Tower of Hera

The Tower of Hera,^{(ALttP | ALBW)}^[1] also known as the Mountain Tower,^(ALttP)^[2] is a recurring Dungeon in The Legend of Zelda series.

Overview[]

A Link to the Past[]

Entrance to the Tower[]

The Tower is located at the top of Death Mountain. In order to climb Death Mountain, and thus gain access to the Tower, Link must use the Power Glove previously obtained from the Desert Palace. In A Link to the Past, Link must also make a brief trip into Dark World and escape using the Magic Mirror he obtained from the Lost Old Man in order to get to the other side of Spectacle Rock, where the tower is located, it is also the last of the Light World dungeons Link must complete. In A Link Between Worlds, the tower is still located on the summit of Death Mountain, however, the Hammer is required to enter the dungeon and to navigate the puzzles inside, and is interchangeably the second or third dungeon with the House of Gales.

Themes and Navigation[]

The dungeon has many more floors than the previous dungeons encountered in the game, and features a number of new enemies, the most prominent of which are the Hardhat Beetles, strong enemies that are most effectively defeated by knocking down the many pitfalls found throughout the journey to the top of the tower. These pitfalls make their debut in the series here, allowing Link to drop from one floor to a lower one without taking damage, though in its initial appearance this results in him losing progress instead. In the same game, their positions will change when certain star-shaped switches are walked on, and utilizing these pits and their changing locations is the only way to obtain the elusive Moon Pearl. Unlike the previous two dungeons, the treasure in the Big Chest is not vital to the completion of the dungeon. Crystal Switches debut in this dungeon in both of its appearances, which in its original form was first appearance for these objects in the series, and the raising and lowering of the orange/red and blue blocks in conjunction with the placement of the pits is key to progressing through the tower, and accessing Jars in the room prior to the boss. The boss is Moldorm, which is fought atop a perch surrounded by holes. In A Link to the Past, should Link fall into a hole, he will find himself on the previous floor, and he will have to begin the battle again in. In A Link Between Worlds, there is no such penalty, and there are hearts for Link to use to heal his injuries, though many Blade Traps below the battlefield can damage him if he falls down the center. After defeating this boss, Link receives a Heart Container and the Pendant of Wisdom in A Link to the Past and the Pendant of Power in A Link Between Worlds.

It is also the last of the three "Sanctuary" dungeons that contains the Pendants of Virtue. The Dark World equivalent to this tower is Ganon's Tower, which is also the penultimate location in that world.

Enemies and Traps[]

A Link Between Worlds[]

Entrance to the Dungeon[]

As with many dungeons in the game, the Tower of Hera is not given a certain "set" number. It can be accessed after completing the Eastern Palace, which means it is either the second or third dungeon Link must complete, before or after the House of Gales. The Tower of Hera is located after getting through Death Mountain, in the northeast of Hyrule.

Themes and Navigation[]

The Tower of Hera has many puzzles involving the Hammer, and includes some switch puzzles. Some also involve Link merging into walls to get to unreachable places. As with its appearance in A Link to the Past, there is extensive use of red and blue barriers that are raised or lowered by switches, with the blue barriers up while the reds are down and vice versa. As in A Link to the Past, at the top of the tower, Link gets the Boss Key to exit the tower and climb up to fight Moldorm.

The Compass can be found in the center of the first floor; it is on a platform that Link can reach by launching himself onto the second floor and then dropping back down in the center opening. The Big Key is on the eastern side of the eleventh floor; Link must launch himself off of a moving platform to reach the chest.

Enemies and Traps[]

Non-canon Appearances[]

Non-Canon Information

A Link to the Past (Ishinomori)[]

Tower of Hera (comic) — The Tower of Hera in the comic

In the A Link to the Past comic by Shotaro Ishinomori, Link finds himself in front of the Tower of Hera after waking up from a dream he shared with Princess Zelda.^[3] Link enters the Tower of Hera and climbs to the top to battle a Moldorm, who this time has an appearance of a giant spider. After Sahasrahla informs Link that the Pendant of Wisdom is in the creature's eyes, Link seizes the pendant by pulling it out with his arm.^[4] Upon grabbing the pendant, his arm, previously wounded is instantly healed,^[5] and the young hero uses the spider to ride down the tower, defeating Moldorm.

