| Staldra | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Naming | |||
| Others | Stalfydre (French) Stalydra (German) Tritestalfos (Italian) Tristalfos (Spanish (NOA)) | ||
| Original | スタルヘッド | ||
| Romanization | Sutaru Heddo (Stal Head) | ||
| Morphology | |||
| Body type | Serpentine | ||
| Intelligence | |||
| Sentience | Sentient | ||
| Sapience | Non-sapient | ||
| Aggressivity | High | ||
| Ecology | |||
| Place of origin | The Surface | ||
| Habitat | Skyview Temple, Lanayru Mining Facility | ||
| Diet | Carnivorous (former) | ||
| Locomotion | Slithering | ||
| Subspecies | Is a subspecies an unknown species of Hydra | ||
| Status | Undead (base species is likely extinct) | ||
| Behind the Scenes | |||
| Universe | The Legend of Zelda | ||
| “ | This is a snake monster from before the dawn of time. Three bone-plated heads and a thirst to cause pain keep it writhing even beyond death. My analysis shows that to defeat this cursed snake, all three of its heads must be simultaneously destroyed. |
” |
— Fi
| ||
Staldras are the undead, mummified remains of an unknown species of three-headed Hydra that appear to have gone extinct well before the start of The Legend of Zelda series. Despite their death, they can regenerate their heads if they are cut off. Although they appear to have had four eyes per head in life, they only have a glowing light indicating a single eye in each skull in undeath.
In order to slay a Staldra, one must destroy all three of their heads at the same time or otherwise they will regenerate any lost heads. This can be accomplished the hard way with simple sword swipes but a more inventive adventurer can either shield bash it when it lunges forward to stun it, or hit it with a bomb; with this latter technique however one must get all three of its heads to look towards the bomb before detonation. Those choosing to simply strike with their blade must keep track of a Staldra's heads as they move about. As one must destroy all three heads at the same time, and thus they will need to strike once the heads have aligned either horizontally or diagonally; if they are in an uneven position they will survive the attack unless the other heads are destroyed very quickly after.
Staldras are intelligent enough to keep their heads moving, however before striking at a prey.
Etymology[]
"Staldra" is a portmanteau of "Stal", a common prefix used in Hyrule to denote skeletal versions of creatures (most commonly known in the Stalfos), and "Hydra", a mythical, multiple-headed serpentine creature from Greek legend fought and slain by Hercules, and that is a common monster trope in media.
Appearances[]
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (First appearance)