| Needed to hear hints | Mask of Truth (worn as Child Link) |
|---|---|
| Fairy trigger | Play Zelda’s Lullaby, Sun’s Song or the Song of Storms near a stone to release a Fairy |
| Hints listed here | 29 distinct hint messages, grouped by area |
| Hit with a sword | The stone bounces and tells you the time |
| Hit with a Bomb | The stone flashes colors and launches into the sky |
Gossip Stones are the grey stones scattered across Hyrule. Wear the Mask of Truth and talk to one, and it shares a rumor: a secret about the world, a character or a joke. The mask is the final reward of the Happy Mask Shop trading chain, described in the Mask Trading Sequence. A few of the rumors point to real secrets, such as bombable spots, so they help when you hunt for Heart Pieces or Gold Skulltulas. The stones also react when you hit them, and a Fairy can be released with a song. The quick reference lists every hint by area.
Table of Contents
What the stones do
Hit a stone with your sword and it bounces about until it stops, then shows the current time. A Bomb blast makes it flash through colors before it shoots up into the sky; strike it with the sword while it flashes to freeze it on that color. Din’s Fire makes it spin, and the Megaton Hammer flattens it. Play Zelda’s Lullaby, Sun’s Song or the Song of Storms next to a stone to release a Fairy that you can catch in a bottle.
Quick reference: hints by area
| # | Area | Stone | Subject of the hint | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hyrule Castle Town Market | In front of the Temple of Time, right-most | Malon set the original record on the Lon Lon Ranch obstacle course | Market |
| 2 | Hyrule Castle Town Market | In front of the Temple of Time, second from the right | Malon hopes a knight will sweep her off her feet | Market |
| 3 | Hyrule Castle Town Market | In front of the Temple of Time, third from the right | No glasses allowed at the Treasure Chest Shop | Market |
| 4 | Hyrule Castle Town Market | In front of the Temple of Time, left-most | Gerudos visit the Market looking for boyfriends | Market |
| 5 | Hyrule Castle grounds | After climbing the vines | Something good happens if you approach a butterfly holding a Deku Stick | Hyrule Castle |
| 6 | Hyrule Castle grounds | Near the castle | Princess Zelda is a tomboy under her elegant image | Hyrule Castle |
| 7 | Hyrule Field | In the field | A switch that only reacts to a Spin Attack | Hyrule Field |
| 8 | Kokiri Forest | In front of the Lost Woods | Holes in the ground are breeding grounds for bugs | Kokiri Forest |
| 9 | Kokiri Forest | Outside the Great Deku Tree | The Kokiri are always followed by small fairies | Kokiri Forest |
| 10 | Kokiri Forest | Outside the Great Deku Tree | One Kokiri left the forest and is still alive | Kokiri Forest |
| 11 | Lost Woods | Past the Skull Kid | Non-fairy folk who enter the woods turn into monsters | Lost Woods |
| 12 | Sacred Forest Meadow | In front of the Forest Temple | There are 100 Gold Skulltulas in Hyrule | Forest Temple |
| 13 | Sacred Forest Meadow | Along the path | Kaepora Gaebora is lighthearted despite his looks | Forest Temple |
| 14 | Sacred Forest Meadow | Along the path | Kaepora Gaebora is the reincarnation of an ancient Sage | Forest Temple |
| 15 | Kakariko Graveyard | In front of the Shadow Temple | A secret near a tree in Kakariko Village | Shadow Temple |
| 16 | Death Mountain Trail | On a ledge off the wall | Biggoron‘s Sword is razor-sharp and never breaks | Death Mountain |
| 17 | Death Mountain Crater | In the Crater | Medigoron forgot to allow for his own size, so his store is cramped | Crater |
| 18 | Goron City | In the city | A secret near the Gerudo Valley entrance | Goron City |
| 19 | Goron City | By the blacksmith | Ganondorf wants all of Hyrule, not just the Gerudo | Goron City |
| 20 | Dodongo’s Cavern | Inside the entrance | The Gerudo worship Ganondorf almost like a god | Dodongo’s Cavern |
| 21 | Zora’s River | Along the river | Zelda’s nanny is a Sheikah, a people thought to have died out | Zora’s River |
| 22 | Zora’s River | Along the river | A man runs around Hyrule Field all day | Zora’s River |
