Fairy Fountain

Fairy Fountains are a magical spring found across many places of Hyrule which contain a small group of fairies within. They can usually be found in caves or by bombing certain walls to reveal the hidden entrance. They have appeared in almost every The Legend of Zelda game to date, providing a good source of healing for Link in which he can recover his hearts at once or store the fairies in empty bottles for later use.

The Legend of Zelda
There are two Fairy Fountains scattered throughout the land of Hyrule; however, they are never specifically referred to as a Fairy Fountain or a Great Fairy Fountain, and as such, it can be argued as to which is its correct name. They serve the same purpose as other Great Fairy Fountains in later games: when Link approaches the fairy hovering above the pond, she will completely heal his status. The fountains here also set the overall image of the Great Fairy Fountains for many Zelda games to come, with the fairy floating above a body of water.

A Link to the Past
Although the Fairy Fountains were missing in The Adventure of Link, they returned in A Link to the Past. More well-hidden than in The Legend of Zelda, the Fairy Fountains in this game required certain items in order to reveal their cleverly-covered entrances. There are many of them spread across Hyrule, and once Link enters a fountain, he can find several fairies floating over a pond of water ready to heal the young hero or be caught in an empty bottle. There are also Fairy Fountains located within certain dungeons.

Ocarina of Time
Ocarina of Time marks one of the only two times where the Fairy Fountains are properly called Fairy's Fountain. The fountains are all mostly hidden underground, either beneath large boulders or below a circle of rocks. Upon entering, there is a short hallway leading to the elegant Fairy's Fountain that houses several fairies above its pond of water. It is surrounded by several columns, having a type of angel mark on top of them. Link can easily exit these fountains by stepping onto the platform with a shining ray of light found at the beginning of the fountain.

Other times, however, a Fairy's Fountain can be found outside, such as the one found in the oasis of the Desert Colossus, and just like its predecessor, Link can also stumble upon one in certain dungeons or temples.

Majora's Mask
In Majora's Mask, the fountains are curiously known as Fairy's Fountains despite that Great Fairies live in them and that they serve the same purpose as other Great Fairy Fountains. There are only four Fairy's Fountains, which are all located on the four cardinal directions of Termina: Woodfall, Snowhead, Great Bay, and Ikana Canyon. They are not as well-hidden in comparison to its predecessor, for they are easily found inside a cave in plain sight.

The appearance of the Fairy's Fountain in Majora's Mask is rather similar to that of Fairy's Fountains in Ocarina of Time. There is still a large pond in the middle, and the fountain is surrounded by several columns and arcs. Since the Great Fairy living within was shattered into Stray Fairies by the Skull Kid wearing Majora's Mask, it is up to Link to gather the missing Stray Fairies from each of the area's dungeons in order to receive the respective power-up from said Great Fairy. Once the Great Fairy is restored and regains its true power, it will appear as soon as Link approaches the fountain.

Another aspect that makes the Fairy's Fountains different from previous Zelda games is that there are no fairies that Link can catch using an empty bottle. Instead, if Link approaches the middle of the pond, the Stray Fairies will heal him completely.

The Wind Waker
The Fairy Fountains in The Wind Waker are all located in different islands of the Great Sea, and are named Fairy Fountains instead of Great Fairy Fountains despite that they house a Great Fairy within. They are easily spotted since the ones that are out in the sea look like houses shaped like seashells. Their entrances are all blocked by certain obstacles such as giant rocks, fires, vines (among other things) that must be removed using bombs or the Skull Hammer. The inside of the fountains still retain the same large pond from which the Great Fairies come out of, and the inside walls have the same appearance as well. There are also several seashells aligned the walls, keeping to the outside characteristics of the fountain.

After Link has received the upgrades or power-ups from its respective Fairy Fountain, the Great Fairy will no longer be at the fountain. Instead, fairies will be floating over the pond, ready to heal the young hero or be put in an empty bottle. To see the list of the Fairy Fountains as well as the upgrades receives from each one, see here.

Twilight Princes
Unlike previous Zelda games, the Fairy Fountains in Twilight Princess are not located inside caves or other well-hidden places. Instead, after meeting a Great Fairy on every tenth floor of the Cave of Ordeals, she will reward Link by releasing fairies at the springs of the four Light Spirits.