Phoeni

Phoeni

Gender	Female
Games	Skyward Sword
Location	Knight Academy Restroom
Quests	Cawlin's Love Letter
Related	???

Phoeni is a mysterious female hand from Skyward Sword.

Skyward Sword

		This is the hand of a ghost. The ghost's original name is unknown. Judging from its appearance, I calculate a 90% chance it belonged to a young girl. Over 80% of ghosts are said to harbor some kind of unfulfilled desire. I suggest you cease being scared and speak to her.

Phoeni in Skyward Sword can be found asking for paper from within a toilet inside Knight Academy's Restroom on Skyloft. After speaking to Phoeni for the first time, Link can find Cawlin just outside the toilet door during the day. He asks Link to deliver a love letter to Karane. At this point, the side quest can go in two different directions.

Firstly, Link can choose to give the letter to Phoeni; this causes Phoeni to fall in love with Cawlin after reading the letter. If Link visits Cawlin in Groose's room at night, Phoeni can be seen stroking Cawlin's back, giving him nightmares. Since Phoeni is so happy at this new found love, she rewards Link with five Gratitude Crystals. Unfortunately, Cawlin is unable to sleep for the rest of the game, as Phoeni stays with him every night. The second option of this side quest is to give the letter to its intended target: Karane. Phoeni is not involved in this option.

Additionally, it was confirmed to be female by Fi, and looks more like a glove than a hand, as with ??? in previous games.

Origins

"In the original Legend of Zelda game, a gigantic hand appears and grabs you at the entrance to a dungeon. Actually, that has nothing to do with Skyward Sword. [Laughs] It's actually something from a Japanese ghost story. Not a specific ghost story. There are some ghost stories in Japan where — when you are sitting in the bathroom in the traditional style of the Japanese toilet — a hand is actually starting to grab you from beneath. It's a very scary story."

— Shigeru Miyamoto

Gallery

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  Phoeni in the toilet in Skyward Sword

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  Phoeni with Cawlin in Skyward Sword

Trivia

• The name "Phoeni" was originally used only in the Prima Games Skyward Sword Strategy Guide. It was later used in-game in Skyward Sword HD.

References

1. ↑ ^{1.1 1.2 1.3} "This is the hand of a ghost. Identity while alive is unknown. Judging from the look of this hand, the probability that it was a young girl's is 90%. Master, the letter you gave her from Cawlin has inspired feelings for him. The ghost's original purpose for the letter is still unclear." — Fi, Skyward Sword.
2. ↑ "Oooh... Paper... Please... Somebody bring me paper... Bring me some paper... Any kind of paper at all... Ooooh..." — Phoeni, Skyward Sword.
3. ↑ "You fool! How dare you! This is no ordinary piece of paper! It's a letter! A very special one at that! I put my heart into every word... I guess you could say it's sort of like a... All right, fine! It's a love letter! And that is why you will not, under any circumstances, EVER allow it to be used as toilet paper! Do you hear me?! So listen up! The person you must give it to is a girl... An upperclassman... Her name is Karane. You know who I mean, right? She's the one with the round hat. She's really cute. You know the one. And don't you dare...not even by mistake...even think of giving it to that weirdo in the restroom! Swear it!" — Cawlin, Skyward Sword.
4. ↑ "It's good to see you again... Actually, thanks to you, I met my true love... Yes, him... It all started with that letter that you gave me... Those beautiful words of affection caused me to fall hopelessly in love..." — Phoeni, Skyward Sword.
5. ↑ Shigeru Miyamoto, Entertainment Weekly, February 10th, 2012
6. ↑ "No, it's not for Phoeni, it's a (probably doomed) love letter for your classmate Karane." — Prima Games Skyward Sword Collector's Edition Strategy Guide, pg. 231