Link to the Past Flute old man

Go west from here to find a stone tablet. Read its ancient inscription with the Book of Mudora to find out about the power of Bombos, which is demonstrated to you.

After the demo the medallion drops down and the tablet crumbles. You are now in the possession of the Medallion, which should be the third and last medallion by now.

It's hard not to think of Zelda games when considering great moments in gaming. The series, now over a quarter-century-old, is ripe with touching events and characters.

Spoilers ahead.

One such character is Flute Boy, from A Link to the Past. Flute Boy is a young man who, before Link, went to Death Mountain to search for the Golden Power. He is permanently transformed into a kind of monster by the power of the Dark World, and is thus unable to regain his flute (ocarina) and serenade the forest animals that would often come to visit him. His visage is portrayed in the Light World, but serves only as an apparition, a shadow, of his former self.

Flute Boy eventually tells Link where he buried his instrument, and, when Link returns to the Dark World with it, Flute Boy tells him he is no longer capable of playing the flute, and gives it to Link.

Having seen his flute again and found peace, Flute Boy tells Link that, essentially, he is dying, but he would like to hear his flute played one last time. Link, of course, gifts him that, and Flute Boy dies, becoming a tree.

Though Flute Boy is seen standing next to his father in the ending credits of the game, apparently saved by Link's heroics, his initial death in the Dark World is an incredibly sad and touching moment. Like so many other moments in the Zelda series, it reminds players what the innocent characters in their beloved land of Hyrule endure under the tyranny of Ganon.

In A Link to the Past, the Flute Boy's father can be found in the tavern in Kakariko Village. He tells Link that his son went off in search of the Golden Power and never returned.[3] When Link visits the Kakariko Village Inn, he is told by the Innkeeper how the Flute Boy had a pet bird who flew with him everywhere and how they went to Death Mountain but never returned.[4] Link sees an apparition of the boy playing the Flute for the woodland animals of the Haunted Grove in the Light World, but the apparition disappears as Link approaches. This happens every time Link enters the Haunted Grove prior to finding the Flute.

Later on, when Link enters the Dark World equivalent of the Haunted Grove, he finds the Flute Boy transformed into a strange creature as a result of the Golden Power's effects.[5] The Flute Boy tells Link that he buried his Flute with some flower seeds in the Light World's Haunted Grove, asking him to search for it. When Link agrees to his request, the Flute Boy then gives him the Shovel so Link can dig it up. After Link finds the Flute and brings it back to him in the Dark World, the Flute Boy says he cannot play it anymore.[6] He then asks Link to give it to his father.[7] He finally requests Link to play the Flute so he can hear it one last time.[8] After Link plays the Flute, the boy petrifies into a tree and his apparitions cease to exist in the Light World.

When Link brings the Flute to the Flute Boy's father, the man understands what has happened to his son and asks Link to keep it. He asks Link to play the Flute in front of the Weathercock in the center of Kakariko Village. When Link proceeds to comply with his request, the Flute Boy's pet bird breaks out of the Weathercock and flies off. Whenever Link plays the Flute in the Light World overworld from that point forward, the pet duck can transport him to one of eight locations. The Flute is required to reach Misery Mire.

During the game's ending, the Flute Boy is shown back in his normal form reunited with his father and playing again for the forest creatures in the Haunted Grove.

A Link Between Worlds

In A Link Between Worlds, the Flute Boy is a resident of the Kakariko Village Milk Bar. He refuses to speak to strangers,[1] but is willing to play various songs for Link with his flute for a fee of 10 Rupees.

Trivia

• In A Link to the Past, the flute that the Flute Boy plays is actually an Ocarina.
• Gulley's visual design is based on the Flute Boy from A Link to the Past.

Nomenclature

Gallery

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  Link and the Flute Boy artwork from A Link to the Past

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  The Flute Boy in the Light World in A Link to the Past

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  The Flute Boy in the Dark World in A Link to the Past

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  The Flute Boy turned into a tree in A Link to the Past

References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "It's like I told you, pal. He doesn't like strangers. Just the way it is." — Bard (A Link Between Worlds)
2. ↑ Art & Artifacts, Dark Horse Books, pg. 388 (ALttP)
3. ↑ "My son really liked to play the flute, but he went to search for the Golden Power and never returned." — Man in Tavern (A Link to the Past)
4. ↑ "He had a pet bird that went with him everywhere, but he went to the mountain and never returned." — Innkeeper (A Link to the Past)
5. ↑ "After wandering into this world I turned into this shape." — Flute Boy (A Link to the Past)
6. ↑ "But it looks like I can't play my flute any more. Please take it." — Flute Boy (A Link to the Past)
7. ↑ "If by chance you go to the village I lived in, please give it to a tired old man." — Flute Boy (A Link to the Past)

   What to do with the Flute in A Link to the Past?

   Use: The Flute is used to transform the Weathercock in Kakariko Village into the Flying Duck. Once he has awakened the Flying Duck, Link can use the flute (In the Light World) to call the Flying Duck and fast travel to many locations around Hyrule.

   Is the Flute from A Link to the Past The Ocarina of Time?

   Trivia. In A Link to the Past, the flute that the Flute Boy plays is actually an Ocarina.

   How do you call the duck Flute in Link to the Past?

   The Flute Boy's Bird is a Duck who belonged to the Flute Boy in A Link to the Past. The Bird can be summoned by the Flute Boy's Whistle found in the Haunted Grove. When Link plays the Whistle near the Weathercock in the center of Kakariko Town, the Flute Boy's Bird appears from inside the statue.

   What does the Flute do in Zelda?

   The Flute is an item that can be played to stop flying enemies for about eight seconds in The Wand of Gamelon. It costs 5 Rubies per use. It is received from the Hungry Girl in Kobitan after Zelda gives her an Arpagos Egg.