Dominion Rod
"You got the Dominion Rod! This mystical artifact breathes life into ancient statues. Set it to [B] on the ["-"] screen, use [W] to aim [R], and press [B] to swing the rod. Statues that have received its light and been filled with life will move like their master.[1]"
The Dominion Rod, also called the Rod of the Heavens, is an item that appears exclusively in Twilight Princess. Link acquires the Dominion Rod in the Temple of Time, after defeating the Mini-Boss, a Darknut. It can be used to control statues, such as the Ancient Statue found in the Temple of Time or the Owl Statues found across Hyrule. Once these statues have been controlled, they will move exactly as their master, whom in this case is Link.[1] The main use of this is to move them to a new location, which is the premise behind most of the puzzles that involve the Dominion Rod.
Lost Power
Once Link returns from the past-state of the Sacred Grove and into the present-state, Ooccoo tells him that the Dominion Rod is what she has been looking for.[2][3] She continues by revealing to Link that she can see that the rod's power has been exhausted.[4] Before running off in search of the Owl Statues that "respond to the rod",[5] Ooccoo mumbles about a spell that will restore the Dominion Rod's power, which she has forgotten.[6] After Ooccoo is gone, Midna explains to Link that without its power the Dominion Rod is just more baggage.[7] However, she says that restoring the power to the rod will definitely come in handy, especially in their attempt to reach the heavens, where the final Mirror Shard lies.[8]
Restoring the Power
The Dominion Rod is completely unused during the first few events of the quest to reach the City in the Sky. It is finally brought back once Link has given Ilia's Charm back to Ilia. After telling Link that she is fine and that he must return to his quest,[9] she tells Link that Impaz from the Hidden Village is waiting for the messenger of the heavens who holds the rod of the heavens, because it is by royal decree that she gives him something.[10] The mysterious rod is obvious the Dominion Rod, so that makes Link the messenger of the heavens. With this new found knowledge, Link can head back over to the Hidden Village, where Impaz awaits. Appearing arriving in the Hidden Village and entering Impaz's House, Link can show Impaz the Dominion Rod, at which point Impaz will exclaim that Link is the messenger to the heavens.[11] After a little backstory of the Dominion Rod, she will give Link the Ancient Sky Book, which by royal decree was only to be given to the messenger of the heavens.[12][13] She concludes by telling Link that the book is written in the ancient language of Sky Writing.[14]
With the Ancient Sky Book in hand, Link can head to the basement of the Sanctuary, where Shad awaits. After showing Shad the book, he will exclaim that this book may contain the word that breaks the seal on the Owl Statue found in the basement.[15] He tries it out, but there is no reaction.[16] However, Shad thanks Link for bringing him one step closer to solving this puzzle.[17] He returns the book to Link[17] and explains that he is going to try the word out on the other statues.[18] He concludes by offering to mark Link's map with the locations of the other statues.[19] Once Shad has left, the Dominion Rod will start flashing. Link will hold it up, exclaiming that the statue has regained its power thanks to the word spoken by Shad. With the Dominion Rod's power back, Link can continue his quest in search of the City in the Sky.
Owl Statue Locations
Sky Characters
There are only a few locations which Link can use the Dominion Rod on the Owl Statues. Firstly, there are the six locations that each hide a Sky Character. These locations are in the Faron Woods, Kakariko Gorge, Bridge of Eldin, Hyrule Field outside of Castle Town, just north of the Great Bridge of Hylia, and in the Gerudo Desert. Additionally, each of these locations include a puzzle, where Link must use the Dominion Rod to move the Owl Statues into certain position where he can jump on there in order to reach another platform. Each platform carries a Treasure Chest, which holds either a Piece of Heart or an orange Rupee depending on the location.
Final Dungeons
There are only two other places where Owl Statues can be found, and those are found within the Cave of Ordeals and Hyrule Castle, respectively. In the Cave of Ordeals, there are two Owl Statues that push down switches. Moving these statues releases the switches, opening the gate that leads to the next floor. In Hyrule Castle, the Owl Statues are found in the hidden graveyard at the back of the dungeon. These Owl Statues must be moved to a location where Link can jump on them to reach another platform, where a Small Key lies.
Trivia
- There is a glitch in Twilight Princess which allows Link to bypass the entire Sky Cannon quest by transforming into a wolf right in front of the Owl Statue in the basement of the Sanctuary. If done correctly, Link will land on the statue, allowing him to continue into the depths of the basement. This allows Link to skip the entire Temple of Time dungeon. Since the Dominion Rod is only required to collect the Sky Characters, which is during the Sky Cannon quest, this glitch makes it possible to complete the game without collecting the Dominion Rod.
Gallery
Dominion Rod Artwork from Hyrule Historia
Power Returning to the Dominion Rod
References
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