Mother Maiamai
Mother Maiamai is a character in A Link Between Worlds.[1] She is a Maiamai who asks Link to find her missing children,[2] in exchange for Item upgrades.[3]
Biography
Mother Maiamai resides at Lake Hylia, in a Cave that has been blocked off to contain the "strange creature" inside, which can be opened with a Bomb.[4] When Link encounters her, she explains to him that she was traveling the worlds with her children when she lost all 100 of her babies.[2] She asks the young hero to locate them, informing him that they will be crying out for her.[5][6] If Link accepts, she gives him the Maiamai Map to help locate her children.[7]
In exchange for locating and returning her babies, she gives Link upgrades to his weapons, turning them into "Nice" weapons.[3] For every 10 Lost Maiamai that Link brings back, she will upgrade one Item that Link owns himself (as she cannot upgrade Items that Link is renting from Ravio's Shop). The upgrades she gives improve the performance and attack ability of the weapons. For example, the upgraded Bow allows Link to shoot 3 Arrows at once, instead of just one. When all 100 babies are returned, she will upgrade Link's Spin Attack to the Great Spin.[8]
When enhancing an Item, ten of her babies form a circle around her and chant while she inhales the Item, shakes it around and glows with a bright light, then spits it back out, upgraded. The babies then jump into the surrounding waters. When all 100 Maiamai are found, Mother Maiamai will inhale and spit out Link himself.
If Link speaks to Ravio after learning the Great Spin and returns to Mother Maiamai, she will say that she and her children are leaving for a different dimension.[9][10] The next time Link returns to the cave, there is a lone Maiamai left behind; the 72nd one that Link saved.[11] She states that she remained to become her own Maiamai, and asks Link to wish her luck on being as good of a mother as Mother Maiamai was.[12]
Trivia
- Mother Maiamai speaks almost entirely in rhymes. She has a variety of speech quirks in the different localizations of A Link Between Worlds:
- In the Japanese,[13][14] Korean,[15][16] and European French versions,[17][18] she occasionally uses English words. These words are rendered in katakana and Hangul for the Japanese and Korean versions, respectively.
- Also in the Japanese version, she uses the politeness marker "-desu" excessively, and certain words and syllables are expressed in katakana, indicating a disjointed or unfamiliar style of speaking. Even some of Link's responses to her questions are expressed in the same manner.[19]
- In the North American French version, she almost exclusively uses subject pronouns and infinitive verbs, indicating a very basic understanding of grammatical conjugation.[20][21]
- In the German version, she also speaks in rhymes,[22] as does the baby Maiamai who remains in Hyrule.[23]
- In the Italian version, she speaks with a lateral lisp.[24]
- In the Japanese,[13][14] Korean,[15][16] and European French versions,[17][18] she occasionally uses English words. These words are rendered in katakana and Hangul for the Japanese and Korean versions, respectively.
- Mother Maiamai bares a close resemblance to the storytelling octopus from A Link to the Past, as well to the octopus-shaped targets in the game's Shooting Gallery.
- Mother Maiamai's theme music is one of the 23 songs from the entire The Legend of Zelda series to be played by the Lucky Lobby Ball in Tri Force Heroes.
Nomenclature
Her name "Maiamai" comes from the Japanese word マイマイ (Maimai), meaning "snail". The name is also a play on the phrase "My, oh, my!"
 Names in Other Regions  | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Names | Meanings |
 Japanese | マザーマイマイ (Mazā Maimai)[26] | |
 Dutch | Moeder Maiamai[28] | |
 FrenchCA | Mère Meille[32] | |
 FrenchEU | Big'ornette[27] | |
 German | Mama Maimai[30] | |
 Italian | Mamma maimai[25] | Same as English. |
 Korean | 마더 달삐 (Madeo Dalppi)[31] | |
 PortugueseEU | Mãe Maiamai[28] | |
 Russian | Мама майамайя (Mama mayamayya)[28] | |
 SpanishLA | Mamá maimai[29] | |
 SpanishEU | Mamá maimai[33] | |
| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | ||
Gallery
-
Mother Maiamai with all her babies
References
- ↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 300 (ALBW)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "My, oh, my! What business have you with Mother Maiamai? Forgive me if my spirits aren't flying so high. We were on a great voyage through all the worlds, my tykes and I... Then I lost sight of my little Maiamais! All 100 of my babies, by and by!" — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Oh, I can make something of yours nicer! Please give it to Mother Maiamai!" — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ "Do Not Enter! Do Not Blow Up Wall! Very Strange Creature Inside!" — Sign (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ "Could you find all of them? You'll hear my children crying—calling for their Mother Maiamai!" — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ "They call out with such cute, chirping sounds. Yet they must be so sad, missing their