Old Man


 * This article is about the recurring characters. For the characters from The Adventure of Link, see Wise Men. For the character from A Link to the Past, see Lost Old Man.

Old Men are recurring characters in the Legend of Zelda series. They have different purposes in the various games in which they appear and may both help Link in his quest and hinder his progress. It is unknown why they do so as their motives are a mystery.

The Legend of Zelda
The Old Man is a bald character with a white beard and is dressed in a red gown. He is usually found in dungeons or inside caves, most commonly standing between two magic flames he controls. When he is found inside a dungeon, attacking the Old Man results in fireballs shooting from the flames. The Old Man is used for several things in the game, ranging from giving Link advice on how to move forward in his adventure to providing him with important items. Though very helpful, he is sometimes unpredictable, occasionally gambling with Link for Rupees and even mugging him. This raises the question on what his true motives are. His female counterpart is the Old Woman.

In the ROM Data for The Legend of Zelda he is often referred to as Abei, but this might only refer to the object holding his data.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages & Oracle of Seasons
Old Men are found in various dungeons and caves throughout both games. Dressed in green robes, they act very similar to their The Legend of Zelda counterpart. Old Men found in caves below trees or rocks on the Overworld will either reward Link with Rupees, telling him not to tell anyone, or thank him for paying to fix his door as he takes Rupees from Link. Several Old Men appear in Eyeglass Isle Library searching for a way to cleanse the poisoned Zora Seas.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Although he does not appear in-game, a series of unused sprites for the Old Man were found in the game's data. The sprite is, aside from being monochrome, identical to the one used in the Oracle games.

Game & Watch: Zelda
An old man appears in the top corner of the screen, near the hearts display. He appears to be casting magic but has no effect on the game.

Translation
The Old Man is known for his vague and/or badly translated advice in the original version. It should be noted that nearly all of the game's text was like this, not just the Old Man's quotes. In the version on the Nintendo GameCube promotion disc, the GBA version, and the Virtual Console version, the translation was improved.