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Dampé
| Dampé | |
|---|---|
 Artwork of Link and Dampé for the Switch remake The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening | |
| First appearance | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) |
| Latest appearance | The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (2019) |
| Species | Hylian, Ghost |
| Counterpart(s) | Dampé? |
Dampé, sometimes spelled Dampe, is a gravekeeper who appears in many The Legend of Zelda games. He first appears in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Dampé has a hunched back, lumpy, asymmetrical face, and pale skin. Despite his alarming appearance, he is generally quite friendly.
History[edit]
The Legend of Zelda series[edit]
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time[edit]
In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Dampé is located in the Kakariko Village graveyard. He sleeps during the day but is awake during the night.
When Link is a child, Dampé wakes up at sunset and hosts the Heart-Pounding Gravedigging Tour for three hours, where participants can dig for treasure in the graveyard. Additionally, during this time, Link can enter his house and read his diary, where he has written that he has dug up a "treasure" capable of springing out and retracting, which he finds fun enough he does not want to give it to anyone else. During the day, a child walks around the graveyard, imitating Dampé. If Link tries to pull on a gravestone, the kid threatens to tell Dampé.
During the time Link is an adult, Dampé is dead, and his diary says that his treasure can be found in his grave. Dampé's Ghost is there too, and challenges Link to keep up with him along a path to be rewarded the treasure, which is the Hookshot item. Aside from simply an NPC, Dampé's Ghost acts as a sort of enemy, throwing fireballs from a Poe-like lantern to slow Link down. Additionally, Navi provides information on him if targeted by Link. After keeping up with him once, doing so again while taking a short enough time (which is easiest done after the Longshot is obtained) grants Link a Piece of Heart.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask[edit]
In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Dampe lives in the Ikana Graveyard as the gravekeeper. Despite his job, he spooks easily, so while he walks around the graveyard in the daytime, he locks himself in his house at night. He dislikes Bad Bats, so if Link defeats all of them in the area while he is out, he will award Link some Rupees. If spoken to normally, he will explain the history behind the large skeleton next to his house. If spoken to while wearing the Captain's Hat, he will mistake Link for a day-walking Stalchild and run back to his house in a panic, locking the door behind him.
On the night of the third day, Dampe is in his expansive basement, which can be accessed from one of the graves above on that night alone via talking with some Stalchildren. Speaking to Dampe reveals that he is attempting to find an ancient treasure supposedly buried in the ruins there, but cannot see due to the darkness. Using Tatl as a light, Link must guide him to several digging spots. Some are on the ground, but some are higher up and require leading Dampe to moving platforms to reach. Three of the spots contain flames, and upon each being dug up, they combine into a Big Poe. Upon seeing it, Dampe runs up the stairs and hides under his bed, where he stays until Link starts the three-day cycle over.
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures[edit]
In The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, Dampe lives in the graveyard portion of the Swamp. He is unable to work due to an abundance of Ghinis and Giant Ghinis, as well as being attacked by Shadow Links. When the Links meet him, he tells them about the Dark Mirror.
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap[edit]
In The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, Dampé lives in the Royal Valley, retaining his role as gravekeeper. He gives the Graveyard Key to Link, allowing him to access the Royal Crypt. According to his figurine, Dampé enjoys fusing Kinstones with the local ghosts. If Link fuses a Kinstone with Dampé, he can access Gina's tomb.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds[edit]
In The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Dampé works at the graveyard near the Sanctuary, though it is unclear where he lives. He looks somewhat different from usual, having slightly tanned skin and a yellow shirt, and also usually (but not always) speaks in the third person. He seems to have an interest in Seres, and when she is menaced by Yuga, he opens a secret passage for Link to get inside the Sanctuary. In Lorule, he has a purple-tinted counterpart simply called Dampé?, who according to his own dialog may or may not be a ghost himself.
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo Switch)[edit]
In the Nintendo Switch remake for The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Dampé is located in his shack on Tal Tal Heights. His main role is to craft chambers, which can be arranged into Chamber Dungeons. If Link visits him before completing Bottle Grotto, he will tell him that he is making something but is not finished, telling him to come back later. Once Link has finished the dungeon, Dampé will call to Link from outside his shack and tell him that after returning BowWow, he should visit. From there, he explains and opens the Chamber Dungeon challenges.
Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda[edit]
In Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda, Dampé lives in the northmost house of Kakariko Village, next to the graveyard. He finds whichever hero Cadence did not wake at the beginning of the game in an enchanted sleep and brings them to his home to keep them safe. When the remaining hero meets him, he tasks them with getting the Hibiscus Potion from the nearby Kakariko Crypt to break the sleeping spell.
In the future Hyrule, after Kakariko Village has been destroyed by Ganon, Dampé's Ghost continues to do his job, saying there are more graves needing dug than ever.
Figurine description[edit]
| Figurine | No. | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
026 | Dampé | "The gravedigger at the cemetery. They say he has the power to speak with the dead. He fuses the Kinstones he digs up with the local ghosts." |
Gallery[edit]
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo Switch) profile image from Twitter
Names in other languages[edit]
Dampé[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ダンペイ Danpei |
Dampé |
Dampé's Ghost[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ダンペイの霊 Danpei no Rei |
Dampé's Ghost |
| French | Spectre d'Igor | Igor's Spectre |
| German | Geist von Boris | Ghost of Boris |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 达培的鬼魂 Dápéi de Guǐhún |
Dampé's Ghost |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 達培的鬼魂 Dápéi de Guǐhún |
Dampé's Ghost |
- Hylians
- Paranormal
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time characters
- The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask characters
- The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures characters
- The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap characters
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds characters
- Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda characters
- The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo Switch)
