Ancient Cistern

The Ancient Cistern is a dungeon located near Lake Floria in Skyward Sword. A giant stone statue sits at the center of the cavern. Water plays a vital role in the dungeon, which can be seen by the presence of streams, stream pools, water wheels and pipes full of high-pressure water. Although at first the Ancient Cistern appears to be a serene, aquatic-themed temple - with distinctly far-eastern architecture - descent into the dungeon's lower level reveals that it is built on a sort of cursed abyssal underworld, populated with undead enemies. Dark, purple water which damages and curses anyone entering it can be found there, where a crowd of Cursed Bokoblin roam. The dungeon's main item is the Whip and its boss is Koloktos.

Navigation
Many of the pipes have openings that allow water to escape vertically. Link can ride these water currents to reach higher areas of the cistern. Some of these currents have to be activated by loosening valves with the Whip. The whip can also be used to swing across gaps in the temple.

Enemies

 * Deku Baba
 * Chuchu
 * Cursed Bokoblin
 * Furnix
 * Skulltula
 * Skullwalltula
 * Stalfos

Trivia

 * The act of unscrewing the water geysers is similar to the pipe system from the Great Bay Temple in Majora's Mask.
 * The dungeon appears to be based on the short story, "The Spider's Thread". In it, the Lord Buddha is walking through paradise and gazes into a pond, past the lotus petals veiling the water's surface, seeing into the depths of hell. There in the darkness he sees a criminal, Kandata, who once intentionally avoided stepping on a spider. Moved to try reclaiming this man, the Buddha lowers a spider thread into hell, and Kandata starts climbing to paradise. However, other sinners begin climbing as well, and Kandata, worried that the thread will not support the weight, exclaims that it is his and his alone. At this point the thread breaks, because Kandata was worried only about his own salvation and not his fellow sinners.
 * The architecture of this dungeon also greatly reflects that of far-eastern temples. The statue head in the main room, the Blessed Idol key, and even Koloktos bear a striking resemblance to Buddha.