Marin

Marin is a character from The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. Marin is a human girl who lives with her father, Tarin, in Mabe Village on Koholint Island. She is a good-natured girl who loves to sing and has a strong sense of morality and justice. During the course of the game, Marin and Link apparently develop an attraction to one another, although this is never discussed, nor developed into a relationship.

Marin is one of the first major female roles in the Legend of Zelda series after Princess Zelda. Strangely, some artwork for the game, as well as her trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee depicts and refers to her as a talented harpist. This is never mentioned in the game.

Biography
After having been washed ashore on Koholint Island after a shipwreck, Link awakens in Marin's house in Mabe Village. Confused after the accident, Link mistakes Marin for Zelda. After being told of Koholint Island by Marin and her father Tarin, Link headed out into Koholint Island to retrieve his lost sword. After Link returns to the village, Marin can be found around the statue of the Flying Rooster, where she sings a song known as the "Ballad of the Wind Fish".

Later, Link encounters some trouble east of Animal Village in the shape of a sleeping walrus blocking the way to Yarna Desert. The animals of the village tell Link that the walrus is fond of Marin's singing, so he travels to Mabe Village to find her. He finds a note in her house that she has gone to the beach. Link meets up with her there, and Marin tells him that he was the first person from outside the island she ever met. She also tells Link of her dream of becoming a seagull, and fly away from the island to sing to people in other lands. After hearing about the Walrus, she allows Link to accompany her to Animal Village. During this time, Link can go to many places where the Photographer Mouse will take a snapshot of him and Marin. After waking up the sleeping walrus, she goes back to Animal Village and sings to the animals there. If Link obtains the Ocarina and talks to her, she teaches him the "Ballad of the Wind Fish". Marin seemingly stays in Animal Village until Link finds her stranded on a bridge on top of the Tal Tal Mountain Range. He rescues her by using the Hookshot. Her plan was to go to the Wind Fish's egg and make a wish to the Wind Fish. Before she is able to explain what her wish was, Tarin appears and tells her to come home with him.

After Link gathers all the eight Instruments of the Sirens, he plays the "Ballad of the Wind Fish", opening the egg of the Wind Fish. Inside, Link encounters and defeats the Nightmare Dethl. After the battle, the Owl appears and brings Link before the Wind Fish, now free. For one last time, Link plays the "Ballad of the Wind Fish", awakening the Wind Fish. As all of Koholint was but a dream of the Wind Fish, the land and all of its people disappear. However, in a secret reward ending, if a player completes the game without losing a life, Marin, with wings, appears on the "The End" screen after the player waits a short while. In the DX version, this is altered. Instead, a portrait of Marin shows up, then dissolves to reveal a seagull behind it. This implies that her wish to become a seagull to sing and bring joy to others was granted.

Character inspiration
Due to the fact that Marin loves to sing, and that her father has a name similar to hers, as well as a slight physical resemblance, it is possible that Marin inspired the characters Malon and her father Talon in the later game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Her love of seagulls may also have inspired Link's sister Aryll from ''The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.