Ancient Cistern

Template:Dungeon The Ancient Cistern is a Dungeon in Skyward Sword.^[1]

Entrance to the Cistern

The dungeon is located behind the Floria Waterfall past the throne of Faron. When Link first meets Faron, she is unable to stop the flow of the Waterfall that blocks access to the dungeon because of wounds Ghirahim gave her in an earlier battle. She asks Link to find a sample of Sacred Water, which can be found in the Skyview Spring behind the Skyview Temple. After Link heals her with this Sacred Water, Faron stops the Waterfall's flow to allow Link passage into the dungeon, leaving the young hero to search for Farore's Flame.

Themes and Navigation

A giant stone statue sits at the center of the dungeon, surrounded by water. Navigation through the Cistern is interwoven with water-themed puzzles, and Link must contend with areas containing streams, stream pools, Lily Pads, waterwheels, and water-filled high-pressure pipes to proceed.

Although the Ancient Cistern is a serene, water-themed temple with distinctly far-eastern architecture, the dungeon's lower level is an ominous abyssal underworld populated with Cursed Bokoblins. This sinister area has murky purple water which damages and Curses anyone who makes contact with it.

The dungeon contains many drains and Switches, due to its nature as a cistern. After Link obtains the Whip that is guarded by a Stalmaster, he can use it to activate many of the Switches in the dungeon, including raising and lowering the central statue, and flipping over various Lily Pads with damaging, barbed undersides. The Whip is also often used to unscrew the tops of tubes, creating geysers which can lift Link to other destinations. Many sections of the dungeon are submerged, which Link can navigate easily with the Water Dragon's Scale.

The underground section differs greatly from the rest of the dungeon, showing puzzles and obstacles based on timing or skill rather than the manipulation of water. One portion of the underground section has Link fighting off Cursed Bokoblins as the dungeon's statue falls down from above after he obtains the Blessed Idol. Another section forces Link to climb up a thread as a horde of Cursed Bokoblins attempt to pull him down. In contrast, the upper dungeon levels prefer to use water-based puzzles and Whip-activated switches as Link's main obstacles to overcome.

Minor Enemies and Traps

Trivia

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.
Furthermore, 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.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Regions
Language		Name	Meaning
	Japanese	古の大石窟 (Inishie no Daisekkutsu)	Great Ancient Cavern
	French^EU	Grande Caverne Antique	Great Ancient Cavern
	German	Höhlenheiligtum	Cave Shrine
	Italian	Antico Sacrario	Ancient Shrine
	Spanish^LA	Gran Caverna Ancestral	Great Ancient Cavern