Tower of Hera (A Link to the Past)

The Tower of Hera, also known as the Mountain Tower, is the penultimate dungeon in the Light World in A Link to the Past, while in A Link Between Worlds it may be done interchangeably with the House of Gales. In A Link to the Past, it is also the last of the three "Sanctuary" dungeons that contains the Pendants of Virtue. The Dark World equivalent to this tower is Ganon's Tower, which is also the penultimate location in that world.

Entrance to the Tower
The Tower is located at the top of Death Mountain. In order to climb Death Mountain, and thus gain access to the Tower, Link must use the Power Glove previously obtained from the Desert Palace. In A Link to the Past, Link must also make a brief trip into Dark World and escape using the Magic Mirror he obtained from the Lost Old Man in order to get to the other side of Spectacle Rock, where the tower is located, it is also the last of the Light Worlds dungeons Link must complete. In "A Link Between Worlds", the tower is still located on the summit of Death Mountain, however, the Hammer is required to enter the dungeon and to navigate the puzzles inside, and is interchangeably the second or third dungeon with the House of Gales.

Themes and Navigation
The dungeon has many more floors than the previous dungeons encountered in the game, and features a number of new enemies, the most prominent of which are the Hardhat Beetles, strong enemies that are most effectively defeated by knocking down the many pitfalls found throughout the journey to the top of the tower. These pitfalls make their debut in the series here, allowing Link to drop from one floor to a lower one without taking damage, though in its initial appearance this results in him losing progress instead. In the same game, their positions will change when certain star-shaped switches are walked on, and utilizing these pits and their changing locations is the only way to obtain the elusive Moon Pearl. Unlike the previous two dungeons, the treasure in the Big Chest is not vital to the completion of the dungeon. Crystal Switches debut in this dungeon in both of its appearances, which in its original form was first appearance for these objects in the series, and the raising and lowering of the orange/red and blue blocks in conjunction with the placement of the pits is key to progressing through the tower, and accessing jars in the room prior to the boss. The boss is Moldorm, which is fought atop a perch surrounded by holes. In A Link to the Past, should Link fall into a hole, he will find himself on the previous floor, and he will have to begin the battle again in. In A Link Between Worlds, there is no such penalty, and there are hearts for Link to use to heal his injuries, though many Blade Traps below the battlefield can damage him if he falls down the center. After defeating this boss, Link receives a Heart Container and the Pendant of Wisdom in A Link to the Past and the Pendant of Power in A Link Between Worlds.

A Link to the Past comic
In the A Link to the Past comic, Link finds himself in front of the Tower of Hera after waking up from a dream he shared with Princess Zelda. Link enters the Tower of Hera and climbs to the top to battle a Moldorm, who this time has an appearance of a giant spider. After Sahasrahla informs Link that the Pendant of Wisdom is in the creature's eyes, Link seizes the pendant by pulling it out with his arm. Upon grabbing the pendant, his arm, previously wounded is instantly healed, and the young hero uses the spider to ride down the tower, defeating Moldorm.

Trivia

 * The Tower of Flames from Four Swords Adventures has a very similar structure and design to the Tower of Hera. The boss of the Tower of Flames is three Dodongos, similar monsters to the Kodongos that appear in the Mountain Tower.
 * Footage of the Tower of Hera dungeon was used during the The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony during the Selected Shorts Suite when the Sanctuary Dungeon music is played.
 * The Tower of Hera is named after the famous ancient Greek Goddess, Hera. Hera was the wife of Zeus, the King of the Gods, and is rumored that she lived in a beautiful tower or palace, built on the top of Mount Olympus, the tallest mountain in Greece.
 * In Saudi Arabia, there is a cave of a similar name, the Cave of Hira, located on an important site in the Islamic culture. The cave is on the Mountain of Light outside the city of Mecca.