Fire Temple

Template:Dungeon The Fire Temple,^(OoT)^[1] also known as the Mountain Temple,^(ST)^{[citation needed]} is a recurring Dungeon in The Legend of Zelda series.

Overview

Ocarina of Time

Entrance to the Temple

The Fire Temple is located deep within the Death Mountain Crater and is only accessible to Link by use of the Goron Tunic, which is given to him by Darunia's son, Link, in the hopes that he will rescue the other Gorons.^[2] Being in an active volcano, the Fire Temple is filled with many lava pits including the boss room. In the boss room is a giant rock platform where the battle takes place.

Themes and Navigation

Rock maze — The maze of the rolling rocks on the third floor

Link's progress in the Fire Temple is based on opening jails so that the imprisoned Gorons can be freed. When a Goron is released, he gives Link a clue or tip regarding the use of the so-called special crop,^[3]^[4] although some offer other facts; Link also receives keys to open locked doors. Throughout the Temple, there are bridges and platforms over magma that must be crossed, as well as complex mazes (one of them consisting of fire walls). Once the Megaton Hammer is found, after defeating the mini-boss Flare Dancer, Link may use it to break obstacles or create new paths.^[5]

Fire Wall — The fire wall maze on the third floor

The dungeon as a whole is notable for having a nearly-symmetrical architecture: From floor three upwards, the interior of the temple is divided into two, although Link only needs to visit the western territory to succeed on his quest (in fact, the other portion can only be accessed from the third floor by using the "Scarecrow's Song").

The Temple is home to an ancient dragon, Volvagia, who is known to have eaten Gorons in the past.^[6] Defeated by an ancient hero with the Megaton Hammer,^[7] he was resurrected by the evil Ganon.^[8] The only real defense against the dragon is the aforementioned Hammer, which Link can put in practice as soon as the dragon is hesitating in one of the fire holes placed in the battle arena's floor.

Similarly to the rest of the dungeons, the Fire Temple was altered in the Master Quest version of Ocarina of Time. Honoring the name of the dungeon, the first rooms require Din's Fire to light several torches. Compared to the original version of the dungeon, the redesigned layout features a lesser focus on enemies and a stronger focus on puzzles. Additionally, most make use of the Hookshot. Some invisible walls and time blocks are found in the dungeon. Also, some switches need the Spin Attack to be activated, including one that is hidden inside a crate and can't be seen. There are fewer Gorons than in the normal version as well. Most doors are blocked with iron bars, and the Big Key and Megaton Hammer come very early. New enemies include several Stalfos, Lizalfos (found in the boulder room) and even an Iron Knuckle.

Minor Enemies and Traps

Boulder OOT.png

Boulders
OoT Door Mimic Model.png

Door Mimics
Fire Barrier
OOT Fire Keese.png

Fire Keese
Flying Tile
Gold Skulltula
Iron Knuckle (Master Quest only)
Like Like
OoT Lizalfos.png

Lizalfos (Master Quest only)
Red Bubble
Stalfos (Master Quest only)
Torch Slug OoT.png

Torch Slug

Spirit Tracks

Entrance to the Temple

The Fire Temple is located at the summit of the mountain in the Fire Realm. Link has to meet with Embrose to play the Song of Fire Restoration and open the way to the dungeon. The area where the temple lies is guarded by three Snurglars, all of which hold three keys that will open the entrance to the temple once retrieved by Link.

Themes and Navigation

ST Fire Obstacle — Link crossing one of the first obstacles

Many of the puzzles in the temple involve platforms that can be used to stand atop small volcanoes, and Arrow Orbs that redirect the trajectory of an arrow. In a similar way to the Cave of Flames in The Minish Cap, the Fire Temple houses minecarts that help Link move from a point to another quickly. The dungeon item is a Bow, which is obtained after defeating the Sub-Boss of the dungeon, Heatoise. Cragma is the boss of the Fire Temple. After he is defeated, the Spirit Tracks connecting the Fire Realm to the Tower of Spirits are restored.

In both this temple and the following one, the background music is different from the usual dungeon theme heard in the first three temples.