Mother Maiamai." — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ "Thanks! Mother Maiamai finds you quite a kind child. Here—take this. It will help you know if my tykes are nearby. Oh, yes—upon the Maiamai Map you can surely rely!" — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ "I knew you'd be able to help me. Thank you—oh, thank you! You found all of my babies! Please take this from Mother Maiamai! [...] Mother Maiamai can't thank you enough. You found all my Maiamais! You're nice, child, very nice." — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ "You came just in time! It's a bit sudden, but we must bid you good-bye. I'm off to a different dimension with my Maiamais! Oh! But Mother Maiamai doesn't even know your name! Ah...Link. What a nice name. There's nothing more I could do to make it nicer, oh, good friend of mine. My darling tykes owe you their lives. May we see you again, by and by." — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ "Good-bye! Good-bye! And thank you, Link!" — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ "Hello there, Link! I'm the 72nd Maiamai you saved! Thanks for all your help. Mom and the others have gone off. But I—? Well, I stayed behind. Time for me to be my own Maiamai." — Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ "Hopefully I'll learn to be as good of a mother as my Mother Maiamai. Wish me luck, Link!" — Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ "ミー [Me] はマザーマイマイ
世界を旅するマイマイ族の マザー [Mother] なのデす
こう見えてミー [Me] は今、クライング [Crying]……
号泣してるのデす
ホワイ [Why]、なぜかって？
旅の途中で100人のジュニア [Junior] たちと
はぐれてしまったデす" — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds) - ↑ "ミー [Me] のサンクス [Thanks] の気持ちを
カタチにできる道具持ってるデすね
ユー [You] の道具、ミー [Me] にちょっと預けるデす
ドンウォーリー [Don't Worry]、悪いようにはしないデす
ベリーナイス [Very Nice] なものにするデすね" — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds) - ↑ "이래 보여도 저는 지금 크라잉 [Crying]……
통곡하고 있습니다
와이 [Why], 왜냐구요？" — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds) - ↑ "돈 워리 [Don't Worry], 해되는 일은 없을 거예요
베리 나이스 [Very Nice]한 것으로 만들어 드리죠
화살 이걸로 오케이 [Okay] 맞죠？" — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds) - ↑ "Mon nom is Big'ornette. Je suis une maman gorneau qui voyage à travers le monde. I am en larmes, comme tu peux le voir... Tu veux savoir why ? J'ai été séparée de mes 100 children pendant qui nous voyagions. Oh, mais you ! Tu pourrais retrouver mes children ?" — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ "Thanks ! Tu es encore plus great qu'il n'y paraît ! Tiens, un small cadeau ! Look ! C'est la carte O'gorneaux. Je sens la présence de mes children. C'est comme ça que j'ai pu la faire !" — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ "弓矢でオッケーでスね？
［ハイ！］
［イイエ！］" — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds) - ↑ "Mon nom être mère Meille. Moi être en larmes, comme toi pouvoir le voir... Toi vouloir savoir pourquoi? Moi avoir perdu tous mes petits pendant mon voyage. Oh, mais toi! Pouvoir-toi retrouver mes petits? Eux devoir être en train de pleurer. Mes pauvres bébés..." — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ "Merci! Toi être encore plus gentil que les apparences! Toi prendre ça, être petit cadeau! Regarder! Ça être carte des meilles. Moi sentir présence des petits à moi. Ça être comment moi l'avoir fait!" — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ "Welch Unglück mir hier widerfuhr?
Mein Fleisch und Blut, die ganze Tour,
verschwunden ist, ganz ohne Spur!
Tausend Tränen muss ich weinen
um meine hundert süßen Kleinen...
O kleiner Mann mit großem Herz,
beende Mama Maimais Schmerz!" — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds) - ↑ "Mein nächstes großes Lebensziel?
Kinder haben... laut und viel!
Wie Mama sein, so gütig, warm!
So hüt ich meinen Maimai-Schwarm!
Wünsch mir Glück, Link!" — Lost Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds) - ↑ "Shono mamma maimai... Shono la mamma di un popolo nomade shempre in viaggio per il mondo. Anche she non shi vede, mamma maimai piange, piange a dirotto! Eh? Mi chiedi perché? Perché durante queshto viaggio shi shono dishpershe 100 delle mie piccoline!" — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ "Mamma maimai" — N/A (A Link Between Worlds, Italian localization)
- ↑ "ミーはマザーマイマイ
世界を旅するマイマイ族のマザーなのデす" — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds) - ↑ "Mon nom is Big'ornette. Je suis une maman gorneau qui voyage à travers le monde." — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 A Link Between Worlds manual, pg. 7
- ↑ "¿Qué quieres de la mamá maimai? Aunque no lo parezca, estoy triste y cabizbaja." — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ "Mama Maimai nennt man mich, und einfach ist mein Leben nicht." — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ "저는 마더 달삐
세계를 여행하는 달삐족의 마다입니다" — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds) - ↑ "Mon nom être mère Meille. Moi être en larmes, comme toi pouvoir le voir..." — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)
- ↑ "Soy la mamá maimai, la mamá de la familia maimai. Somos capaces de viajar entre dimensiones." — Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds)