Sacred Grove


 * This article is about the recurring area in . For the area in, see OoT3D:.

The, also known as the Ancient Grove, is a recurring location in the.

The Sacred Grove is located in the northern portion of the Lost Woods in. Both the Grove and Woods are covered in fog when Link enters. Once the hero pulls the Master Sword from its pedestal after obtaining the three Pendants of Virtue, the fog will disappear. The Sacred Grove is home to various animals, such as Squirrels. After defeating Ganon, Link returns the Master Sword to its pedestal in the Grove during the ending credits.

The Sacred Grove is located deep within the Faron Province and adjacent to the TPHD: in. It is first visited after Princess Zelda tells Link that the only way his curse will break is by finding the Master Sword. Upon entering the Grove, Wolf Link must howl "Zelda's Lullaby" at the Howling Stone to make Skull Kid appear, who will open a new path further into the forest. From this point on, Link must chase Skull Kid as he traverses through the forest area while avoiding his Puppets. After finding Skull Kid three times, he will retreat into a new area of the Sacred Grove, which is surrounded by ruins. By striking him three more times, he will vanish and open up the passage to the section that once was where the Temple of Time stood.

Before entering the final forest area where the Master Sword is hidden, Wolf Link must howl "Zelda's Lullaby" once again to activate two guardian statues, known simply as NaN Giants. These statues will ask that Link solve their puzzle in order to enter the true Sacred Grove. After Link completes the puzzle, the guards will yield passage to the location of the Master Sword. When Wolf Link approaches it, Zant's curse breaks, allowing him to return to his Hylian form and proceed to retrieve the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time.

As Link is searching for the missing Mirror Shards, the hero must return to the Sacred Grove and once again play hide-and-seek with Skull Kid. Besting the Skull Kid at his own game will make him and his Puppets vanish from the Grove. Once Link returns to the Pedestal of Time, he will briefly thrust the Master Sword in it, removing a guardian statue that was blocking the Door of Time. Entering through this door allows Link to travel back in time before the Temple of Time fell into ruin.

During the ending credits, The Resistance can be seen exploring an area of the Sacred Grove.

The Sacred Grove is located in the northern portion of the Lost Woods in. Link can enter the Grove after following the Poes in the Woods. Once he has obtained the three Pendants of Virtue, Link can pull the Master Sword from its pedestal, causing the fog and Poes to disappear. The Sacred Grove is home of various animals such as Birds. After defeating Yuga Ganon, the hero returns the Master Sword to its resting place in the Grove during the ending credits. In Hero Mode, he gathers alongside Princess Zelda and the seven Sages after returning the Master Sword.

The Sacred Grove appears as a Defender Mode scenario in the Stage Finale of. During it, Link stands fixed in place and must eliminate enemies from all around him. Skull Kid appears and conjures his Puppet army. He will flash green to offer the automatic firing upgrade which takes down the large number of Puppets that appear. Skull Kid will warp to various niches in the surrounding landscape to protect himself.

The Sacred Grove appears as the resting place for the Master Sword which resides inside a chamber in the Temple of the Sacred Sword. The chamber itself is also a Keep known as the Sacred Pedestal, due to the fact it holds the Sacred Pedestal of the Master Sword.

Trivia

 * During development of, Link would howl in his Wolf form to startle the statues into moving instead of solving a puzzle.

Nomenclature
The Sacred Grove shares its Japanese name with the Sacred Forest Meadow from.