Breath of the Wild is full of memorable locations, each with a unique history and purpose. Of the many Shrines scattered across this forlorn version of Hyrule, three of the most memorable have to be the mystical Springs of Courage, Power, and Wisdom. As you may have guessed, each one represents a different piece of the Triforce, and my personal favorite of the three is definitely the Spring of Wisdom, located atop the frigid Mount Lanayru.
If the player hasn’t ventured to Mount Lanayru of their own accord by the time they reach Hateno Village, one of the locals will point them in that direction. Should Link choose to speak to him, a villager named Medda will comment on how little there is to do in the town. If pressed further, he will point out the local dye shop as a place of interest and then begin to talk about Mount Lanayru to the north. He shares a rumor that the Spring of Wisdom, a sacred spring that Princess Zelda used for purification rituals, is located atop the mountain, and he goes on to speculate that there might be treasure hidden near the spring. Now the Hero of the Wild has a new sidequest (or a Shrine Quest, to be more accurate). After equipping some winter clothes and eating some spicy peppers, it is time to go search for this mysterious, sacred Spring.
After traversing the treacherous mountain terrain — which would be a perilous proposition even if you took away all the wolves, Ice Keese, and Lizalfos — Link arrives to the holy spring. Surrounded by the crumbled remains of stone pillars, the only structure to remain intact after all these years of solitude is a statue of the Goddess Hylia. She stands tall in the shallow pool of water, which is still in a liquid state despite the frosty climate. Behind her, a swathe of giant ice spikes jut out from the frozen ground, collectively acting as a throne for the mighty serpent, Naydra. She lays coiled among the jagged monoliths, infected by Ganon’s Malice. This discovery is both breathtaking and sorrowful. A once magnificent beast, now corrupted and doomed to ruin, has returned to rest in this spring blessed by the gods, which has also succumbed to decay. This just goes to show that no place in Hyrule is safe. Not even the most secluded and sacred places can escape Ganon’s clutches.
But all is not lost. The Goddess Statue will task Link with saving the beast by cleansing it of the Malice. Naydra then takes flight, and the brave knight springs into action. Using his glider, Link follows the updrafts that the dragon is able to produce with its enormous body. Link and Naydra fly high above the Spring of Wisdom, with Mount Lanayru and its surrounding landmarks now in plain view, and Link fires arrows at the glowing eyeballs that have grown out of the Malice. Once Naydra’s soul is purified, both return to the Spring below. The Goddess Statue then congratulates Link for purifying Naydra and instructs him to fire one final arrow at the dragon. This causes one of Naydra’s scales to drop to the ground, and then the beast flies away, free once again. Link can now collect the scale and offer it to the spring, which unlocks the hidden Jitan Sa’mi Shrine.
The Spring of Wisdom, even in its decrepit state, continues to be a holy ground for prayer and purification. This small, seemingly insignificant Shrine Quest deftly communicates the deeper message of Breath of the Wild: the land may lie in ruins and all hope may seem lost, but the Goddess Hylia can still depend on the chosen hero to cleanse those who have been corrupted and purify the land once again.
