Lost Woods

The Lost Woods is a mysterious, forested region of Hyrule which has shown up time and time again on Link's various adventures. It is part of the larger forested region, known in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess as parts of Faron Province and Ordon Province; in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, this larger area has no name, but Kokiri Forest is the other prominant feature of the forest.

The Lost Woods is considered to be a dangerous place; Kokiri who wander off into it are said to remain trapped there forever, eventually becoming Skull Kids. (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) Additionally, thieves wander the woods, looking to steal whatever they can from their victims. (The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past)

One of the woods' most dangerous features is its ability to get unwitting explorers lost within its depths. In every Zelda game, navigating the maze is somehow extremely confusing; anyone wishing to pass through must be properly prepared, and have their wits about them. See 'Correct Path technique' below.

The lost woods does change over the years; it has known many inhabitants and features. It is known as one resting place for The Master Sword; It also contains certain ancient dungeons and structures, such as the Forest Temple.

In some games, such as Twilight Princess, an area appears which seems to be the Lost Woods, but due to the local Hyrule culture and language changing around it, the name may have changed. In Twilight Princess, this area is known as the Sacred Grove; There is, as of yet, no proof that this is the same as the lost woods, but there is significant evidence. See the 'Twilight Princess' section of this article for more. There may also be other examples of this ocurring.

'Correct Path' technique
Some Zelda games (The Legend of Zelda, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) use the clever ability to get hopelessly lost without the knowledge of a secret; a certain pattern of directions (north, east, south, etc.) is required in order for Link to pass through the Lost Woods. Taking the wrong path will either take him out of the main entry point of the maze (Ocarina of Time), or just make him return to the screen he was on a moment before (The Legend of Zelda, Oracle of Seasons). In Ocarina of Time, the owl states that Link must to follow the music, Saria's Song. If Link is facing a path where the music is louder, then that is the correct path to follow. In Ocarina of Time, another easy method can be used. When the path hinders the player's progress, there is a small pentagonal white ring inside, when this is absent in the correct paths.

This "correct path" technique was also used in some dungeons(Oracle of Seasons, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening), where Link couldn't reach a certain room unless he knew the pattern to get there. In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, it is shown that there is a portal to Termina deep in the woods. In The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, the pattern is observing the different tunnels in the current clearing: if there are occasional flashes of light coming from one of them, then that is the correct path to follow to find and defeat the Skull Kid, whose lantern is the source of the light.

The Legend of Zelda
In the original game, the Lost Woods is one of two places in the game (the other being the Lost Hills) where a specific pattern must be walked in order to avoid being trapped. Moving in any direction will result in the exact same screen loading over and over; however, if Link moves east, he will escape the Lost Woods. Moving north, west, south, then west again will bring him to the graveyard.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and BS Zelda: Kodai no Sekiban
The Lost Woods is located in the northwestern section of Hyrule, directly north of Kakariko Village. It is a magical wood and the hiding place of the Master Sword (though, in Link to the Past, several fakes were scattered throughout the forest). The dark shadows of the trees are also good growing conditions for mushrooms...

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
The Lost Woods is the location of the Noble Sword. Similar to the Lost Woods in The Legend of Zelda, the Lost Woods include a repeating screen in which Link must travel in each direction in the correct order while also using the Rod of Seasons to manipulate nature in order to pass.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time


The Lost Woods lies directly to the north of Kokiri Forest and is inhabited by Skullkids. It is a maze of trees that can be navigated by following the sound of Saria's Song. Taking a wrong path leads back to the entrance in Kokiri Forest. Portals to Goron City and Zora's Domain are hidden within the Lost Woods. Also in the woods is a shooting challenge where players can win bullet bag upgrades. The area is also home to a few Business Scrubs. There are also a few locations where Link can play songs with the Skullkids to win heart pieces. Located in the northern portion of the woods is the Sacred Forest Meadow. This is the favorite haunt of Saria, Link's friend and the Forest Sage. It is also where the Forest Temple is hidden.

According to local folklore, anyone who isn't in possesion of a fairy who enters the forest will turn into a Stalfos (if a Hylian) and a Skullkid (if a Kokiri). In the Ocarina of Time manga, it tells of how the forest tricks human hearts into wandering the same paths over and over, and if the poor soul loses the sight of the exit, he or she will never return again. There is also talk of a Bagu tree, the rival to the Deku Tree, for whom the Skullkid works, but this is unofficial.



The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
The game begins in the Lost Woods. Here Link meets the Skull Kid before traveling to Termina.

The equivalent of the Lost Woods in the alternate universe Termina is the Woods of Mystery.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The Sacred Grove in this game is believed by many to be part of the Lost Woods. Though this has never been officially stated, they carry identical music themes, and both woods are roamed by the Skullkids. It is not seen until approximately halfway through the game. Like in Majora's Mask, Link meets the Skull Kid, who summons wooden puppets to hinder him. It is here that the Master Sword is located as well as the ruins of the Temple of Time.

Additionally, it is easy to become lost in the Sacred Grove. Unlike other Zelda games, this area doesn't use the "correct path technique"; but instead, Link's map of the area is disabled, and the forest is large and complex. Something similar to the correct path technique is used during the sequence where Link persues the Skull Kid, but if he takes the wrong path he isn't returned to the beginning; instead, he simply loses track of the skull kid.

Link's Crossbow Training
One stage of Link's Crossbow Training is set in the Sacred Grove of Twilight Princess; as stated above, this is believed to be a portion of the Lost Woods. In this stage, Link must once more face the Skull Kid, who summons his wooden puppets to attack Link, just like in Twilight Princess. They move around quickly, and are hard to hit. Hitting the Skull Kid himself gives Link temporary rapid fire.

Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland
In the First Continent of Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, there is a land known as the Deku Forest. This forest may be composed of both the Lost Woods and Kokiri Forest; it has elements of both. However, it is said that it's easy to get lost in the forest, and indeed the Correct Path Technique (see above section) is used in the section of the woods known as the Forest Maze. However, in this game, the Great Deku Tree is the protector of all the forest, including the areas that most resemble the Lost Woods.

Additionally, the forest's greatest hero is known as Junglo, although by the time Tingle enters the forest, Junglo is an old man who's capable of very little.