies by using the "Ballad of Gales" to warp inside of the larger island of the Mother & Child Isles, who will add the power of fire and ice to his Hero's Bow.
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures[]
Link's items get advanced when he goes to a Great Fairy Fountain. These can be found in various locations.
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap[]
There are three Great Fairy Fountains, home to the Great Dragonfly Fairy, the Great Mayfly Fairy, and the Great Butterfly Fairy. Each gives Link a different challenge and upgrades a specific item if he wins.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess[]
When Link reaches the 10th, 20th, 30th, and 40th floors of the Cave of Ordeals, a Great Fairy causes Fairies to appear at the springs of the four Light Spirits. Once Link has reached the 50th floor of the Cave of Ordeals, the Great Fairy will fill one of his empty bottles (if he has one) with Great Fairy's Tears. After this, he can get another bottle filled with Great Fairy's Tears by going to any of the Spirit's Springs (though he can only do this if none of his bottles already contain Great Fairy's Tears).
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds[]
Great Fairy Fountains are scattered throughout Hyrule. The Great Fairies in them will fully heal Link's health. One fountain is home to the Great Rupee Fairy, who will give Link a bottle if he throws 3,000 Rupees into her fountain.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild[]
There are five Great Fairy Fountains in Breath of the Wild. They consist of a huge flower with golden bird statues, surrounded by mushroom-like growths where the Great Fairies such as Cotera, Kaysa, Mija and Tera dwell and proposes armor upgrades. The water in these Great Fairy Fountains emit a golden glow and is from where the Great Fairies emerge though Tera occasionally swallows water as she does so causing her to cough though otherwise it doesn't seem to cause any problems for the other Great Fairies. Great Fairies are quite large and their lower body remains concealed within the fountain. Cotera's fountain is located near Kakariko Village in the West Necluda region, Tera's fountain is located under the Gerudo Great Skeleton in Gerudo Desert, Mija's fountains is located in Akkala Highlands near Tarrey Town, and Kaysa's is located in Tabantha Frontier on Piper Ridge. Restoring a Great Fairy and its fountain will increase the level by which a Great Fairy can up grade Link's armor. One fountain restored allows Link to upgrade to Level 1, two allows Link to upgrade to Level 2, three allows Link to upgrade to Level 3, and all four allows Link to upgrade his armor to the maximum Level 4. The fifth Great Fairy Fountain Malanya Spring can be found in Faron Grasslands region in a dead end valley east of the Horse God Bridge, but unlike the others is home to the God of Horses Malanya who will revive Link's registered horses if they die. Malanya Spring has the same design as the other Great Fairy Fountains but it is more specific to Malanya with its water emiting a dark purple glow. Malanya living in a Great Fairy Fountain causes him to sometimes be referred to as the "Horse Fairy" such as in the "Official Guide to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild by Piggyback, while in-game he is depicted as a Deity. The locations of the four basic Great Fairy Fountains are marked on the map where they are located as "Great Fairy Fountain".
Great Fairy Fountains in Breath of the Wild are tied to the condition of their inhabitants and as a result of Cotera, Kaysa, Malanya, Mija, and Tera becoming weakened, their fountains have withered to mere giant buds. Link must restore their power by making offerings of Rupees which restores both their inhabitant's power and the fountain itself. After being restored, Fairies will fly around the fountains making them great places to stock up on fairies, though the number of fairies that appear is tied to how many fairies he has in his inventory. Malanya's fountain is the exception. Link will be briefly pulled into the fountain by the Great Fairy he chooses when he has them upgrade any armor to Level 4. Link can swim in the fountain though this serves no purpose.
Endura Carrots often grow near Great Fairy Fountains including Malanya's as they can be found on the north and south sides of the Ibara Butte that surround the fountain. Great Fairy Fountains usually have different plants growing around them depending on their location, such as Armoranth, Blue Nightshade, Cool Safflina, Electric Safflina, Mighty Thistle, Silent Princess, and Warm Safflina. Two Blupees also appear along the path leading from the Ta'loh Naeg Shrine to Cotera's Great Fairy Fountain. Two Side Quests involve restoring specific Great Fairy Fountain. In "Find the Fairy Fountain", the traveling Sheikah artist Pikango asks Link to restore Cotera's Fairy Fountain and take its picture with the Camera Rune. In "A Gift for the Great Fairy", Toren gives Link 500 Rupees and asks Link to find the fountain in Tabantha Frontier and make an offering to the Great Fairy.
Other appearances[]
Subseries warning: This article or section contains information on a subseries within the Legend of Zelda series and should be considered part of its own separate canon.
Hyrule Warriors[]
The Fairy Fountains in the game often function as Great Fairy Fountains where the Great Fairy can be summoned to assist in battles. Sometimes a Cucco can be found inside these fountains. Great Fairy Fountains appear in Hyrule Field, Faron Woods, Valley of Seers, Palace of Twilight, and Skyloft.
Subseries warning: Subseries information ends here.
Characters |
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Link (x4) · Princess Zelda · Six Maidens · Vaati —Full list of characters |
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