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Template:Enemy A Poe is a spirit of concentrated hatred that freely roams graveyards and other haunted locales about Hyrule. They always carry some sort of lantern with them that serves as the container for that specific Poe's soul.

Appearances

A Link to the Past

Poes originally appeared in A Link to the Past, filling the role Ghinis served in the first game. The original Poe behaved nearly identical to its predecessor, flying sporadically around gravesites and appearing from beneath disturbed tombstones. They also had unusually high endurance and health for a simple enemy. It is very similar to the Dark World ghost Hyu in both behavior and appearance.

Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask

In Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, Poes take on the appearance of hooded wraiths with glowing eyes, faces shrouded under their oversized cloaks. Their distinctive lanterns immediately identify them, even from a distance, and the Poe itself comes into view as Link approaches. Targeting Poes in these games will cause them to become temporarily invisible, although they will reappear in even, and predictable intervals. Their lanterns remain visible when they vanish allowing Link to at least dodge and keep track of the invulnerable enemy until it reappears. When a Poe is defeated, its physical body disappears, and the lantern it was holding drops and breaks, revealing its spirit. The Poe Spirit is a purple-flamed face that glows with melancholy, disappearing after a short while of inactivity. A second kind of Poe appears in Hyrule Field. These poes have Y shaped head and don't disappear when Z targeted. They instead fly in circles around Link dropping flames and trying to stay just out of reach, requiring a charged spin attack or ranged weaponry to defeat. They share spawn points with the big poes and appear when on foot.

Before it disappears, Link can put the Spirit in a bottle,[1] which is primarily used to sell for Rupees. Drinking it will usually recover health, but it can also damage Link as well.

Location

In Ocarina of Time, Poes are predominately found in Kakariko Graveyard and in Majora's Mask, they are found in the Stone Tower Temple. There are also ten Big Poes in Ocarina of Time that are scattered throughout Hyrule Field when Link is an adult. Big Poes can be easily hunted down on Epona and killed using the Bow from horseback. The second type of normal poes appear instead if on foot. Once killed, their Big Poe spirits could be collected and sold to the Poe Collector in the gatehouse of Hyrule Castle Town; capturing and selling of 10 yields Link another Empty Bottle.

Notable Poes

  • The Poe Sisters: there are four Poes known as the Poe Sisters: Joelle,[2] Beth,[3] Amy,[4] and Meg.[5] In Ocarina of Time, these Poes are the sub-bosses of the Forest Temple. They stole the four differently colored flames necessary to fight Phantom Ganon, and Link must defeat them in four separate battles to relight the torches. They are fought as a mini-game in Majora's Mask as well.
  • Big Poe: in Ocarina of Time, ten of these ghostly creatures haunt Hyrule Field. They only appear while on horseback. When Link spots one, it will run away[11] so he must quickly defeat it with arrows. After being defeated, they can be bottled and sold to the Poe Collector. Capturing and selling all ten of them will earn Link another empty bottle.[12] In Majora's Mask, defeating the Big Poe at Ikana Graveyard earns Link an empty bottle, and defeating the one inside the Ikana Well allows him to give its captured soul to a Gibdo to proceed.

Oracle of Ages

In Template:OOA, a lone Poe appears inside a fenced tomb in Yoll Graveyard. On his way to the Spirit's Grave, Link overhears a group of young boys speaking in fear of the ghost.[13] With the Power Bracelet obtained in the dungeon nearby, Link can lift the rock blocking the entrance to the tomb and investigate for himself. The young hero discovers that the Poe is harmless and that it simply wishes to have its headstone moved, as its actual self is trapped within the grave.[14] With the Power Bracelet, Link is able to accord him the favor, allowing the Poe to move on to the afterlife.[15] As thanks, the Poe gives the young hero its clock, which is the first item in the Oracle of Ages Trading Sequence.[16]

The Wind Waker

In The Wind Waker, Poes have a different appearance, masked with multicolored bodies. They harass Link by burning him with their lamps. They can also jump into Link's body, possessing him, and thereby reversing his movement controls. After the possession is over with, the Poe exits the body and it will disappear, as if it had been defeated. The Poes are now permanently translucent[17] until direct light is shone on them using the Mirror Shield (or Medli's harp, in the Earth Temple)..[18] The Poes will then become solid and run frantically about the room making them vulnerable. They appear in the Earth Temple and also inhabit the Ghost Ship, among other places. It is also said that Jalhalla, the boss of the Earth Temple, rules over all Poes.[19]

Four Swords Adventures

Bigpoe
Main article: Jalhalla

A singular Poe appears as the core form of Jalhalla, king of the Poes. The only way to defeat him is to light four torches that make him vulnerable. He also spawns normal Ghinis.

Twilight Princess

In Twilight Princess, Poes take on a role similar to that of Gold Skulltulas in Ocarina of Time. A man in Castle Town named Jovani was cursed for his greed and had his soul stolen by "Imp Poes," of which there are a total of 60 throughout Hyrule. Imp Poes only come out at night and can only be defeated using Wolf Link's heightened senses.[20] Once a Poe has been damaged, it will fall to the ground and its soul will become visible, which can be ripped out and collected by performing the Ending Blow on it while still in wolf form. Collecting 20 souls will break part of the curse on Jovani,[21] and he will give Link a bottle full of Great Fairy's Tears as thanks. After all 60 souls have been collected, the curse will lift completely, and Jovani's cat Gengle will give Link 200 Rupees every time he enters the room thereafter, similarly to father of the family in the House of Skulltula, granting him a fast and unlimited source of money.

