Level 8


 * This article is about the eighth dungeon in The Legend of Zelda. For the character in Tingle's Love Balloon Trip, see Lion (Tingle's Love Balloon Trip).

Lion is the eighth dungeon in The Legend of Zelda.

The Dungeon Entrance
In the First Quest, the labyrinth is located under a lone tree that blocks Link's path in a southeastern forest (once Link burns it with fire, the entrance will be revealed). In the Second Quest, the dungeon is located west of the desert, accessible only by exploding a part of the northern wall with a bomb and then crossing the river with the Stepladder.

First Quest
This is the first of two white-colored dungeons. The Lion dungeon is populated by Darknuts, although they're not too menacing if Link already has the Magic Sword. Like in the very first dungeon of the game (Eagle), two dungeon items can be won here: The first is the Book of Magic, which gives the wave beams of the Magic Rod the additional property of burning their targets, therefore rendering the Candle decidedly useless for the rest of the game; the second major item is the Magical Key, which can open infinite doors, therefore rendering the dungeon keys completely unnecessary from now on. Interestingly, the dungeon is relatively close to the very early second dungeon (Moon), but there are no clues on where it actually is, so it's up to Link to discover it. The boss is a four-headed Gleeok, considered to be its toughest incarnation in the entire game.

Second Quest
This dungeon structurally resembles a vortex similar to the spiral from the Demon dungeon, but bigger and differently positioned. It's green colored, barely reminiscent of the seventh dungeon in the First Quest, but it's also more complex than the other dungeons in the game due to the countless underground passages leading to dead-ends or even the very entrance of the place, although some passages do favor the exploration. It is advised to bring food, because there is a hungry Goriya that will hinder the already difficult exploration if he's not satiated. The two main treasures are the Magic Rod (which finally gives use to the Book of Magic found in the fourth dungeon) and the Magical Key. Also found is an Old Man who will increase Link's bomb capacity for only 100 rupees). This dungeon is the final obstacle before Ganon's whereabouts, and it's populated by numerous Dodongos (in fact, three of them are the bosses of the level).