Trivia[]

The Tower of Flames from Four Swords Adventures has a very similar structure and design to the Tower of Hera. The boss of the Tower of Flames is three Dodongos, similar monsters to the Kodongos that appear in the Mountain Tower.
Footage of the Tower of Hera dungeon was used during the The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony during the Selected Shorts Suite when the Sanctuary Dungeon music is played.
The Mountain Tower is said to be the place where the Seven Sages sealed Ganon in the Sacred Realm. This is why its Dark World counterpart is Ganon’s Tower.^{[citation needed]}

Nomenclature[]

The Tower of Hera may be named after the famous ancient Greek Goddess, Hera. Hera was the wife of Zeus, the King of the Gods, and is rumored that she lived in a beautiful tower or palace, built on the top of Mount Olympus, the tallest mountain in Greece.

Names in other regions
Language		Name	Meaning
	Japanese	ヘラの塔 (Hera no Tō) ^{(ALttP \| ALBW)}^[6]^[7]	Same as English.
	French^CA	Tour d'Héra ^(ALBW)^[8]
	French^EU	Tour d'Héra ^(ALBW)^[9]
	German	Heras Turm ^(ALBW)^[10]
	Italian	Torre di Hera ^(ALBW)^[11]
	Korean	헤라의 탑 (Helaui Tab) ^(ALBW)^[12]	Tower of Hera
	Spanish^EU	Torre de Hera ^(ALBW)^[13]
	Spanish^LA	Torre de Hera ^(ALBW)^[14]
This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

Gallery[]

Link looking at the Tower of Hera from Art & Artifacts
Link merging into a moving block from A Link Between Worlds
Being sprung up by a mole from A Link Between Worlds
Exterior of the Tower of Hera from A Link Between Worlds

References

↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 147 ^(ALttP) & 158 ^(ALBW)
↑ "MOUNTAIN TOWER" — Quest History (A Link to the Past)
↑ "That was a strange dream! But my arm! Who did this?! [...] The Tower of Hera!" (A Link to the Past manga, VIZ Media, pg. 10)
↑ "Link... The pendant is the third eye..." (A Link to the Past manga, VIZ Media, pg. 12)
↑ "My arm! It's back to normal!" (A Link to the Past manga, VIZ Media, pg. 13)
↑ A Link to the Past manual, pg. 2, 3 Nintendo Official Guidebook—The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Vol. 1, Shogakukan, pg. 3
↑ "残り二つの証は風の館とヘラの塔に
それぞれ安置されておるはず" — Sahasrahla (A Link Between Worlds)
↑ "Les daux autres pendentifs devraient se trouver dans la maison des Bourrasques et dans la tour d'Héra." — Sahasrahla (A Link Between Worlds)
↑ "Les daux autres pendentifs devraient se trouver dans la demeure des vents et dans la tour d'Héra." — Sahasrahla (A Link Between Worlds)
↑ "Die verbleibenden zwei Amulette werden im Haus des Windes und in Heras Turm aufbewahrt." — Sahasrahla (A Link Between Worlds)
↑ "Gli altri due amuleti dovrebbero essere custoditi nel Palazzo del Vento e nella Torre di Hera." — Sahasrahla (A Link Between Worlds)
↑ "남은 두 개의 문장은 바람의 관과 헤라의 탑에
각각 안치되어 있을 것이다" — Sahasrahla (A Link Between Worlds)
↑ "Los otros dos colgantes están custodiados en la Mansión de los Vientos y en la Torre de Hera." — Sahasrahla (A Link Between Worlds)
↑ "Los otros dos colgantes están custodiados en la Mansión de la Tempestad y en la Torre de Hera." — Sahasrahla (A Link Between Worlds)