Theory Warning

Of the 60 Poes in Hyrule, the four in the Arbiter's Grounds are of particular interest to theorists. Not only do they look and attack differently from regular Imp Poes, but their role of impeding progress to a certain area of the dungeon by stealing the fire from four torches is markedly similar to the behavior of the four Poe Sisters from the Forest Temple in Ocarina of Time, leading many to believe that they may be the same. This seems to be supported by the last Poe's strategy of duplicating itself and encircling Link, the same strategy used by Meg, the last of the four Poe Sisters.

Phantom Hourglass

The Poes that appear aboard the Ghost Ship have a radically different look in comparison to their earlier counterparts. They resemble puffer fish with purple body markings, having floating tadpoles for arms. They attack by teleporting back and forth, periodically spitting a ball of blue fire at Link during this process. They can only be struck when visible and will actively avoid Link's attacks.

The Cubus Sisters more closely resemble the traditional Poe design, though they have not been confirmed to be Poes.

Etymology

It has been speculated that the name "Poe" was derived from the name of the famous poet Edgar Allan Poe who is known for his dark, gloomy works, though it could have also been named from the Chinese word "po" which means "spirit".

Trivia

  • In Majora's Mask, the ghostly aliens that invade Romani's Ranch bear a resemblance to Poes.
  • In Skyward Sword, the Watchers, patrolling the trials of the Silent Realm, bear a striking resemblance to Poes, even holding lanterns. However, their function is completely different and may merely be meant as a reference by the designers.

Gallery

Template:Refbar

TMC Forest Minish Artwork Names in Other Regions TMC Jabber Nut Sprite
Language Name
Poe Big Poe Imp Poe
Japan Japanese Template:Japanese Template:Japanese Template:Japanese
French-speaking countries French Esprit
Fantôme
Ame
Canada FrenchCA Esprit Triforce piece
Esprit du cimetière Triforce piece
Grand esprit Triforce piece
Federal Republic of Germany German Irrlicht Nachtschwärmer
Italian Republic Italian Spettro
Poo
Kingdom of Spain SpanishEU Espíritu
Poe
Community of Latin American and Caribbean States SpanishLA Poe Triforce piece
Poe del cementerio Triforce piece
Gran poe Triforce piece

Template:GhostEnemy

  1. "You caught a Poe in a bottle! Something good might happen!" — N/A (Ocarina of Time)
  2. "Joelle – one of the Poe Sisters! Aim for her when she appears!" — Navi (Ocarina of Time)
  3. "Beth – one of the Poe Sisters! Aim for her when she appears!" — Navi (Ocarina of Time)
  4. "Amy – one of the Poe Sisters! Aim for her when she appears!" — Navi (Ocarina of Time)
  5. "Meg – one of the Poe Sisters! If she splits into multiple images, you have to figure out which one is the real one." — Navi (Ocarina of Time)
  6. "One with the eye of truth shall be guided to the Spirit Temple by an inviting ghost." — Tablet in the Gerudo Desert (Ocarina of Time)
  7. "Your second trial is... the Phantom Guide!" — Gerudo at the Gate (Ocarina of Time)
  8. "Whenever you are in darkness, that song should bring the sun's light to you." — Flat (Ocarina of Time)
  9. "Like I told you before, with that song, you can turn day to night or night to day whenever you want." — Flat (Ocarina of Time)
  10. "You who do not fear the dead, learn well the song that is inscribed behind me... And if you ever meet my brother, I'd like you to inform him... The thousand years of raindrops summoned by my song are my tears. The thunder that strikes the earth is my anger!" — Flat (Majora's Mask)
  11. "It moves fast despite its size!" — N/A (Ocarina of Time)
  12. "You put a big Poe in a bottle! Let's sell it at the Ghost Shop!" — N/A (Ocarina of Time)
  13. "No way! It's too scary! It's pitch black inside that grave beneath the tree! Besides... It might come out... ...The ghost." — Boy (Oracle of Ages)
  14. "Someone finally came! This headstone blocks my path to the afterlife. I'm actually below here, right? I'd appreciate it if you could help me out." — Poe (Oracle of Ages)
  15. "You must have moved my headstone! That means I can move on to the afterworld. My heart lifts at the thought of it! Thanks!" — Poe (Oracle of Ages)
  16. "You came out! Since I'm moving on, I don't need this anymore. Take it! I hope you can reach the afterworld soon, too!" — Poe (Oracle of Ages)
  17. "These ghostly creatures have no physical form." — Nintendo Gallery (The Wind Waker)
  18. "Shining light on them with the Mirror Shield makes them take form." — Nintendo Gallery (The Wind Waker)
  19. "This gigantic ghost rules over all Poes." — Nintendo Gallery (The Wind Waker)
  20. "Spirits held by the Poes visible to honed senses." — N/A (Twilight Princess)
  21. "Collect 20 or more of them and take them to Jovani." — N/A (Twilight Princess)
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