Gnarled Root Dungeon

This article is about the Dungeon in Oracle of Seasons. For the Object, see Gnarled Root.

Gnarled Root Dungeon is the first Dungeon in Oracle of Seasons.^[1] It is located in North Horon.

Entrance to the Dungeon

The Gnarled Root Dungeon is found in North Horon. However, its entrance is hidden by a Lock which can only be opened with the Gnarled Key. The Maku Tree gives Link the Gnarled Key when he asks for his help retrieving the Fertile Soil, an Essence of Nature found within.

Themes and Navigation

Being the first dungeon of the game, the Gnarled Root Dungeon is fairly simple in terms of enemy and puzzle difficulty. Including the Boss Key, three keys can be found throughout the dungeon. There are also Treasure Chests containing a Gasha Seed, an unappraised Magic Ring, and Link's first Bombs, which can be used to expose a bombable wall within the dungeon. This dungeon features several Block Puzzles and a set of tracks for a Mine Cart. Defeating the dungeon's twin mini-bosses, the Brother Goriyas, leads to a room which yields a Seed Satchel filled with Ember Seeds. These are then used to light Torches, unlocking new doors and allowing Link to obtain the Boss Key of the dungeon. Once Link defeats the Boss, Aquamentus, he obtains a Heart Container and the essence he was searching for.

Treasure Chests

Treasure Chest	Treasure Chest
Contents	Dungeon Map
Coordinates
Notes	Appears in 1F's south-southwestern room after the Blue Stalfos have been defeated
Treasure Chest	Treasure Chest
Contents	Gasha Seed
Coordinates
Notes	In 1F's western room
Treasure Chest	Treasure Chest
Contents	Compass
Coordinates
Notes	On the upper level of 1F's third room from the left wing
Treasure Chest	Treasure Chest
Contents	Small Key
Coordinates
Notes	Appears in 1F's third room from the right wing after pressing the Floor Switch
Treasure Chest	Treasure Chest
Contents	Bomb ×10
Coordinates
Notes	In 1F's center-of-wings room
Treasure Chest	Treasure Chest
Contents	Boss Key
Coordinates
Notes	Appears in 1F's west-southwestern room after the Goriyas have been defeated
Treasure Chest	Treasure Chest
Contents	Discovery Ring^[a]
Coordinates
Notes	In the east-central room west of the Boss Door

Treasure Chest	Contents	Notes
Treasure Chest	Dungeon Map	Appears in 1F's south-southwestern room after the Blue Stalfos have been defeated
Treasure Chest	Gasha Seed	In 1F's western room
Treasure Chest	Compass	On the upper level of 1F's third room from the left wing
Treasure Chest	Small Key	Appears in 1F's third room from the right wing after pressing the Floor Switch
Treasure Chest	Bomb ×10	In 1F's center-of-wings room
Treasure Chest	Boss Key	Appears in 1F's west-southwestern room after the Goriyas have been defeated
Treasure Chest	Discovery Ring^[a]	In the east-central room west of the Boss Door

↑ This is treated as a Magic Ring until it is appraised by Vasu.

Trivia

As Oracle of Seasons was originally meant to be a remake of the original The Legend of Zelda,^[2] this dungeon is reminiscent of Level 1, the first dungeon of the game. The layouts are similar, the exterior of both dungeons is what appears to be a dead tree in a small island within a lake, they are both the first Dungeon in the game, and both Dungeons have Aquamentus as the main boss. Also, an Old Man found within the dungeon will give Link advice on how to progress through the dungeon.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Regions
Language	Names	Meanings
German	Knorrwurzelhöhle^[4]	Gnarled Root Cave
Italian	Dungeon Radice Nodosa^[3]	Same as English.
This table was generated from Zelda Wiki's translation data.

Gallery

The interior of the Dungeon
Map of the Gnarled Root Dungeon
The Old Man helping Link in the Dungeon

References

↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 151
↑ "The Oracle games originally started life out as a remake of the original NES Legend of Zelda. Yoshiki Okamoto of Capcom approached Miyamoto with the idea and, after much back and forth, got the go-ahead." — 25 Things You Didn't Know About The Legend of Zelda , 1UP.com.
↑ Livello 1
Dungeon Radice Nodosa — N/A (Oracle of Seasons, Italian version)
↑ Knorrwurzelhöhle — N/A (Oracle of Seasons, German version)