Zora River
Zora River,(BotW | TotK)[1][2] also known as Zora's River,(OoT | TP | LCT)[3][name references needed] is a recurring location in the The Legend of Zelda series. It is one of the main bodies of water in Hyrule, with its water source being either Zora's Domain or Zora's Fountain.
Features and Overview
Ocarina of Time
In Ocarina of Time, water from the Zora's River flows from Zora's Fountain, which serves as the water source of all Hyrule. While the region known as Zora River consists of a region of the river to the east, the river itself continues throughout Hyrule Field. Eventually, the water of Zora's River reaches Lake Hylia, passing through Gerudo Valley in the process.[4] At the northern section of the river is the Sleepless Waterfall,[5] a seemingly impassable waterfall that protects the entrance to Zora's Domain. Zora's River is accessible either by Hyrule Field or through an underwater portal located in the Lost Woods.
A few bridges are built over the river for easy traversing. Its waters, however, are infested with monsters. On the way to the Sleepless Waterfall is a group of frogs collectively known as the Fabulous Five Froggish Tenors, although they disappear when Link returns to the river seven years later.
Minor Enemies
Twilight Princess
Twilight Princess portrays Zora's River in possibly its largest incarnation thus far. The water from Zora's River comes from the throne room in Zora's Domain. It flows down to a section known as the Upper Zora's River, and from there the water splits into three branches. One branch flows into north Hyrule Field, and the other two wind down through an area known as the Rapids Ride. The latter branches serve as the water source for Lake Hylia, which is where the river ends. However, these parts of the river are not accessible by foot and can only be reached by canoe or by riding a Kargarok. Due to its immense length, the river serves as the location of two mini-games: Iza's Rapid Ride and Fruit Pop Flight Challenge. Going against the rapids involves Fruit Pop Flight Challenge, using a Kargarok for flight. Going downstream involves traversing the Rapid Ride in a kayak (similar to the one used in Lure Fishing).
When Link as a wolf first visits the Lanayru Province while it is covered in Twilight, he finds out that the Zora's River has dried up since Zora's Domain has completely frozen over. As such, Lake Hylia has dried up as well, threatening the lifestyle of the Zora people and impeding them from returning upstream.[6] To get to Zora's Domain, Link has to ride a Shadow Kargarok through the dried-up river. Upon reaching Upper Zora's River, Link will discover that the Zoras' entire domain has frozen over, and it is not until Midna warps a Molten Shard from Death Mountain into the Zoras' throne room that the ice will melt and the water will begin to flow again. Later, he must travel to Upper Zora's River by Shadow Kargarok a second time to defeat the Shadow Insects along the route and obtain their Tears of Light.
Breath of the Wild
In Breath of the Wild, Zora River begins at the southern part of Ruto Lake, and it flows throughout the Lanayru Great Spring through several Waterfalls. Inogo Bridge, Oren Bridge, and Luto's Crossing all cross over Zora River, connecting parts of the road leading to Zora's Domain. At its end, the Zora River empties out into the Lanayru Wetlands.
10,000 years ago, during the Era of Prosperity, Zora's Domain was constructed over the Zora River due to its abundance of fresh Water.[7] However, the Zora River would flood every 10 years due to heavy Rain in Lanayru, which would damage the Domain and wash away the Zora who lived there.[8][9] The king of the Zora reached out to the King of Hyrule for assistance, which resulted in the construction of the East Reservoir Lake.[10]
After Mipha perished during the second Great Calamity, the Zora attempted to send her Lightscale Trident down the Zora River to set her soul to rest.[11] When they did so, however, the Lightscale Trident began to glow, and Mipha's voice could be heard telling them to abandon their grief and focus on remembering her.[12] As a result of this, the Champion Festival is celebrated on the anniversary of the Great Calamity.[13]
Shortly before Link awoke from his Slumber of Restoration, Divine Beast Vah Ruta reactivated in the East Reservoir Lake and began endlessly generating Water.[14] The amount of Rain caused by this has threatened to overflow the East Reservoir Lake, which would flood both the Zora River and the Hylian settlements downstream.[15] Due to King Dorephan's fears, Sidon left Zora's Domain in search of a Hylian to help them face Divine Beast Vah Ruta.[16]
During the "Reach Zora's Domain" Main Quest, Link is tasked with following the Zora River up the path to Zora's Domain.[17] At the same time, Sidon will be swimming up the River, and he will call out to Link from that Water at several points in their journey.[18][19][20]
There are legends that if someone sends a letter down the Zora River from the Bank of Wishes, the person who responds to them will be their true love.[21] Finley has been following this legend by setting her Love Letters adrift in the River, from which she has received replies from Sasan.[22] However, her mother Kodah has forbidden her from doing so due to Divine Beast Vah Ruta's rampage.[23] After the "Divine Beast Vah Ruta" Main Quest has been completed, Finley will ask Link to watch her Love Letter as it floats down the Zora River so she can find out who has been replying to her.[24] Agreeing to do this activates the "Special Delivery" Side Quest. As Link follows the Love Letter down Zora River, he will have to keep it safe from Monsters. It will also get caught along fences or in outcroppings, requiring Link to set it back on its course. After it reaches the end of the Zora River, it will drift towards Sasan's campsite at its mouth.
