Great Fairy

Great Fairies are recurring characters in the Legend of Zelda series. Great Fairies are highly powerful Fairies commonly found residing within well-hidden fountains. They can provide Link with powerful items, as well as enhanced health and magic. They are the closest thing to leaders of the race of Fairies, and are commonly depicted as being distinctly humanoid in appearance.

The Legend of Zelda
Great Fairies look identical to the fairies that randomly appear when an enemy is defeated. They fully heal Link every time he visits a Fairy Pond when his health is depleted.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
There are several Great Fairies that fully restore Link's health as well as three Great Fairies that have special effects in this game; one behind the waterfall near Zora's Domain, one on an island in the middle of Lake Hylia, and one behind a wall outside the Pyramid. They enhance certain items thrown into the pool situated in their respective rooms, or after throwing in Rupees, and are depicted as floating young women with Fairy wings and green clothing.

The waterfall Fairy grants a shield upgrade to block fireballs, a Magical Boomerang that travels further than the first Boomerang, and Green Potion refills for any empty Bottles thrown in. The island Fairy, Venus, lets Link carry more Arrows and Bombs, after throwing in Rupees. Unlike the other two Great Fairies, this fairy wears a green dress gown, and is even identified by the name Venus, Queen of the Fairies, during the game's epilogue sequence.

Finally, the Great Fairy trapped inside the Pyramid gives Link the Golden Sword for throwing in the Tempered Sword, the Silver Arrows for the regular Arrows (which are needed in order to kill Ganon), and Green Potion refills for any empty bottles thrown in. This Great Fairy is notably obese, and explains that this is a side-effect of Ganon's magic.

It should also be noted that if Link does not obtain the Tempered Sword before speaking to the Great Fairy behind the wall of the Pyramid, she will grant him the Tempered Sword, which can then be taken to the Dwarven Swordsmiths in Kakariko Village to forge the Golden Sword, provided that the trapped smith has been rescued from the Dark World and rejoined with his brother in the Light World.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Great Fairies restore Link's health when visited, similarly to the Great Fairies from The Legend of Zelda. In the DX version, the Fairy Queen resides at the end of the hidden Color Dungeon and gives Link either the magical Red or Blue Clothes, which boosts his attack or defense power, respectively. Link can return here at any time to switch the tunic he currently wears.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Six Great Fairies can be found in total. These Fairies can be put into two "categories"; three are the Great Fairies of Power, Wisdom, and Courage and the other three are Great Fairies of Magic. The members of the first group of fairies are found at the Death Mountain Summit, inside the Death Mountain Crater, and near Ganon's Castle. The second group of fairies are found near Hyrule Castle, in Zora's Fountain, and near the Desert Colossus. Interestingly, the locations of the Great Fairy of Magic near Hyrule Castle and the Great Fairy of Courage near Ganon's Castle are found at the exact same geographical location in the two periods of time visited in the game.

When Link has entered a Great Fairy Fountain, he must play "Zelda's Lullaby" when standing upon a Triforce crest to actually summon a Great Fairy. The Great Fairies of Power, Wisdom and Courage provide Link with, respectively, magic power, a magic power upgrade that doubles the length of Link's Magic Bar, and Enhanced Defense (indicated by a heavier outline around the Heart Container in the heads-up display). The Great Fairies of Magic provide Link with the magic spells Din's Fire, Farore's Wind, and Nayru's Love, respectively. Furthermore, they will also fully heal Link and restore his magic power upon subsequent visits to their fountains.

Unlike the Great Fairies of A Link to the Past these ethereal women have a much more garish appearance. They are barely garbed, covered only in leaves and vines, have long, colorful hair tied back into flowing sections, and thickly-applied vibrant color eyeshadow.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
There are five Great Fairies found throughout Termina; however, they have been shattered into smaller Stray Fairies by the Skull Kid. One is in Clock Town, where, at the start of the game, Link has to return the single Stray Fairy to the fountain. There, he receives magic power. If Link again returns the Stray Fairy, after being transformed back into a human, he will be granted the Great Fairy's Mask. There is also one Great Fairy in each of the four major areas: Woodfall, Snowhead, Great Bay, and Stone Tower.

These fairies are called the Great Fairies of Magic, Power, Wisdom, Courage, and Kindness, respectively. After collecting all fifteen Stray Fairies from each of the temples, a new power or item is bestowed upon Link. They are, respectively: upgraded Magic Spin Attack, double magic power, Enhanced Defense, and the Great Fairy's Sword.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
Great Fairies, similar in appearance and function to the Great Fairies found in Link's Awakening, appear at select locations. If Link is wounded, they will restore his health.

