Lord Jabu-Jabu
Lord Jabu-Jabu is a recurring large whale-like creature that serves as the guardian of the Zora in The Legend of Zelda series.[2]
Appearances
Ocarina of Time
Little is known about Lord Jabu-Jabu. In Ocarina of Time, he resides upon an altar in Zora's Fountain,[3][4] a sacred lake behind Zora's Domain, where he is worshiped by the Zoras and acts as a guardian deity similar to the Great Deku Tree.[1] The royal family are tasked with Jabu-Jabu's care.[5] According to Zora legend, offering a fish to Jabu-Jabu is supposed to bring the bearer happiness.[6]
Lord Jabu-Jabu is apparently very benevolent,[7] and the Zora encourage all visitors to see him.[8] After Ganondorf encountered him, however, Lord Jabu-Jabu began displaying outward symptoms of the curse cast on him; as King Zora cites Ganondorf's interference as a reason the whale may have swallowed Ruto, these possibly include changes in his behavior.[9]
Jabu-Jabu is very fond of Fish, and Young Link must feed him one in order to gain entrance to his Belly to kill the parasite which ails him and save Princess Ruto.
Seven years in the future, Jabu-Jabu is inexplicably absent.
Oracle of Ages
In Oracle of Ages, Jabu-Jabu lives in Jabu-Jabu's Shrine, once again near the Zoras in Zora Village, though the exact relationship between this incarnation and the one that appears in Ocarina of Time is unknown. He appears in both the past and present ages of Labrynna, but in the former, he is too small to enter.[10] As part of his quest, Link must venture inside Jabu-Jabu's Belly in the present to obtain the Rolling Sea, the seventh Essence of Time. However, King Zora will initially prevent the young hero from visiting the deity,[11] and in order to gain his permission, Link must first find a way to save Jabu-Jabu's life by cleansing the polluted Zora Seas.[12] To do this, he must rescue the Fairy Queen, allowing her to purify the filthy seawater.[13]
Other Appearances
Jabu-Jabu has been compared to the Wind Fish from Link's Awakening, as both are god-like whales or whale-like creatures. He also shares strong similarities with Jabun in The Wind Waker; not only are they both large round fish, but Jabun's theme music is a remix of the dungeon theme for Inside Jabu-Jabu's Belly, and according to Hyrule Historia Jabun is implied to be Jabu-Jabu's descendant. Both of these deity-like whales also resemble the Ocean King from Phantom Hourglass on a lesser scale.
In the Lakebed Temple of Twilight Princess, sculptures that resemble Jabu-Jabu can be seen. Some of the Zora guards also wear masks that resemble Jabu-Jabu as he appeared in Ocarina of Time.
In Majora's Mask 3D, Link can catch a fish called Lord Chapu-Chapu in the Swamp Fishing Hole. It resembles a smaller version of Lord Jabu-Jabu. The owner of the Swamp Fishing Hole calls it "the king o' the swamp."[14]
The large fish statue at Zora's Domain in Breath of the Wild represents Lord Jabu-Jabu.[15]
Trivia
- An emblem of the Zora's Sapphire can be seen across Jabu-Jabu's crown.
- "Jabu Jabu" is the Japanese onomatopoeia for splashing water.
- In Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, there is a mountain in the Lanayru Great Spring called Ja'Abu Ridge, referencing Lord Jabu-Jabu. As of Tears of the Kingdom, a fort has been built on the Ridge called Ja'Abu Ridge Fort.
Nomenclature
 Names in Other Regions  | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Names | |
 Japanese | ジャブジャブ様 (Jabu-Jabu-sama) (OoT)[19] | |
 FrenchEU | Jabu-Jabu (OoT)[20] | |
 Italian | ||
| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | ||
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Lord Jabu-Jabu is the patron deity of the Zoras. Princess Ruto is in charge of preparing his meals, morning and night." — Zora (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 238(OoT) & 254(OoA)
- ↑ "Of course, you'll go find Ruto. You can pass through here to the altar of Lord Jabu-Jabu." — King Zora (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "Zora's Fountain is the source of the river. Lord Jabu-Jabu lives in the fountain." — Zora (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "The royal family are tasked with Jabu-Jabu's care." (Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 48)
- ↑ "According to the "Legend of Zora," the act of offering a fish to Lord Jabu-Jabu will make you happy." — Zora (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "She's inside Lord Jabu-Jabu? That's not possible! Our guardian god, Lord Jabu-Jabu, would never eat my dear Princess Ruto!" — King Zora (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "Have you seen Lord Jabu-Jabu? Oh, that's not good. Everybody who comes around here should see Lord Jabu-Jabu at least once! Zora's Fountain is just beyond King Zora's throne. That is where Lord Jabu-Jabu swims." — Zora (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "But since that stranger, Ganondorf, came here, Lord Jabu-Jabu has been a little green around the gills..." — King Zora (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "You wish to enter Jabu-Jabu? I wish I could tell you to do as you please, but Jabu-Jabu is still young. He's too small to go inside him." — King Zora (Oracle of Ages)
- ↑ "My permission is needed to enter Jabu-Jabu, but I can't permit just anyone to see our guardian." — King Zora (Oracle of Ages)
- ↑ "The filthy seawater has left Jabu-Jabu near death. If you say you must, then find a way to get rid of this filthy seawater and save Jabu-Jabu." — King Zora (Oracle of Ages)
- ↑ "Thank you, young one! Now I can cleanse the seas of evil!" — Queen Fairy (Oracle of Ages)
- ↑ "Jumpin' jellyfish! I don't believe it! That there fishy is the one they call the king o' the swamp! Good work, pal! Congrats and all that!" — Fisherman (Majora's Mask 3D)
- ↑ Creating a Champion, Dark Horse Books, pg. 274
- ↑ Enciclopedia di Hyrule, Magazzini Salani, pg. 238
- ↑ "Jabu Jabu è la divintà patrona degli Zora. La Principessa Ruto ha il compito di preparargli i pasti, mattina e sera." — Zora (Ocarina of Time 3D, Italian localization)
- ↑ "Jabu-Jabu sta qua dietro." — Zora (Oracle of Ages, Italian localization)
- ↑ Nintendo Official Guidebook—The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Shogakukan, pg. 66
- ↑ Encyclopedia, Les Éditions Soleil, pg. 238