Bottom of the Well

This article is about the Dungeon in Ocarina of Time. For other uses, see Bottom of the Well (Disambiguation). For the mini-dungeon in Majora's Mask, see Beneath the Well. For the location in Tears of the Kingdom, see Kakariko Village Well.

The Bottom of the Well is a mini-dungeon in Ocarina of Time.^[1] It is located in Kakariko Village, more specifically at the bottom of the Well of Three Features.^[2] It consists of an underground chamber that guards the Lens of Truth. On the whole, this dungeon is optional, having no effect on the main quest if not attempted. However, without the Lens of Truth, places such as the Haunted Wasteland, the Spirit Temple, the Shadow Temple, and Ganon's Castle will be more difficult to navigate. Also, Link may miss out on many treasures hidden throughout Hyrule that only the Lens of Truth can uncover.

Entrance to the Well

When Link first finds the well, it is filled with water. However, as an adult, the water has been drained and the well sealed. In order to enter the dungeon, young Link must play the "Song of Storms" to Guru-Guru to super-charge the Kakariko Windmill and drain the well dry.

According to Professor Shikashi, the house of a man who could see the truth once stood on the location of the Well.^[3] This is a reference to the item found inside the dungeon, the Lens of Truth.

Themes and Navigation

The Well contains many illusory walls and floors which can only be identified as fake using the Lens of Truth, as well as invisible sections of floor that can be made visible with the Lens of Truth. Deep within the Bottom of the Well, Link fights a Dead Hand, which yields the Lens of Truth upon death.

The Bottom of the Well has three floors, all treated as a basement. Only the first and largest floor must be explored in order to find the Lens of Truth. This first floor consists of a maze of tunnels with numerous side passages, as well as depressions in the floor that are filled with water. This water can be drained by playing "Zelda's Lullaby" on the Triforce emblem in one part of the central chamber, giving Link access to the rest of the first floor. The lowest floor is filled with many ReDeads and pools of Poison Pool. This floor can be reached after falling into any invisible holes. The only way to climb up to the first floor again is by collecting Silver Rupees for the first time only. The second floor is the smallest, as it consists entirely of cross-sections of vertical shafts connecting the first and third floors.

In the Master Quest version of Ocarina of Time, the Lens of Truth is no longer useful in this dungeon, because all fake floors and walls are now visible to the naked eye. The reward for fighting Dead Hand is the Compass, though a Small Key is found in its room. The Lens of Truth is now found on the bottom floor, which is now full of Boulders, a Wallmaster, and five ReDeads all together. The Green Bubble is now missing, as well as the Like Like and the Beamos. The room with coffins and Gibdos is optional, too, containing only a Gold Skulltula. There are some hidden switches in the walls that unlock doors or drain the Well; playing "Zelda's Lullaby" in front of the statue unlocks some gates now. The new enemy here is a Floormaster, which just so happens to be in the same small room as a Wallmaster.

Enemies

Master Quest

Trivia

Because the well draws water from a reservoir rather than the ground water, it is in fact not a well, but a cistern.
The Poison Pool contains several skeletal arms reaching upwards in a manner somewhat resembling Dead Hand, which seemingly serve no purpose.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Regions
Language	Names	Meanings
Japanese	井戸の底 (Ido no Soko) ^{(OoTOcarina of Time)}^[6] 井戸の(いど)底(そこ) (Ido no Soko) ^{(EoWEchoes of Wisdom)}	Same as English. Bottom of the Well
Chinese^{TRTraditional}	井底 ^{(EoWEchoes of Wisdom)}
Chinese^SISimplified	井底 ^{(EoWEchoes of Wisdom)}
Dutch	Put ^{(EoWEchoes of Wisdom)}
French^EUEuropean	Fond du puits ^{(EoWEchoes of Wisdom)}
French^CACanadian	Fond du puits ^{(EoWEchoes of Wisdom)}
German	Grund des Brunnens ^{(EoWEchoes of Wisdom)}
Italian	Fondo del Pozzo ^{(OoTOcarina of Time)}^[4] Fondo del pozzo ^{(OoT3DOcarina of Time 3D \| EoWEchoes of Wisdom)}^[5]	Bottom of the Well Bottom of the well
Korean	우물 바닥 ^{(EoWEchoes of Wisdom)}
Portuguese^BRBrazilian	Fundo do poço ^{(EoWEchoes of Wisdom)}
Russian	Дно колодца ^{(EoWEchoes of Wisdom)}
Spanish^{LALatin American}	Fondo del pozo ^{(EoWEchoes of Wisdom)}
Spanish^EUEuropean	Fondo del pozo ^{(EoWEchoes of Wisdom)}
This table was generated from Zelda Wiki's translation data.

Gallery

The ladder leading down the Bottom of the Well from Ocarina of Time
Dungeon Map from Ocarina of Time
A statue in the Bottom of the Well from Ocarina of Time 3D

References

↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 149
↑ Dark! Narrow! Scary!
Well of Three Features — Sign (Ocarina of Time 3D)
↑ A long time ago... There was a man in this very village who had an eye they said could see the truth! Now usually, you have to train your mind's eye most strenuously to actually see the truth... But this fella, no, they say he had a different way of doing things... His house stood where the well is now... — Professor Shikashi (Ocarina of Time)
↑ Enciclopedia di Hyrule, Magazzini Salani, pg. 149
↑ Fondo del pozzo — N/A (Ocarina of Time 3D, Italian version)
↑ Nintendo Official Guidebook—The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Shogakukan, pg. 155