The Great Fairy that resides on an island west of the Labrynna library is called the Fairy Queen. The Fairy Queen was turned into an Octorok by Veran in the past, and Link needs to find Fairy Powder to cure her, so she can cleanse the poisoned sea.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
Three Great Fairies exist in the game: the Great Fairy of Forest, Great Fairy of Ice, Great Fairy of Flame. They appear at the end of each level and give Link a Silver Key, Golden Key, or a Hero's Key, depending on how many rupees were collected in the level.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
There are six fairy islands located on the Great Sea. They are: Northern Fairy Island, Southern Fairy Island, Eastern Fairy Island, Western Fairy Island, Thorned Fairy Island, and the Mother & Child Isles. Great Fairies can also be found in the Forest of Fairies on Outset Island, on Two-Eye Reef, and inside mini-bosses in the ocean. The upgrades obtained from each island are, respectively: Wallet upgrade, Bomb Bag upgrade, another Bomb Bag upgrade, a Quiver upgrade, another Giant Quiver upgrade, Fire and Ice Arrows, another Wallet upgrade, and doubled magic power.

In this game, Great Fairies are large, floating, four-armed women with dark skin, no pupils, and skirts that spiral away into nothing, which may or may not be hiding legs.

There is a Queen of Fairies in the Mother & Child Island, who has the appearance and size of a human child. However, her skin is color-shifting, and she has no irises or pupils. She is shown holding a doll that resembles the other Great Fairies found in the game. Also the Great Fairy on Outset Island, dubbed the Fortune Goddess, is stated to have been present during the time of the "legendary hero".

Figurines of the Great Fairies and Queen of Fairies can only be acquired by purchasing their pictographs from Lenzo on Windfall Island, as they only appear in cut-scenes, and thus their pictures cannot be taken otherwise. Their descriptions in the Nintendo Gallery state that they were born on the Angular Isles, the strange man-made islands in the south seas.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
Great Fairies upgrade one of Link's current weaponry to Lvl. 2 items. They resemble the Great Fairies from The Wind Waker.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
There are a total of three Great Fairies, who are known as the Great Butterfly Fairy, Great Mayfly Fairy, and the Great Dragonfly Fairy. They bear striking resemblance to the Great Fairies from Four Swords.

The Great Butterfly Fairy resides within a tree in the northwestern corner of the Minish Woods, though it is only accessible from the western portion of the Eastern Hills by using the Cane of Pacci. Her fountain can be accessed only if Link has completed the correct Kinstone fusion. She will give him the Big Wallet, which allows him to carry 500 Rupees (unless he has already found a different Big Wallet by this point in the game).

The Great Mayfly Fairy lives in a cave on a ledge, on the eastern side of the Crenel Wall at Mount Crenel. She will present Link with the Big Bomb Bag, an upgrade that permits him to carry 40 Bombs.

The Great Dragonfly Fairy dwells in a cave in the Royal Valley. Her gift to Link is the Large Quiver, which allows him to carry more arrows.

The three Great Fairies all look extremely similar, and greatly resemble the Great Fairies in Four Swords. Each one is also seen in the course of the game in the form of one of the figurines which can be purchased from Carlov in exchange for Mysterious Shells.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
One Great Fairy appears inside the multi-level enemy gauntlet known as the Cave of Ordeals. In this incarnation, the Great Fairy resembles a young woman with long, green hair and pointed ears. She wears no clothing save for a small cloth that is tied around her waist as a skirt; her breasts are covered by the lengths of her hair. She grants Link access to a mystical substance known as Great Fairy's Tears if he survives the cave and reach her at the end.

Additionally, for every ten floors completed, she releases normal fairies to each of the Spirit's Springs located across Hyrule. It should be noted that this is the first instance in a three-dimensional Zelda game in which the Great Fairy doesn't upgrade any of Link's items or attributes. The Great Fairy's most common form is a sparkling cloud of green mist and smoke, and she appears in this form at the Spirit Springs, as well as in the Cave of Ordeals when Link is not talking to her.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
A Great Fairy from The Wind Waker is featured as a sticker. The sticker gives a +21 bonus to magic attacks. Like all other stickers that grant bonuses to magic attacks, it can only be applied to Zelda and Peach.