Tingle is A Figurative Fairy, From a Certain Point of View

Fairies in The Legend of Zelda are very unique characters whose personalities have evolved greatly with each installment. In the past, you could say they were helpful beings, wanting nothing in return. Link could enter a fountain and gain a new item, magical ability, or health / magic restoration free of charge. Things have changed a bit with Breath of the Wild, as Great Fairies now charge multiple hundreds of Rupees to enhance armor sets (the days of free rewards are long gone, it would seem). With the notion that a fairy has to offer free rewards gone, I think that broadens the scope of characters that could be considered fairies. The first person who comes to my mind who could potentially be considered one is none other than Tingle: the self-proclaimed “reincarnation of a fairy.” Whether he is a figurative or literal fairy, I think throughout the series he has been helpful enough to be considered a fairy of some kind.

Tingle’s first appearance was in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Unlike other NPCs who make appearances across multiple games, Tingle’s personality is always the same as it was in his debut game. In Majora’s Mask, he is obsessed with fairies, and in every game since that he has been in, he is still fascinated by them. Notably, he also refers to Link as a fairy, and this makes me think that maybe being a fairy, or fairy-like, simply means you are being helpful beyond what might be considered normal kindness. Link goes out of his way to help as many people as possible, which is definitely a gesture of kindness that is rare to find.

As I’ve already established, I don’t think making a profit from helping someone negates the kindness of the act, and I want to clarify that this shouldn’t put any random shopkeeper in the running of being considered a fairy. Basically, it all boils down to how helpful the person is actually being. I think Tingle meets this criteria because a lot of his services and advice are actually very helpful. In my first playthrough of Majora’s Mask, I bought all the maps of the different regions from him, because I felt like I genuinely needed them. Tingle is probably the most helpful in The Wind Waker, where he gives Link a free sea chart that marks the location of fairy fountains and other landmarks, which comes in handy during the beginning of the game, before Link can freely explore the Great Sea to start getting his own sea chart expanded. 

 

Tingle’s Ancient Knowledge is Perhaps More Evidence He is a Real Fairy

Towards the end of The Wind Waker, Tingle will send Link the IN-credible Chart, which marks all the locations of the Triforce Charts spread around The Great Sea. Once Link obtains those Triforce Charts, he needs them translated, and the only person who can translate them is Tingle. This wouldn’t be such a big deal if it wasn’t for the fact that knowledge of the Triforce during this timeframe is completely forgotten by people on The Great Sea. I can’t remember any dialogue of The Great Deku Tree mentioning it, and the same goes for Valoo and Jabun. The closest we get is the Fishmen mentioning the “Triumph Forks.” Tingle is the only person who knows about the Triforce Charts, and somehow knows where all of them are hidden. If he is just a normal person, this makes absolutely no sense. If Tingle was a fairy, however, this wouldn’t be as strange. Despite him charging to get the Triforce Charts translated, it is still a very helpful thing he is doing, and that help is critical for Link’s journey to progress.

Moving on, in The Minish Cap, Tingle will fuse Kinstones with Link, believing that fusing them all will make him a real fairy. Fusing Kinstones with him and his three brothers will unlock the Magical Boomerang, which is a definite upgrade from the game’s standard Boomerang. It’s not something required to beat the game, but it’s a welcomed reward. This optional reward is much like magic and health upgrades, as well as Farore’s Wind and Nayru’s Love, which are all well appreciated rewards from Great Fairies, but not required.

The only other appearances Tingle has within the main series, besides as easter eggs, are in Oracle of Ages and Four Swords Adventures. In Oracle of Ages he once again plays a crucial role in the progress of Link’s quest. Link will need to get the Island Chart from Tingle to get to Crescent Island to enter Moonlit Grotto. Link can also get an upgraded seed satchel if he speaks to Tingle again. In Four Swords Adventures, Tingle is a bit antagonistic because he will attempt to take Force Gems before Link can; however, he does offer insights and tips into certain areas with the Tingle Times. His competition for Force Gems doesn’t really mess up his status to potentially be a fairy. While Link does need them to power up the Four Swords, to anyone else they are just currency, so you can’t blame him for trying to get some.

 

Conclusion

I am convinced Tingle goes above and beyond to be helpful in a similar way that fairies do. Although this does leave one question: if Tingle is already a fairy, why is his ambition to become one? Perhaps he isn’t a literal fairy, instead being a figurative one? If he is a real fairy, maybe he is just oblivious to that fact? I’m leaning more towards him being a figurative fairy. He meets what I consider to be the main qualities of a fairy, but he obviously isn’t physically one.

Do you think Tingle is a fairy of some kind? If not, do you at least think he is not an ordinary character, much like the Happy Mask Salesman? Sound off in the comments below!

Charles is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. He is a massive fan of Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and Marvel Comics. He enjoys Skittles immensely. Follow him on Twitter to see his Breath of the Wild 2-inspired artwork!

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