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Ruto Town,(TAoL)[1] also known as the Town of Ruto,(TAoL)[2] is a recurring location in The Legend of Zelda series.

Appearances and Features[]

The Adventure of Link[]

Ruto Town is located in a mountainous region of northwestern Hyrule in The Adventure of Link.

To receive his second Magic, Jump, Link must help the Old Man's Niece recover their stolen Trophy.[3]

The townsfolk of Ruto give helpful advice to Link, such as warning him to not go south without a Candle,[4] as well as giving him clues about the whereabouts of the powerful Hammer.[5] It is also here that Link meets Error, who tells him about a hidden tunnel near the Mido Town[6] after Link meets a man there.[7]

Non-canon Appearances[]

The Crystal Trap[]

In The Crystal Trap, the town of Ruto plays an important role in the book since it is the location of the Handprint, one of the three items that Princess Zelda requires to free Link from the Crystal, as dictated by the Fairy's Scroll.

Ruto Town is first introduced in the book after Zelda obtains the Magnifying Glass from a nearby Cavern. When Princess Zelda arrives at the gates of Ruto, a gatekeeper known as Aldo recognizes the princess and informs her that she's arrived at Ruto. The princess sits down to rest and tells Aldo about her quest, asking the gatekeeper if he's see anything or anyone unusual around town. Aldo tells her about a newcomer known as Conly, a beekeeper, who lives on the outskirts of town.[8] Since the beekeeper is known as unfriendly, Aldo advices the princess to not go near him until she finds a way to deal with him.[9]

Following Aldo's advice, Zelda chooses to go out into the main street of Ruto. It is at this point that Zelda can choose to go to three locations: the Dark Tower, the Tavern and the Fortune-Teller's hut. If Zelda goes to the Fortune-Teller and follows her deeper into the hut, the Fortune-Teller will reveal herself to be a Wizzrobe, where the princess will meet her doom at the hands of the Wizzrobe and a gang of Moblins.[10] By going into the Dark Tower, Zelda will be promptly attacked by a Darknut but will eventually find the Handprint at the top of the tower.[11][12] Lastly, entering the Tavern will lead the princess to meet with her old mentor Estragon, who will give her the Fairy Flower Sap, an item necessary to receive the Magic Honey from Conly the beekeeper.[13]

The Shadow Prince[]

Ruto is briefly mentioned in The Shadow Prince. As Link is making his way to Saria Town to obtain the Mirror of Truth, he begins to think whether he should really take the path through the Midoro Swamp. He then mentions that he could take a safer but longer route by going through Ruto Town.[14] If the young hero chooses to take the Ruto detour, an Old Man will appear in front of him just as he is about to reach the town. The Old Man will give a key to Link and will advise him to not go through the Town of Ruto since there is a "terrible traffic jam" in there.[15]

Trivia[]

  • Princess Ruto, one of the Seven Sages from Ocarina of Time, shares a name with this town. Eiji Aonuma stated that this was to form a sense of continuity between the games, to make it seem as if the town from The Adventure of Link had been named after the character from Ocarina of Time. Ocarina of Time, though it was released after The Adventure of Link, takes place earlier chronologically.

Nomenclature[]

The Japanese kanji Ru means "to stay", while To means "capital city". [16]

TMC Forest Minish Artwork Names in other regions TMC Jabber Nut Sprite
LanguageNameMeaning
JapanJapaneseルトの町 (Ruto no Machi)[17]Same as English.
FranceFrenchEUVille de Ruto[18]Ruto City
This table was generated using translation pages.
To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

Gallery[]

References

  1. Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 108 (TAoL)
  2. "TOWN OF RUTO" — Sign (The Adventure of Link)
  3. "GORIYA OF TANTARI STOLE OUR TROPHY" — Old Man's Niece (The Adventure of Link)
  4. "DO NOT GO SOUTH WITHOUT A CANDLE." — Hylian (The Adventure of Link)
  5. "HAMMER... SPECTACLE ROCK... DEATH MTN." — Old Woman (The Adventure of Link)
  6. "SOUTH OF KINGS TOMB IN MIDO IS A TUNNEL." — Error (The Adventure of Link)
  7. "ASK ERROR OF RUTO ABOUT THE PALACE" — Hylian (The Adventure of Link)
  8. "Between bites, Zelda tells him about her quest. 'Have you seen anything or anyone unusual in town?' she asks. 'In town?' The gatekeeper shakes his head. 'No,' he says. 'But just out of town there's a strange newcomer--a beekeeper.' [...] 'Name of Conly,' Aldo replies. 'Very strange. He lives just out of town, back along the road a bit. Folks say his bees are magic.'" (The Crystal Trap, Simon & Schuster, pg. 56)
  9. "Take my advise and don't go see Conly until you've learned how to make a deal with him." (The Crystal Trap, Simon & Schuster, pg. 56)
  10. "The old fortune-teller whirls about and her silk robe flies off. Instead of the face of a kindly old woman, Zelda looks into the distorted features of a wizzrobe!" (The Crystal Trap, Simon & Schuster, pg. 12)
  11. "'Welcome!' an inhuman voice whispers from the shadows. 'Who's there?' Zelda demands, pulling back on her bowstring. A tall, armored figure steps into the moonlight. 'A darknut!' Zelda whispers. Without another word, the evil knight charges, his shield held high, his long blade slicing the air." (The Crystal Trap, Simon & Schuster, pg. 49)
  12. "Her eyes travel over the battlement and stop on a strange object set in the floor. [...] 'A handprint!' she says in surprise. 'Pressed into the stone. And that mark!' [...] 'That's Ganon's mark! It must be his handprint.' The she thinks of the riddle. 'What's colder than ice?' she says. 'Ganon's hand! His touch is the coldest thing in the world.'" (The Crystal Trap, Simon & Schuster, pg. 44)
  13. "Zelda starts to tell her tale but Estragon has already heard. 'You always knew when I was in trouble,' she says. 'Do you know how I can get the magic honey?' 'With this,' he replies and places a small flask on the table. 'The sap of the fairy flower tree. The beekeeper uses it to make his favorite drink.'" (The Crystal Trap, Simon & Schuster, pg. 49)
  14. "'Hmm,' he says. 'Maybe I should bypass the swamp and go west, by Ruto Town. Of course, there's still Moruge Swamp to the south of Ruto, but that's safer than Midoro." (The Shadow Prince, Simon & Schuster, pg. 111)
  15. "'A key!' he says with a wink. 'A key, that's what she is! Listen, take my advice and don't go through Ruto on your way to Saria. Terrible traffic jam in there.' Before Link can ask any more questions, the man turns and disappears into the tall grass by the roadside." (The Shadow Prince, Simon & Schuster, pg. 70)
  16. Given Name RUTO, behindthename.com.
  17. The Adventure of Link manual, pg. 16
  18. Encyclopedia, Les Éditions Soleil, pg. 108
Major locations in The Adventure of Link
Tantari DesertParapa PalaceParapa DesertRuto TownNorth CastleRauru TownMidoro PalaceMoruge SwampMidoro SwampMido TownSaria TownDeath MountainDeath MountainKing's TombIsland PalaceDarunia TownNabooru TownOld Kasuto TownThree-Eye RockMaze IslandNew Kasuto TownTAoL Hyrule Map 2

Click on a location

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