Subrosian

Not to be confused with Salona.

The Subrosians,^[1] also known as the Subrosian Tribe,^[2] are a recurring species in The Legend of Zelda series. They are the native inhabitants of the subterranean lava world of Subrosia.

Characteristics

The majority of Subrosians live in Subrosia Village. They are very secretive, and therefore always wear full-body robes keeping their physical identities private to all but themselves. It is rumored that they originated from the land of Holodrum, because foreigners can only enter Subrosia through stylized portals in Holodrum itself.

As their habitat suggests, Subrosians enjoy symbolically "hot" activities, such as dancing, as evident from their Dance Hall, and partaking in lava baths. Their volcanic climate and their general isolation from mainstream society contributes to their use of Ore Chunks as currency as compared to the Hyrulean Rupee, as it is more abundant in the area and vital to their continuity as a culture, as Rupees are to Hyrule.

Subrosians play a role in multiple Secret-transfers in Linked Games.

Trivia

An early version of the Subrosians, named the "Ulra Tribe," were to appear in The Legend of Zelda: The Acorn of the Mystery Tree -- Tale of Power, the unreleased title that ultimately became Oracle of Seasons.^[3]

Nomenclature

The Subrosians are known as the ウーラ in Japan. ウーラ means "hidden", referring to the race's secretive nature. For their Western name, the localization team played a little with that description to come up with a more interesting name than a literal translation would provide, a strategy they also utilized for the トカゲ人 from Oracle of Ages. When the term "subrosia" is taken apart, it becomes "sub rosa", "underneath the rose" in Latin. In ancient times, a rose over a doorway signified that a secret meeting was taking place. The name Subrosia literally means "secret place" and Subrosian "secretive person".