Minor Enemies and Traps

Trivia

In the original version of Ocarina of Time, the Fire Temple's music sampled a group of men chanting Islamic prayer.^{[note 1]} This, like the original Crest of the Gerudo, was removed from later versions of the game by Nintendo because of the religious association. These Islamic chants were replaced by a MIDI Synthesizer in later releases, ports, and the Nintendo 3DS remake.
Despite it being advised that Link purchase the Goron Tunic before entering the Fire Temple, the majority of rooms do not require it. The only rooms where the heat will prove lethal to Link if he stays there long enough are the ones that contain large pools of magma, including the boss room.
The European name of the Fire Temple in Spirit Tracks, "Mountain Temple", may provide an explanation for why the Rabbits in the Fire Realm are called Mountain Rabbits and not Fire Rabbits.
The 3-block stacked statue concealing the door in the main entrance that requires the Megaton could be a reference to the Japanese game Daruma Otoshi. These statues are also found in one room in the Gerudo Training Ground.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Regions
Language		Name	Meaning
	Japanese	炎の神殿 (Honō no Shinden) ^(OoT) 火の神殿 (Hi no Shinden) ^(ST)	Flame Temple Fire Temple
	French^CA	Temple du feu ^(OoT3D)	Temple of fire
	French^EU	Temple du Feu ^(OoT) Temple du Feu ^(ST)	Temple of fire Temple of Fire
	German	Feuertempel ^(OoT)	Fire Temple
	Italian	Santuario del Fuoco ^(OoT) Tempio delle Fiamme ^(ST)	Sanctuary of Fire Temple of Flame
	Spanish	Templo del Fuego ^(OoT)	Temple of Fire

Gallery

Entering the Fire Temple from Ocarina of Time
Link obtaining the Megaton Hammer from Ocarina of Time
The room full of lava and a bridge to cross it from Ocarina of Time
Dungeon Map of the Fire Temple from Ocarina of Time
The true height of the Fire Temple, shown with a space to represent the spacing of the two Nintendo DS screens from Spirit Tracks
The Force Gem of the Fire Temple from Spirit Tracks

Notes

↑ The first part of the Arabic samples were deciphered as "Sal-Allahu-alayhi-wa-alik" which means "May God grant peace and honor him (Muhammad) and his family.", followed by "Dhul-Galali-wal-ikram," meaning "The Lord of Majesty and Generosity". The second part of Arabic samples was deciphered as the Basmala; meaning "In the name of God, the Most Gracious, Most Merciful", followed by the Takbir; literally meaning "God is Great".

References

↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 149 ^(OoT) & 157 ^(ST)
↑ "Please help, Link! I'll give you this heat-resistant tunic!" — Link (Ocarina of Time)
↑ "I'll tell you a secret for saving me! In this temple, there are doors that fall down when you try to open them. When one of these doors starts to fall, move! If you use a sample of the Goron "special crop," you can break it..." — Goron (Ocarina of Time)
↑ "Here's a tip for rescuing me! Somewhere in this temple, you're sure to meet up with some creatures that dance as they attack. Arrows won't hurt them! Looks like you might need some of the Goron "special crop!" That's all I have to tell you!" — Goron (Ocarina of Time)
↑ "I'll tell you a secret for saving me! A door is hidden inside the statue at the entrance to this temple. But, the Goron "special crop" won't work on it... Don't you have anything stronger?" — Goron (Ocarina of Time)
↑ "A long time ago there was an evil dragon named Volvagia living in this mountain. That dragon was very scary! He ate Gorons!" — Link (Ocarina of Time)
↑ "Using a huge hammer, the hero of the Gorons... BOOOM! Destroyed it just like that. This is a myth from long ago, but it's true!!" — Link (Ocarina of Time)
↑ "Everybody was taken to the Fire Temple... While my dad was out... Ganondorf's followers came and took them all away! All of them will be eaten by Volvagia! Dad said that Ganondorf has revived Volvagia... As a warning to those who might oppose him, Ganondorf is going to feed them all to Volvagia! Dad went to the Fire Temple all by himself to try to save everyone..." — Link (Ocarina of Time)