Breath of the Wild has some impressive ruins. There’s Hyrule Castle, the Temple of Time, the Coliseum, and a handful more throughout Hyrule. Not a huge amount survives from the time just before the Calamity. More, however, survives from the ancient times of (presumably) the Sheikah.
One of these ancient structures is the Spring of Courage.
It’s a strange area, even for a Zelda game that frequently breaks the mold. While, like the other springs, it is set into the landscape, this one is far less natural and rustic than the others. The Springs of Wisdom and Power are far more humble than this, featuring a large Goddess Statue sitting in a natural spring, with few adornments or carvings in the surrounding area. The Spring of Courage is the complete opposite of these.
Sitting just north of the mouth (or jaws) of the Dracozu Lake, the outer area of the spring is huge. The walls of the valley are hewn pillars and arches carved out of the cliff faces. Then there’s the building surrounding the spring, a temple in the shape of a serpent, its entrance a gaping maw of stone, pillars for teeth, and great claws both sides.
Look at it a little closer, and you’ll see that, actually, it’s like a twisted version of the Forgotten Temple, as if the building had been cursed into life, the roof ripping open like a mouth and breaking the columns into fangs. These two temples were clearly made by the same hands, but the purpose of the temple at the Spring of Courage is unclear.
Sure, it’s dedicated to the spirit Farosh, who takes the form of a dragon, so it is built in their likeness. But what is it for? Purely for prayer and worship, or something else lost to time? Was the structure even larger, less open to the elements, or was it a mostly uncovered temple?
It reminds me not only of the Forgotten Temple, but of the Sealed Grounds in Skyward Sword. There is a similarity there, while the walls of the valley here are stepped, the Sealed Grounds spirals much deeper, but both have distinctive carvings on the walls. They aren’t an exact match, but I do think there’s a kinship there.
The scale of the outer area of the shrine is huge, which makes it quite the contrast when you enter to find the Goddess Statue. The chamber is small, and the ceiling is low and definitely not vaulting like other temples. The spring wells up through it, but apart from the moss, that’s really all there is of any natural power.
The environment around is pretty unusual too — part swampy bayou, part palm forest. There is a Mayan feel to the design of this area, but the dragon’s head and claws look to take inspiration from Chinese tradition.
The Spring of Courage is loaded with contradictions, but then so are its builders. And who builds a sacred temple with the expectation you’ll blow a hole in the back wall anyway?