Many Treasure Chests can be found floating or submerged within the Zora River. In total, these Chests contain one Silver Rupee, one Opal, one Zora Spear, one Silver Bow, five Arrows, 10 Ice Arrows, and one Bomb Arrow. In Master Mode, several wooden platforms carried by Sky Octoroks can be found along the Zora River. These platforms bear Treasure Chests that contain a Silverscale Spear, a Zora Spear, a Zora Sword, a Silver Shield, and a Silver Bow.
Creatures
Minor Enemies
Tears of the Kingdom
Other Appearances
Link's Crossbow Training
Zora's River appears in two stages of Link's Crossbow Training. The first appearance in Level 2 places Link inside a canoe and travels down the same section of the river as Iza's Rapid Ride. The second appearance of the river in Level 4 is specifically seated in the outer waters of Zora's Domain.
Trivia
- Until Link plays "Zelda's Lullaby" at the Sleepless Waterfall in Ocarina of Time, Kaepora Gaebora will constantly reappear near the entrance of Zora's River and instruct him to play the aforementioned song whenever Link moves far away enough to reload him or leaves Zora's River and returns.[25]
- In Twilight Princess, the Rapids Ride part of Zora's River passes through the Eldin Province and under the Bridge of Eldin. Despite this, the map labels it as part of the Lanayru Province.
Nomenclature
 Names in Other Regions  | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Names | Meanings |
 Japanese |
|
|
   ChineseTR | 卓拉河 (Zhuólāhé) (TotK) | |
 ChineseSI |
|
|
 Dutch | Zora-rivier (BotW)[31] | Same as English. |
 FrenchCA | Zora (TotK) | |
 FrenchEU | Zora (TotK) | |
 German |
|
|
 Italian | Fiume Zora (OoT3D | TotK)[26] | Zora River |
 Korean | 조라강 (TotK) | |
 SpanishLA | Río Zora (BotW)[29] | Same as English. |
 SpanishEU | Río Zora (TotK) | |
| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | ||
Gallery
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The Sleepless Waterfall in Zora's River from Ocarina of Time
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An aerial view of Upper Zora's River
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An early screenshot from Twilight Princess showing a river that may have been Zora's River
See Also
References
- ↑ "Zora River" — Map (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Zora River" — Map (Tears of the Kingdom)
- ↑ "Zora's River" — N/A (Ocarina of Time 3D)
- ↑ "All of the water in Hyrule flows from Zora's Fountain. That water flows through Zora's River, which eventually reaches Lake Hylia to the south." — Zora (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "Sleepless Waterfall / The flow of this waterfall serves the King of Hyrule. When the King slumbers, so too do these falls." — N/A (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "At this rate, the lake will most definitely vanish if we don't somehow get water from Zora's Domain upstream..." — Zora (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "The rains have blessed Lanayru since ancient times with an abundance of pure, clean water. Seeking a bounty of such water, the Zora gathered there. Thus, as the legends go, the domain was born 10,000 years ago." — History of the Zora, Part One (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Once every 10 years, the Lanayru region experiences unusually heavy rainfall. The Zora River flooded every time. The tides damages not only our domain but our people, washing away poor souls and causing great suffering and disarray." — History of the Zora, Part Two (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ Creating a Champion, Dark Horse Books, pg. 362
- ↑ "The Zora king of that time, after seeking aid from the king of Hyrule, rode out to see what could be done. By joining the architectural genius of the Zora and Hyrule's technological prowess, East Reservoir Lake was swiftly built. Thanks to this fruitful partnership, Hyrule was no longer plagued by these devastating floods." — History of the Zora, Part Two (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "As a Champion, Mipha made her people proud. However, once the Great Calamity stuck, she was never to return. All of Zora's Domain fell into misery. The merest thought of the princess was enough to overcome anyone with tears. As a way of offering her soul repose, they tried to send the Lightscale Trident drifting down the Zora River." — History of the Zora, Part Four (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "But when they did, the trident began to glow, and Mipha's voice rang loud and clear for all Zora to hear: "The