Fire Sanctuary (Dungeon)

Template:Dungeon The Fire Sanctuary is the sixth dungeon featured in Skyward Sword. It is located in the extremely hot Volcano Summit of Eldin Volcano. Link ventures inside in order to find the third and final Sacred Flame so that he can temper his sword. The Fire Sanctuary houses Magmanos and the Mogma Mitts, and its boss is Ghirahim.

Entrance to the Sanctuary

The Fire Sanctuary is a large, castle-like structure situated across a bridge that is going over a large gorge. In order to protect the riches hidden inside the Sanctuary, three pillars of flames block Link's objective path to the dungeon. The frog statues hanging above the flames have to be given water from Link's Bottles to extinguish the flames. However, this method of dousing the flames is only possible for the first two frog statues. The third frog statue is larger than the two before it, and requires a large quantity of water, more than an Empty Bottle can hold. Link travels to Lake Floria to request the use of the Water Dragon's Basin from Faron, the Water Dragon. Upon returning to the base of Eldin Volcano with Scrapper the Ancient Robot, who is carrying the basin, Link is required to travel all the way up to the Fire Sanctuary while protecting Scrapper from the large number of enemies inhabiting the Eldin Volcano region. Reaching the Fire Sanctuary will cause Scrapper to pour the water basin over the frog's tongue and thus clearing the entrance to the Fire Sanctuary.

Themes and Navigation

There are many lava flows similar to those found in the Earth Temple, which Link must cross by shooting down Water Fruit (ideally with the Slingshot, though the Template:It, Clawshots and Arrows work as well) hanging over the lava flows,^[1] which harden the lava into a safe platform. Navigating the Sanctuary requires changing the currents of lava flows, either in strength or direction, so that Link can have the hardened lava platforms move along with the current. The Fire Sanctuary also introduces getting around the area by tunneling underground with the Mogma Mitts, which Link receives after helping one of the treasure hunting Mogmas, named Silva, who has been trapped while looking for treasure.^[2] In fact, each Mogma rescued or spoken to will reward Link when he frees him. The second imprisoned character will give him the dungeon's map, and the third one will give him a Piece of Heart. In all cases, the reward is given inside a chest.

The Fire Sanctuary is famous among Mogmas for its illusory puzzle, which calls upon the courage of adventurers, known as the "Legend of the Sleeping Statue."^[3]^[4] Hidden in the dungeon is a chest with an Empty Bottle; Link can reach it in a balcony accessible after solving some inconspicuous optional puzzles. In regards of the local bestiary, darker variations of known enemies make their appearance, and can curse Link for limited periods of time upon contact with their dark fog.

Minor Enemies

Trivia

The Fire Sanctuary is the dungeon with the highest number of mini-boss battles in the series, with four in total.
The Fire Sanctuary is the only dungeon in Skyward Sword to feature a Bird Statue that connects to The Sky.

Etymology

Names in Other Regions
Language		Name	Meaning
	Japanese	古の大祭殿 (Inishie no Dai-Saiden)	Great Ancient Shrine
	French^EU	Grand Sanctuaire Ancien
	German	Altes Großheiligtum	Old, Big Sanctuary
	Italian	Grande Santuario Antico	Great Ancient Sanctuary
	Spanish^LA	Gran Santuario Antiguo	Great Ancient Sanctuary

References

↑ "This plant is known as a Water Fruit. It collects moisture within its hard shell. This feature is vital to its survival here." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
↑ "So here's the deal... Word in the tunnels is there's a huge treasure hidden in these here ruins... But nobody who's ever seen it has come back to tell the tale. Countless treasure hunters have disappeared in here! Poof! Gone." — Guld (Skyward Sword)
↑ "I can see it on your face! You're here because of the "legend of the sleeping statue," right?!" — Guld (Skyward Sword)
↑ "All right, then... I'm gonna let you in on an ancient treasure-hunting legend passed down among generations of Mogmas. Every Mogma worth a handful o' dirt knows this one... Here we go... "Ye who seek the entrance to the king's treasure, look for the two statues that face one another." "Show your bravery and jump into the mouth of the sleeping statue. Do this, and the path will open before you." You remember all that, and you're golden." — Guld (Skyward Sword)