“Do you know my mother’s song? Everyone really liked that song… My dad… Even Mr. Ingo… But…since Ganondorf appeared, Mr. Ingo has changed completely. I can remember the good old days only while I sing the song.”
Malon – Ocarina of Time
Lon Lon Ranch is one of the most well known locations in the Zelda series – not only is it where you can purchase the famous Lon Lon Milk, but it is also where you obtain your horse Epona, meet Malon, and see looming signs of the darkness and sadness looming over Hyrule as Ganondorf seizes control of the kingdom.
Lon Lon Ranch is owned by Talon, the father of Malon. His brother, Ingo also works on the farm. Seven years after Link first visits the ranch, he learns it has been taken over by Ingo with the help of Ganondorf, renamed it ‘Ingo Ranch’, and has kicked out Talon. Malon is forced to comply with Ingo’s demands as she fears he will harm the horses.
This part of the story in Ocarina of Time really delves into a personal and hard time in life for my family. My grandparents had a very large and beautiful dairy farm. Long story short – during hard times the farm was basically stolen by them from someone who pretended to have their best interests in mind. The evil man, who we will refer to as “Gil”, had one of his henchmen set fire to the barn whilst the animals were still inside. I had an uncle who was still living on the farm at the time, and he was able to go into the burning barn and rescue the animals in time.
As time went on, we were still staying in the home with the looming threat of being evicted (it was a very large century home with about 17 rooms). The home had no heating, other than a woodstove which was used to only heat the living room and the kitchen. The roof was leaking so much, I remember making nightly trips to the attic with my grandmother to empty buckets of water out of garbage pails sitting on the floor to catch the water. At the time I was quite young and did not understand the devastation of this situation, however as an adult I have come to understand it more and the sadness and indignity of it all.
This memory really comes to me in my mind when I think of the perils of Lon Lon Ranch. Recently I have been playing Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and the ruins of Lon Lon Ranch are near Hyrule Castle. Sometimes I feel I have such a strong bond with the Zelda series, as many of the stories run in parallels with my own life and experiences. I feel it allows me to relive them, but in a positive way in which I can control the outcome for greater good.
I never got a chance to play… really any of the Legend of Zelda games. Life was always just… too complicated to really sit down and bask in it, in the way I know my brain needs too. But I used to download video game music from Kazaa and Limewire, and I always loved Zelda music, and thats when I found the Orchestral version of Lon Lon Ranch. Its always been one of my faves. Still haven’t really gotten further than the Deku Tree though lol.
I’ve had some recent memories stirred up by games, and, sadly most of my memories are negative, but the games I played during those really dark times are always the brightest moments.
I recall getting the Special Edition LOZ after my GameCube broke. I always wanted to play it but to the expansion park couldn’t at the time.
It was surreal coming back here after traveling forward in time. I didn’t expect the town to be zombie filled or the mountain looking grim. My one of my favorite memories was escaping the ranch on houseback.
Always great to look back on that place!