Wind Fish

The Wind Fish is a character featured in Link's Awakening. He is large, flying whale who makes his home atop Tamaranch Mountain on Koholint Island, inside of a giant egg. He starred in Link's Awakening.

The Wind Fish is a deity of sorts that is the creator of Koholint Island. During the course of Link's Awakening it is revealed that Koholint Island is a dream of the Wind Fish, and that, should the Wind Fish wake, the island and all its inhabitants would vanish. This presents a moral dilemma for Link, as to finish the game, Koholint and all of the characters living on it must disappear. This is unavoidable upon beating the game, however, as Link only learns the true nature of the Wind Fish until after the final Nightmare has been defeated.

Biography

The Windfish is the creator of Koholint Island, a manifestation of land and life seen in his dreams created through the Dreamers eternal sleep. As the island is just a figment in dream, the island's inhabitants (with the exception of Marin) are literally dumbstruck at the idea of land outside of the islands shores. Though how he ended up in the dream is controversial, Link sets on a mission to awaken the creator to return to his own world.

Throughout the game, many hints and references about the Wind Fish are told to Link through Koholint Islands native inhabitants. For instance, Marin's song is titled "Ballad of the Windfish". The story of the Wind Fish is conveyed most often by a sentient Owl that appears and reveals information about the Dreamer, Koholint Island, and ultimately the truth of Koholint Islands eventual doom. He also gives hints on the path that Link must take to complete the game. The owl himself is revealed to be part of the dream, as he is part of the Wind Fish's soul and Guardian of his dreams and the worlds within them.

Early on in the game, Link encounters the Wind Fish's Egg sitting on top of Mt. Tamaranch in the Tal Tal Heights region on the northern section of the Island. Link is to gather 8 instruments found in each of the dungeons and play the Ballad of the Windfish in front of the egg. This egg also serves as the final dungeon, with Nightmare featured as the entity keeping the Windfish in its eternal slumber.

Upon completing the game, Link is sent upward into the heavens via a staircase created by the Wind Fish. The Dreamer, who has now awakened,reveals himself to be a giant whale lavishly endorned with cloth, metals, and precious stones, showing his god-like status. With this statement, the island begins to disappear and Link is seen floating on a piece of his wrecked ship. While contemplating if it was only a dream, he looks up to see the Wind Fish flying off into the distance with a flock of seagulls.

Theories

Theory Warning

It is possible that the Windfish is actually Lord Jabu-Jabu. Both are said to have godlike powers, and they share visual similarities as well. In Ocarina of Time, Jabu-Jabu can be seen in Zora's Domain, but when Link returns seven years later, Zora's Domain has frozen over and Jabu-Jabu has disappeared. If Jabu-Jabu is actually the Windfish, he would have flown out of Zora's Domain before it was frozen over.

There is another theory that the Wind Fish is the Ocean King, as both Koholint and the Great Sea in the Phantom Hourglass were only a "dream" of Link's Awakening Link and The Wind Waker Link. Furthermore, the Ocean King was willing to grant a wish to Linebeck for his help while Marin had wished to the Wind Fish to be a seagull, and in both instances, the wishes are granted.

Gallery

• A stone tablet depicting the Wind Fish

  A stone tablet depicting the Wind Fish

• Official artwork of the Wind Fish

  Official artwork of the Wind Fish

• The Wind Fish flying alongside a flock of birds

  The Wind Fish flying alongside a flock of birds

References

Names in Other Regions
Language		Name