Mothula

From Zelda Wiki, the Zelda encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Mothula is a recurring Enemy in The Legend of Zelda series.[3][4] It made its first appearance in A Link to the Past as the Boss of the Skull Woods. It would later take on a smaller role as a Sub-Boss, and afterwards as a common Enemy.

Appearances and Strategy

A Link to the Past

In A Link to the Past, Mothula is the Boss of Skull Woods, the third dungeon of the Dark World.

Mothula resides in a room with a moving mechanical floor, which is surrounded by Blade Traps. Once the fight begins, the floor starts moving. The Blade Traps also begin to slide across the floor, causing damage if they come in contact with Link. Mothula attacks by flying around and spewing a series of three energy beams at Link at regular intervals.

The most effective methods of attack are the Master Sword and Tempered Sword, which can finish the fight before Mothula gets any chances to attack. Mothula is also vulnerable to the Fire Rod, although it drains Magic Power quickly. For this reason it helps to upgrade the Magic Meter before fighting Mothula.

Mothula is the only Boss that can be hurt by Bees and Golden Bees.

Palace of the Four Sword

Mothula2.gif

Mothula is fought again in the Palace of the Four Sword in the Game Boy Advance version of the game. Although the battle arena is now more lenient, the boss itself is not. Mothula multiplies itself by three, but the extra replicas are defeated after the first hit when they get attacked by Link. Each defeated replica splits into four Bees that chase Link for a short time. The surviving replicas attack Link with single shots of energy beam, which suggests that the boss's power is divided when it splits. When the two fake replicas are defeated, the true one multiplies itself by three once more. After Link depletes the true Mothula's life energy, any remaining clone automatically disappear.

Oracle of Seasons

In Oracle of Seasons, Mothula guards the Bright Sun in the Poison Moth's Lair.[5] It fights by circling around the room and spitting fire at Link. It also releases Moths from time to time to defend itself. After a short period of time, it settles on one of the two platforms in the middle of the room, leaving itself open for attack. The Roc's Feather can be used to jump across the two platforms and dodge attacks. If Link falls through the gap in the floor, any damage Mothula sustained is undone and Link must restart the battle.

The Wind Waker

Tingle's Commentshide ▲
Winged Mothula
Tingle says:

Aha! I see a Mothula! Fan him with the Deku Leaf and knock him from the air!

show more...
Winged Mothula, after Link obtains the Boomerang

Oh no! A Mothula!

Clip its wings with your Boomerang!

Wingless Mothula

Whoa! It's Mothula! It produces Morths, so be careful!

Oh, and you might be able to go up here.

Later [when?]

Waaaa!!! Mothula!

Tingle hates doing this fighting stuff!

Let's run!

In The Wind Waker, Mothula appear in various caves and dungeons in two varieties: winged and wingless. Both attack by biting Link and occasionally release Morths to slow his movement, however the winged variety will also attempt to jet at Link like a rocket while the wingless variety is much faster and more aggressive. The wingless Mothula can be killed in one hit with a Parry attack, while winged Mothula take a few more hits with Parries. Those with wings can have them clipped off with the Boomerang, Hookshot, or Arrows. Fire and Ice Arrows can clip their wings in one shot.

A larger winged Mothula appears in the Forbidden Woods as a Miniboss. As Link does not have any of the aforementioned equipment at the time, it must be stunned with the Deku Leaf and attacked with the Sword. After it loses all its wings, a few more Sword strikes will finish it off and Link will earn the Boomerang.

Spirit Tracks

A Mothula appears as a mini-boss in Spirit Tracks inside the Forest Temple. It attacks Link by launching Bubbles at him. Link must use the Whirlwind to launch the Bubbles back and stun it, allowing him to attack. If Link tries to attack them while they are not stunned, they disappear and reappear in another place. If Link blows the Whirlwind at them, they return the attack at him, stunning him. Two other Mothulas can be fought in the Take 'Em All On! mini-game at Castle Town. Although they resemble their The Wind Waker incarnation, they are far smaller. One Arrow shot can defeat them instantly.

Other Appearances

A Link to the Past (Cagiva)



A Link to the Past (Himekawa)

In the A Link to the Past manga by Akira Himekawa, Mothula was originally a resident of the Light World who was transformed upon arriving in the Dark World. She specifically went there to become more beautiful than another woman she was jealous of, and was transformed due to her envy.[2]

Trivia

  • The English and German names for Mothula may have been derived from Mothra, a recurring moth kaiju in the Godzilla franchise.

Nomenclature

ZW Nomenclature Asset.png Names in Other Regions ZW Nomenclature Asset 2.png
LanguageNamesMeanings
Japan
Japanese
ガモース (Gamōsu) (ALttP | TWW)[9][10] 
The French Republic
FrenchEU
Mite (TWW)[12] 
The Federal Republic of Germany
German
Mothula (TWW)[11]
The Italian Republic
Italian
Tarmantula (ALttP | OoS | TWW)[6][7][8]Portmanteau of tarma (moth) and tarantula or Aracnula (Skulltula)
The Kingdom of Spain
SpanishEU
Polillántula (TWW)[13] 
This table was generated using translation pages.
To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

Gallery

References

  1. Official The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons & Ages Perfect Guide, Versus Books, pg. 28 (OoS)
  2. 2.0 2.1 "She was once a girl, beautiful like a butterfly and fawned over by many suitors. Her jealousy of a prettier girl turned her into a moth." (A Link to the Past manga, VIZ Media, pg. 335)
  3. Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 194 (ALttP | OoS | TWW | TWWHD | ST)
  4. "Next they arrived at Skull Woods, where the talkative trees called out... "Mothula. It's Mothula."" (A Link to the Past manga, VIZ Media, pg. 335)
  5. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages—The Official Nintendo Player's Guide, Nintendo of America, pg. 27
  6. "Tarmantula" — Credits (A Link to the Past, Italian localization)
  7. Enciclopedia di Hyrule, Magazzini Salani, pg. 194
  8. "Tarmantula
    Habitat: Arcipelago dei Boschi.
    Vulnerabile: alla Foglia Deku, alle armi da lancio.
    " — Nintendo Gallery (The Wind Waker)
  9. Nintendo Official Guidebook: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Vol. 2, Shogakukan, pg. 147
  10. "ガモース
    生息場所 禁断の森
    有効武器 デクの葉、飛び道具
    " — Nintendo Gallery (The Wind Waker)
  11. "Mothula
    Heimat: Der Verbotene Hain
    Wirksame Waffe: Deku-Blatt, Schuss- und Bogenwaffen
    " — Nintendo Gallery (The Wind Waker)
  12. "Mite
    Lieu de Résidence: Bois Défendus.
    Armes efficaces: Feuille Mojo, armes de jet.
    " — Nintendo Gallery (The Wind Waker)
  13. "Polillántula
    Hábitat: Bosque Prohibido
    Armas efectivas: Hoja Deku, arrojadizas
    " — Nintendo Gallery (The Wind Waker)