Far atop Mount Crenel, if you listen very closely, you can hear the tiny ting-ting-ting of small hammers. On clear, lightly windy days, you swear you can even hear the sound of Minish voices, singing about the joys of the mines. Of course, you are probably mistaken. The Minish are just stories, bedtime tales for kids. But, what if you aren’t?
Well, surprise! The Minish are real and they are the key to stopping yet another malevolent force from destroying all of Hyrule. Over the course of Link’s journey in The Minish Cap, he meets many different kinds of Minish, conveniently named after the surrounding geography. On Mount Crenel, he meets a merry band of Mountain Minish who yearn for the mines.
After attaining the Earth Element from the Deepwood Shrine, Link must travel to the peak of Mount Crenel to find Melari. Melari is the Minish Blacksmith and is the only one around who can reforge the broken Picori Blade into the White Sword. The White Sword has the power to absorb the Four Elements and become the Four Sword. With me so far? Great.
Melari’s Mine (or Melari’s Mines according to the in-game text) is a large, tiered room with two smaller rooms along the east and south walls. The eastern door leads to Melari’s room while the southern doors take you to the apprentice’s bedroom. No, they don’t share one big bed, they have seven little beds.
Along the path, Link meets several of Melari’s seven apprentices. They spend their days mining for iron and Kinstones. They also sing a jolly song as they do it. According to the Mountain Picori figurine, their song is a sign they are no longer Minish from their respective geological areas. The song signifies that they are official Mountain Minish!
At the bottom of the Mine, Melari waits by the furnace. He says that he will help reforge the blade, but Link will need to find the Fire Element. Conveniently, going through Melari’s Mine is the only way to get to the Cave of Flames.
Melari’s Mine is a small area of The Minish Cap, but it serves a large narrative purpose. This is where the blade is reforged. Link has to pass through in order to go to his (literal) trial by fire. More importantly, it’s a cozy respite from the falling boulders, sheer cliffs, and monsters waiting for him outside those doors.
Wait… Hold on… Seven Mountain Minish? They mine for ore all day? And they sing?! This is just proof that The Minish Cap is actually the prequel to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs! Vaati is the Evil Queen, Link is Snow White, Zelda is Prince Charming, and all the denizens of Hyrule are put under a spell that turns them to rock (and probably to sleep?). This goes all the way to the top. Someone get Disney on the horn!