| 23 | Zora’s Domain | In the Domain | Players who choose Hold for Z-Targeting are the real Zelda players | Zora’s Domain |
| 24 | Zora’s area | Second pair of stones (exact spot varies by listing) | A secret near the lone tree in north-west Hyrule Field | Zora’s Domain |
| 25 | Zora’s area | Second pair of stones (exact spot varies by listing) | You swim faster if you keep pressing B | Zora’s Domain |
| 26 | Gerudo Valley | In the valley | The thief Nabooru who haunts the area is a Gerudo | Gerudo Valley |
| 27 | Lake Hylia | On the road to the lake | A secret on the road to Lake Hylia | Lake Hylia |
| 28 | Desert Colossus | Outside the Spirit Temple | The Gerudo Training Ground treasure is less than the difficulty suggests | Desert Colossus |
| 29 | Secret grottoes | Lost Woods, Crater, Hyrule Field, Death Mountain, Kakariko, Zora’s River | Ganondorf’s horse is a solid black Gerudo stallion | Hyrule Field |
The stones in detail
Hyrule Castle Town Market, outside the Temple of Time
Four stones stand in a row in front of the Temple of Time. From the right they talk about Malon’s record on the Lon Lon Ranch obstacle course, Malon’s dream knight, the glasses rule at the Treasure Chest Shop, and Gerudos visiting the Market to look for boyfriends. The third hint is worth remembering, since the Treasure Chest Shop Heart Piece is a long gamble without the Lens of Truth.
Hyrule Castle grounds and Hyrule Field
Two stones stand by the castle. One, past the vines, says that something good happens if you approach a butterfly while holding a Deku Stick, a trick that turns the butterfly into a Fairy. The other shares a rumor about Princess Zelda’s personality. A stone in Hyrule Field mentions a switch that only a Spin Attack can hit.
Kokiri Forest and the Lost Woods
One stone in front of the Lost Woods says that the small holes in the ground make good breeding spots for bugs, which is a hint to release bugs in soft soil. Two stones outside the Great Deku Tree talk about the Kokiri and their fairies, and about the Kokiri who left the forest. In the Lost Woods past the Skull Kid, a stone warns that non-fairy folk who enter the woods turn into monsters.
Sacred Forest Meadow
Three stones sit in the meadow. One, in front of the Forest Temple, confirms there are 100 Gold Skulltulas in Hyrule. The other two are about Kaepora Gaebora, who looks heavy but is lighthearted, and who is the reincarnation of an ancient Sage.
Kakariko Graveyard
In front of the Shadow Temple, a stone hints at a secret near a tree in Kakariko Village.
Death Mountain, the Crater and Goron City
On a ledge off the wall of the Death Mountain Trail, a stone says that Biggoron‘s Sword is razor-sharp and will never break. In the Crater, a stone says Medigoron’s shop is cramped because he did not think about his own size. In Goron City, one stone hints at a secret around the entrance to Gerudo Valley, and another, near the blacksmith, says Ganondorf is not content ruling only the Gerudo.
Dodongo’s Cavern
Inside the cavern, a stone claims the Gerudo worship Ganondorf like a god.
Zora’s River, Zora’s Domain and nearby
Along Zora’s River one stone says Zelda’s nanny is one of the Sheikah, and another mentions a man who always runs around Hyrule Field. In Zora’s Domain, a stone jokes about players who choose the Hold setting for Z-Targeting. Two more stones in the Zora area hint at a secret near the lone tree north-west of Hyrule Field and say that you swim faster by pressing B repeatedly. The exact position of this second pair is the least certain entry on the page.
Gerudo Valley, Lake Hylia and the desert
In Gerudo Valley a stone calls the thief Nabooru a Gerudo. At Lake Hylia a stone says there is a secret along the road to the lake, which points to the fenced grotto where a Business Scrub sells a Heart Piece. Outside the Spirit Temple at Desert Colossus, a stone says the Gerudo Training Ground treasure is a letdown compared with its difficulty.
Secret grottoes
Stones inside hidden grottoes in the Lost Woods, the Crater, Hyrule Field, Death Mountain, Kakariko Village and Zora’s River all share one hint, that Ganondorf’s horse is a solid black Gerudo stallion. The Stone of Agony helps you find these grottoes.
