Mothula

Mothula
Winged Mothula artwork from The Wind Waker
Game(s)	A Link to the Past Oracle of Seasons The Wind Waker Spirit Tracks
Dungeon(s)	Skull Woods Poison Moth's Lair Palace of the Four Sword Forbidden Woods Forest Temple
Weakness(es)	Fire Rod Sword Bow Whirlwind

Mothula is a recurring enemy in The Legend of Zelda series.^[1] It made its first appearance in A Link to the Past as the Boss of the Skull Woods. It would later take on a smaller role as a mini-boss, and afterwards as a common enemy.

Tingle's Comment

Mothula (winged)

Aha! I see a Mothula! Fan him with the Deku Leaf and knock him from the air!

(After obtaining the Boomerang)

Oh no! A Mothula!

Clip its wings with your Boomerang!

Tingle's Comment

Mothula (wingless)

Whoa! It's Mothula! It produces Morths, so be careful!

Oh, and you might be able to go up here.

(Later)

Waaaa!!! Mothula!

Tingle hates doing this fighting stuff!

Let's run!

Appearances and Strategy

A Link to the Past

In A Link to the Past, Mothula is the Boss of Skull Woods, the third dungeon of the Dark World.

Mothula resides in a room with a moving mechanical floor, which is surrounded by Blade Traps. Once the fight begins, the floor starts moving. The Blade Traps also begin to slide across the floor, causing damage if they come in contact with Link. Mothula attacks by flying around and spewing a series of three energy beams at Link at regular intervals.

The most effective method of attack is the Fire Rod, although it drains Magic Power quickly. For this reason it helps to upgrade the Magic Meter before fighting Mothula. The Master Sword is as effective as the Fire Rod in dealing damage,^{[verification needed]} although it is harder to hit due to its erratic movement.

Mothula is the only Boss that can be hurt by Bees and Golden Bees.

Palace of the Four Sword

Mothula is fought again in the Palace of the Four Sword in the Game Boy Advance version of the game. Although the battle arena is now more lenient, the boss itself is not. Mothula multiplies itself by three, but the extra replicas are defeated after the first hit when they get attacked by Link. Each defeated replica splits into four Bees that chase Link for a short time. The surviving replicas attack Link with single shots of energy beam, which suggests that the boss's power is divided when it splits. When the two fake replicas are defeated, the true one multiplies itself by three once more. After Link depletes the true Mothula's life energy, any remaining clone automatically disappear.

Oracle of Seasons

In Oracle of Seasons, Mothula guards the Bright Sun in the Poison Moth's Lair.^[2] It fights by circling around the room and spitting fire at Link. It also releases Moths from time to time to defend itself. After a short period of time, it settles on one of the two platforms in the middle of the room, leaving itself open for attack. The Roc's Feather can be used to jump across the two platforms and dodge attacks. If Link falls through the gap in the floor, any damage Mothula sustained is undone and Link must restart the battle.

The Wind Waker

In The Wind Waker, Mothula appear in various caves and dungeons in two varieties: winged and wingless. Both attack by biting Link and occasionally release Morths to slow his movement, however the winged variety will also attempt to jet at Link like a rocket while the wingless variety is much faster and more aggressive. The wingless Mothula can be killed in one hit with a Parry attack, while winged Mothulas take a few more hits with Parries. Those with wings can have them clipped off with the Boomerang, Hookshot, or Arrows. Fire and Ice Arrows can clip their wings in one shot.

A winged Mothula appears in the Forbidden Woods as a mini-boss. As Link does not have any of the aforementioned equipment at the time, it must be stunned with the Deku Leaf and attacked with the Sword. After it loses all its wings, a few more Sword strikes will finish it off and Link will earn the Boomerang.

Mothula (Figurine from The Wind Waker)
	Habitat: Forbidden Woods Effective weapons: Deku Leaf, projectiles This gigantic moth scatters its scales through the air. Even using projectiles to clip its wings won't assure safety - it can still run around swiftly and release larvae.

Spirit Tracks

A Mothula appears as a mini-boss in Spirit Tracks inside the Forest Temple. It attacks Link by launching Bubbles at him. Link must use the Whirlwind to launch the Bubbles back and stun it, allowing him to attack. If Link tries to attack them while they are not stunned, they disappear and reappear in another place. If Link blows the Whirlwind at them, they return the attack at him, stunning him. Two other Mothulas can be fought in the Take 'Em All On! mini-game at Castle Town. Although they resemble their The Wind Waker incarnation, they are far smaller. One Arrow shot can defeat them instantly.

Trivia

It is possible that Mothula is based off of Mothra.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Regions
Language		Name	Meaning
	Japanese	ガモース (Gamōsu)	Gamoth
	French	Mite	Moth
	German	Mothula
	Italian	Tarmantula	Portmanteau of Tarman (Moth) and Tarantola (Tarantula)
	Spanish	Polillántula	Portmanteau of Polilla (Moth) and Tarántula (Tarantula)

Gallery

Winged Mothula from The Wind Waker HD
Wingless Mothula from The Wind Waker HD

References

↑ "Mothula" (Art & Artifacts (Dark Horse Books), pg. 240 (TWWHD))
↑ "Equip your sword and Roc's Feather, then enter the Boss Room through the locked door in C4. Leap onto either of the two platforms then slash at Mothula when it appears in the center of the room." (The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages Player's Guide (Nintendo of America), pg. 27)