Lightscale Trident and I are one... Abandon your grief and know joy once again. Do not cry...just remember."" — History of the Zora, Part Four (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "And so, keeping to her request, on the day of the Great Calamity...the day that Mipha passed from this world... the Zora venerate the Lightscale Trident and remember their brave princess. Such is the origin of the Champion Fesitval." — History of the Zora, Part Four (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "... Link. Divine Beast Vah Ruta has great power. It has the unique ability to create an endless supply of water. Of late it has been mercilessly spouting water into the air. As a result, this area has been plagued by heavy rains." — King Dorephan (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Sadly, the rains have filled the eastern reservoir nearly to the point of flooding. If the reservoir bursts, as it soon will, I fear immense damage will befall not only Zora's Domain... but also the area downstream from us. There, Hylian lives are in very great danger." — King Dorephan (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "I have been searching for someone like you for a long while. A man like you, Link, who carries himself with power! Right now, Zora's Domain is in grave danger because of the massive rainfall coming from Divine Beast Vah Ruta! Please, promise you will help us! We need your strength, warrior! Won't you please come to Zora's Domain with me?" — Sidon (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Now Zora's Domain will be saved for certain! No time to waste! Hurry up and head over! Because of the rain, the cliffs are too wet to climb. To reach the domain, you will need to go straight along this path." — Sidon (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "HEY! Link!! Sorry for calling out to you from the river! Since I pressured you into coming, I was not sure you would really come through. I am pleased things are going well. Ever since this strange occurrence, there have been a lot of monsters around here. Be careful as you proceed! And hurry! All of my fellow Zora are anxiously awaiting your arrival!" — Sidon (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Hey! Link!! You're almost halfway to Zora's Domain! Oh, by the way, there are a few spots up ahead with lots of enemies...but I'm sure you will be fine! I believe in you, Link!" — Sidon (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Hey! Link!! Look below! Down here! You are still pretty far off, my friend! But I was sure you'd be passing over this bridge, so I have been waiting for you. You will be in Zora's Domain before you know it! In fact, I'm going to head that way too! I shall meet you there!" — Sidon (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "If you send a letter down the River from the Bank of Wishes and get a reply... that person will be yours forever!" — Finley (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "I have a pen pal! When I put a letter in a bottle and send it down Zora River, I always get a reply, without fail. It's so fun and mysterious!" — Finley (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Ugh! I'm so mad at her! I need to go to the Bank of Wishes to send a letter...but Mother won't let me go because of that water monster." — Finley (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "If you're a traveler, that's lucky for me! OH, WOW! If that's the case, I have an important request for you. Once I release it, I'd like you to follow my love letter and get to know whoever picks it up. Once you do that, please report back to me so I can find out what kind of person he is..." — Finley (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Hoo hoo! Looks like you've gotten bigger and stronger already, Link! Just ahead lies Zora's Domain. The Zoras serve Hyrule's Royal Family by protecting this water source. Their door will not open for anyone except those who have some connection with the Royal Family. Let them hear the melody of the Royal Family! Hooo hoo hoooot!" — Kaepora Gaebora (Ocarina of Time 3D)
- ↑ "Fiume Zora - Attenzione alle correnti e ai mulinelli" — Sign (Ocarina of Time 3D, Italian localization)
- ↑ Nintendo Official Guidebook—The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Shogakukan, pg. 155
- ↑ "卓拉河" — N/A (Ocarina of Time, iQue version)
- ↑ "Río Zora" — Map (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Zora-Höhle" — Map (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "Zora-rivier" — Map (Breath of the Wild)