Shadow Temple

In the world of the dead, the eyes of the living were easily deceived. Mirages disguised doors that could only be unlocked by keys found in invisible chests. The best partner for anybody foolish enough to venture into the temple was the Lens of Truth, which revealed what the phantoms kept hidden. The Shadow Temple (闇の神殿, Yami no Shinden) is the fourth or fifth major dungeon in the adult-Link portion of Ocarina of Time.

Story
The Shadow Temple was one of the five major temples residing in the land of Hyrule that were built to house five of the Seven Sages. It is generally thought that the Shadow Folk, the Sheikahs, were the builders of the Shadow Temple many years in the past, though it is unknown what purpose it served then. The temple was built near the back of the Kakariko Graveyard in the shadow of Death Mountain and extended several stories beneath the earth, taking on the nickname of the "House of the Dead" due to its eerie reputation as being the dark home of Hyrule's dead. During the Imprisoning War, the Phantom Shadow Beast Bongo Bongo broke free from his prison at the bottom of the Kakariko Well, where he was sealed years before by the village's then-leader, Impa. The Hero of Time was forced to journey into the House of the Dead to awaken the fifth of the Seven Sages, Impa, one of the last of the Sheikah race that constructed the temple. At the bottom of the dark and eerie temple, Link faced Bongo Bongo in combat and destroyed him using the Lens of Truth and the Master Sword. With this, the Shadow Temple was freed of the evil that had bound it, and Impa was awakened as the Sage of Shadow, the caretaker of the Shadow Temple.

Dungeon
The Shadow Temple is located on the ledge in the far east side of Kakariko Graveyard and can be accessed only with the help of the Nocturne of Shadow. The Shadow Temple consists of four floors infested with ReDead as well as the the many paintings illustrating spirits which whisper clues and warnings. The temple is described as the house of the dead. It includes many invisible enemies and false walls making a near-continuous use of the Lens of Truth necessary for beginning players. The major prize in the Shadow Temple is the Hover Boots. The Shadow Temple's Sage is Impa and its warp song is the Nocturne of Shadow. The Iron Boots can be used to to get across the fans without being blown backwards. The temple has a prominent theme of the smiling skull or hooded skull. These can be seen in multiple pictures on the wall, and they often whisper warnings or advice that only Navi seems to be able to hear. The temple's design is somewhat different than other temples. Instead of being a standard architectural design, the temple simply goes further and further into the ground, making it the most linear dungeon out of the five major temples, in direct contrast to the Water Temple. Often gallows and whipping posts are depicted in some of the lower chambers, sometimes with spots of blood on the ground below or near them. The dungeon also has a recurring theme of spikes and guillotines.

Sage
Impa

Items

 * Hover Boots
 * Heart Container
 * Shadow Medallion

Enemies

 * ReDead
 * Gibdo
 * Like Like
 * Stalfos
 * Floormaster
 * Wallmaster
 * Keese
 * Fire Keese
 * Beamos

Bosses

 * Dead Hand
 * Bongo Bongo

Trivia

 * In Japanese, Shadow Temple is "Yami no Shinden". In The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, "Yami no Shinden" was translated as Palace of Darkness. Both are bad translations, the true one will be "Temple of Darkness".


 * There seems to be a minor contradiction in the game during indications of whether the Shadow Temple is the fourth or the fifth temple. By looking at the order of the medallions on the Quest Subscreen, it is revealed that the Spirit Temple is intended to be completed before the Shadow Temple. However, story wise, it seems more likely that the Spirit Temple is to be the last major temple. Both temples can be completed in the order the player sees fit, though it is widely accepted that the Shadow Temple is the fourth temple and the Spirit Temple the fifth and last. The need for the Lens of Truth to cross the Haunted Wasteland and find the Spirit Temple also seems to imply that the Shadow Temple is intended to be completed before the Spirit Temple, as the Lens of Truth are acquired in the Shadow Temple section of Link's quest.