Old Man

The Old Man is the title given to several characters serving different functions, appearing in The Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link, A Link to the Past, Oracle of Ages and Seasons, and Four Sword Adventures.

The Legend of Zelda
In The Legend of Zelda, there are several old men across Hyrule, each serving various needs, such as supplying Link with his first sword, or giving helpful hints regarding enemies such as the Dodongo. Many helpful items can be obtained from these old men, and a mini-game can be played with them called the Money Making Game. If he is found in dungeons and is stabbed, the torches around him will fire energy blasts at Link, similar to those of a Stone Statue.

Link can receive a Letter from the old man in a northeast cave of Hyrule. When Link shows the Letter to various Old Women, they will sell him Life Potions and 2nd Potions.

The Adventure of Link
In The Adventure of Link, there are several old men residing in many of the towns. These old men teach Link useful spells once he has achieved the necessary prerequisites. These spells are required for access to the next area that Link must travel to.

A Link to the Past
A Lost Old Man (ヘブラ山の老人, "Death Mountain Old Man") appears in A Link to the Past when Link first enters Death Mountain. He is quite lost and is missing his lantern. He asks Link to aid him in getting to the safe house on the top of the mountain outside the caves. Once the way is lit by the light of Link's Lantern, the old man helps guide him to the top.

For helping him, the old man rewards Link with the Magic Mirror. He will also aid Link anytime whenever he comes to his safe house by refilling his life energy. While leading him through the mountain, the old man will talk about how he has a daughter who was abducted by the wizard Agahnim, as a part of his plan to break the sages seal. This reveals that the daughter is a maiden, and she and her father are both descendants of the ancient sages.

Oracle of Ages & Seasons
In the Oracle series, Old Men appear in caves that Link finds using by using the shovel or burning trees using Ember Seeds. Some bribe Link not to tell anybody about their secret caves by giving him a large sum of approximately 300 Rupees. Others will thank Link, and charge him a large sum of money in order to repair their doors. One Old Man also appears in the Hero's Cave of a linked version of Oracle of Seasons.

Four Sword Adventures
Old men returns in Four Sword Adventures, as spirits who will often help the four Links by giving them hints in form of bizarre remarks. One appears in the Cave of No Return, jealous over Link for having friends, something he himself never had. He informs them that they can make it over the chasm by throwing themselves over. However, it is not a given that they'll give the four Links any hints or usable information, as sometime they'll just give bizarre remarks, such as the old man found at the graveyard.

The Shadow Prince
In The Shadow Prince, Link can encounter mysterious Old Man if he chooses to take the Town of Ruto detour instead of going through the Midoro Swamp as he tries to reach the Water Town of Saria. Just as he is about to arrive to Ruto, he bumps into an Old Man, who gives the young hero a key. The old man goes on to say that he shouldn't go through Ruto on his way to Saria since there is a traffic jam, and the old man disappears before Link can ask any questions.

Other Similar Old Men

 * Sahasrahla and Aginah – in A Link to the Past.
 * Ulrira – in Link's Awakening.
 * Old Man in Kakariko Village‎ – in Ocarina of Time.
 * Lake Scientist – in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask.
 * Sturgeon – in The Wind Waker and The Minish Cap.
 * Klaus and Marshall – in The Minish Cap.

Trivia
The Old Men share similarities with the Wise Men from A Link to the Past.