Skull

Skull
Skulls that can be found in the overworld and underground, respectively, from A Link to the Past
First appearance	A Link to the Past (1992)
Appearances	A Link to the Past Link's Awakening Ocarina of Time The Wind Waker Four Swords Adventures The Minish Cap Twilight Princess Spirit Tracks Skyward Sword A Link Between Worlds Tri Force Heroes
Found	Dungeons Dark World Dark Realm Lorule
Use	Damaging enemies Receiving items

Skulls are recurring items in the Legend of Zelda series. Disembodied skeletal heads, they can be picked up and thrown at enemies or broken to receive various items. In this way, they are similar to pots and related items.

Appearances

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Skulls appear throughout the Dark World. There are two different types of Skulls; the ones found in the exterior areas and ones found inside dungeons.

The first type of skull is similar to rocks, as they can be picked up and thrown at enemies. There exist skulls with two different hues and characteristics - the lighter skull can be picked up with the Power Glove. The dark skulls can only be lifted with the Titan's Mitt. The only ones that are actually necessary to lift are the ones that have trapped the transformed Dwarven Swordsmith south of the Village of Outcasts.

The second type of skull is found only inside dungeons and underground areas, and replace the pots which appear inside buildings in the Light World. Hearts or other valuable items can often be found beneath a skull.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Unlike past titles, Skulls appear mainly as scenery in Ocarina of Time in areas under Kakariko Graveyard such as the Royal Family's Tomb, Dampé's Grave, and the grave containing a hidden Fairy Fountain. One skull appears in area outside of Ganon's Castle (in the 3DS remake it is replaced with a Hyrulean Soldiers' helmet, spear, and shield). In addition to humanoid skulls, the graves also what appear to be either Cow or Horse skulls. In Dampé's Grave, Skulls can be found at Dead Ends.

Two appear in the Royal Family's Tomb which Link can speak to (one is just a skull while the other is part of an intact skeleton). One skull tells Link to shine light on the living dead and the other warns Link that those who brake into the Royal tomb will be attack by lurkers in the dark. Playing the Sun's Song near the Skull that says Shine light on the living dead will case a Big Fairy to appear.

One of the puzzles in the Shadow Temple requires Link to point the beck of a raven statue towards a skull called the Skull of Truth which is hidden among a group of Illusions.

In the original Ocarina of Time the Skulls were large and had a generally flat appearance, however in Ocarina of Time 3D they are slightly smaller and have a full 3D model.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Skulls can be found in inside areas such as Hidden Holes and dungeons. They can only be lifted with the Power Bracelet, and occasionally reveal items when lifted. If Link approaches one without a Power Bracelet, a message will pop up, letting the player know that it is too heavy to be moved with one's bare hands.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Skulls can be found both in exterior areas as well as interior ones, particularly the darker crevices of dungeons. They can be picked up and thrown to damage enemies, but will also break on contact with the ground, revealing various items, such as hearts and Rupees. Skulls can also be broken with various items, such as swords or the Skull Hammer.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

Skulls are found in a variety of regions, including the Dark World, the Desert of Doubt and dungeons such as the Pyramid. Link can easily lift any skull in this game without any extra equipment, and should he break them, they may drop standard items such as hearts or Force Gems.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

Skulls are found in the Fortress of Winds. They can be picked up and thrown, or broken with swords once Link has learned the Rock Breaker technique; upon destruction, skulls often yield hearts. These skulls are identical to the skulls of Stalfos, and some Stalfos disguise themselves as skulls, only to jump up at Link when he approaches.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Skulls can be found in inside areas such as Hidden Holes, Lantern Caverns, Dig Caverns, and dungeons. When broken, they occasionally reveal items hidden inside. When in wolf form, Link can pick these up and carry them in his mouth, after which they can be thrown a good distance. Interestingly, the shapes of these skulls is radically different from that of a regular human, featuring three sharp horns and a bone structure that has very few connections to the typical humanoid skull. This indicates that they may be the skulls of deceased monsters. Bubbles encountered in Twilight Princess often camouflage themselves by hiding among normal skulls. Rats and Twilit Vermin often gnaw on Skulls and the telltale sound of their gnawing serves as a cue to Link that they are nearby.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Skulls cannot be picked up by Link; they are encountered when he is riding his train around the Dark Realm. They are that realm's equivalant to rocks and barrels; shooting them often releases hearts to repair damage. They also appear alongside the tracks in the battle against the Demon Train, again serving the same purpose.

Also, there is a treasure in the game known as a Stalfos Skull. Enemy Stalfos can have their heads knocked off after repeated attacks and grabbed with the Whip to launch at other enemies; if left alone they will reattach to their bodies.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

What appear to be the skulls of Bokoblins are seen in various areas. Also, Link can acquire Ornamental Skulls and Golden Skulls, which are often carried by Bokoblins. These are ornaments which can be used as materials to upgrade Link's items at the Scrap Shop.

There is often a known reason for skulls to be found in a given location, such as the skulls found in the chamber of the Water Dragon, which are presumably left over from her battle with Ghirahim's forces, and the skulls in the lower level of the Ancient Cistern, an area filled with undead enemies. In Lanayru Desert, skulls, along with small piles of bones, mark points where Technoblins are found when a Timeshift Stone is used to access the distant past.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Skulls appear throughout Lorule and in dungeons and require the Power Glove to be lifted and thrown.

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes

Stal Skulls and Crystal Skulls appear as Material items used to create clothing at Madam Couture's shop.

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.

Link's Crossbow Training

Skulls appear as targets in some stages, and are the main targets of the Skull Shooting stage.

Hyrule Warriors

Stalmaster's Skulls appear as Silver Materials dropped by both Stalmasters and Dark Stalmasters.

Hyrule Warriors Legends

In addition to Stalmaster's Skulls, Skulls from The Wind Waker appear in the background of certain parts of the Wind and Earth Temples stage. However they cannot be broken nor interacted with.

Subseries warning: Subseries information ends here.