Zelda Wiki

Want to contribute to this wiki?
Sign up for an account, and get started!

Come join the Zelda Wiki community Discord server!

READ MORE

Zelda Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Not to be confused with Catfish's Maw, a dungeon in Link's Awakening.

The Catfish is a character in A Link to the Past.[1]

Biography[]

The Catfish has made his home inside the circle of rocks in Lake of Ill Omen, in the Dark World. Near the ring where the Catfish dwells, there is a Sign that says: "Curses to anyone who throws something into my circle of stones".[citation needed] If Link ignores the Sign and follows the advice of the Storytelling Bird in a cave south of the Palace of Darkness by throwing a Skull, a Bush, or the Sign itself into the circle of stones,[2] the great Catfish, who was having a nap, appears and gives him the Quake Medallion in return for leaving it alone.[3]

After that, disturbing it by throwing another item into the ring of stones causes the Catfish to spit a fireball or throw a Bomb out.

Trivia[]

  • The Catfish is the Dark World analog of King Zora. The Lake of Ill Omen is located where, in the Light World, the entrance to Zora's Waterfall is found, and the Catfish resembles a giant Ku as King Zora is a giant Zora.
  • The Japanese name of the Catfish is 大ナマズ (Ōnamazu). In Japanese mythology, Namazu is a gigantic catfish who has the power to cause earthquakes.
  • The Ocean Floor entrance above the surface in Spirit Tracks is also shaped like a giant catfish.

Nomenclature[]

TMC Forest Minish Artwork Names in other regions TMC Jabber Nut Sprite
LanguageNameMeaning
JapanJapanese大ナマズ (Ō Namazu)[4]Big Catfish
FranceFrenchEUPoisson-Chat[5]Catfish
GermanyGermanFischmaul[6]
This table was generated using translation pages.
To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

References

  1. Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 228 (ALttP)
  2. "Ha! Thank you. They say there is a tiny circle of rocks in the lake at the source of the river. I don't know what will happen, but it might be fun to throw something into it..." — Storytelling Bird (A Link to the Past)
  3. "Was it you who disturbed my peaceful nap? I will give this to you if you go away!" — Catfish (A Link to the Past)
  4. Nintendo Official Guidebook—The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Vol. 2 (Shogakukan 2) pg. 136
  5. Encyclopedia (Les Éditions Soleil) pg. 228
  6. Encyclopedia (TOKYOPOP) pg. 228
Advertisement