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Lake Hylia is a recurring location in Legend of Zelda games, first named in A Link to the Past on the SNES. It is the largest freshwater lake in Hyrule, named for the Goddess of Light, Hylia. The lake is fed by Zora's River, and members of the highly intelligent Zora race frequently travel downstream from their kingdom in Zora's Domain to trade and converse with humans and Hylians. Though the species were more aggressive in the SNES video game, whereas they would befriend the protagonist Link in future titles. Some fans speculate that the lake did in fact originate from the original Legend of Zelda, as there was a large lake featured in it that somewhat resembles Lake Hylia that likewise featured Zora, though because this was never confirmed by Nintendo it can't be said whether or not these speculations are true.

In its officially initial appearance, Link could get the most of the lake once he gained the ability to swim via the special fins. A Great Fairy fountain can be accessed in the middle of it, where the fairy within will give Link the capability to either upgrade his pack of bombs or arrows.

Lake Hylia in Ocarina of Time is more prominent than it was in the previous installment. The Water Temple, which has been considered by many to be the most challenging dungeon in any Zelda game, is accessed here via the Iron Boots and the Zora Tunic. Zora's River, a river that runs through Hyrule, goes through Lake Hylia. The lake also has a Fishing Pond where, if Link wishes, he can pay 20 rupees to fish for as long as he wants, though if he happens to quit he'll have to put down 20 more rupees to fish. In the future time period of the game, the water in the lake has receded because of the evil that has taken over the Water Temple. After Link defeats Morpha within the Temple, the lake's water rises, restoring Lake Hylia to its former glory.

In Four Swords Adventure, Lake Hylia is a level. Dramatic changes have occurred, the most noticeable one being the fact that rather than being one large lake, it consists of multiple smaller ones connected via rivers. In The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, Lake Hylia is once more changed. Colors of purple and green are present everywhere. The lake in this title can be accessed by going through an entrance in either Lon Lon Ranch or Minish Woods.

Twilight Princess certainly had the most stunning Lake Hylia. Despite this, many similarities with Ocarina of Time are present, such as the connection to Zora River and a water based temple placed at the bottom of the lake. Zoras are more present than ever before, and a mini game run by Falbi can also be found here.

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