The Forbidden Lands

Paintings from the official artbook featuring (from above) the bridge to the shrine, its main hall with idols, and the altar with Mono and Wander.

“	That place...began from the resonance of intersecting points... They are memories replaced by ens and naught and etched into stone. Blood, young sprouts, sky - and the one with the ability to control beings created from light... In that world, it is said that if one should wish it, one can bring back the souls of the dead. But to trespass upon that land is strictly forbidden...	”
–Lord Emon

The Forbidden Lands (Japanese: 禁断の地 kindan no ji; also 古えの地 inishie no ji, lit. "land of the ancient times") are a vast expanse of open plains, narrow passages, large deserts, and thick forests. It is the setting for Shadow of the Colossus, and almost all of it is open to explore right at the beginning of the game. The sixteen colossi, the physical manifestations of the sixteen pieces of Dormin, are dispersed throughout; the Ancient Sword is used as a compass in sunlit areas to point the way to the next colossus.

The Shrine of Worship sits in the center of the Forbidden Lands. The only way to reach it - to reach the Forbidden Lands at all - is by a long, thin bridge that extends from the Shrine all the way to an adorned entrance at the top of the northern cliffs. The Forbidden Lands has many unique and varied locations. Some are rugged and harsh, while others are lush and beautiful. Certain areas are home to the colossi and can be hard to navigate. Lakes, rivers, deserts, forests, mountains, plains, and the ruins of an ancient civilization are just some examples of the landscape.

Maps

See also: Blank map of the Forbidden Lands

• PS2 map
• PS4 map
• Early map

A map of the Forbidden Lands with all save shrines, fruit trees, and white-tailed lizards marked, and all colossi marked and numbered.

A map of Forbidden Lands with all 16 Сolossi, Shrines, Fruits, Lizards and 79 Coins.

Blank early map of Forbidden Lands.

Location Chart

0					F0
1		Umbral Glade x 2 x 1	VII Lakeside	Dried Marsh x 1	XI Leo's Cave x 1 x 1	XV Parthenon Desert Fortress x 1
2		XIV Ruins	Stone Arch Gorge x 2	III Arena	Northern Span x 2	XII Poseidon's Lake Misty Falls x 1
3	C3 x 1	x 1 x 1	IX Geyser	Ravine Entrance Round Stone Hill x 2 x 2	II Proto	Half-moon Canyon x 1
4	X Gravewind Lair to the West Lair on the Mesa x 1	Western Plain x 2 x 3	x 2 x 2	Stone Bridge Cliff x 3	Shrine of Worship x 1 x 2	Cliff Path x 1 x 1	V Canyon
5	Western Cape x 2 x 2	Arch Bridge Plain x 1	Blasted Lands x 3	Autumn Forest x 3 x 2	I Temple	IV Kirin's Hill
6		x 2 x 1	VI Canossa x 2 x 2	XIII Desert	x 1	VIII Underground Valley Plain x 2 x 3	Eastern Bluff x 2 x 4
7			Southwestern Cape x 2 x 2	E7 x 2 x 3	Southern Plain x 6	Green Cape x 2 x 3	x 2
8				E8 x 1	XVI Sanctuary The Broken Seal x 1	x 1
A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H

Interactive Maps

These are maps where the user can interact with the various icons throughout. Zoom in and out, disable any icon you don't want to see in the Filter tab on the top left, and click the icons to read descriptions and go to other pages.

• PS2 & PS3 Map
• Early Map

Interactive map (PS2/3)

Interactive map (Early)

This map was made by fans based on how the original map was presumed to look like.

Music

There are two pieces of music from the game's soundtrack that are associated with the Forbidden Lands, even though neither of them are heard as an overworld theme. However, they do play if the game's main menu is left to idle. The first piece, "The Farthest Land" (alternatively translated as "End of the Land" in the iam8bit vinyl record album), features the Bozouki instrument, and it is heard during the Agro roaming sequences. An alternate dry version of it exists called "The Farthest Land (Reprise)". The second, "Sky Burial", features an oboe melody, and it plays during the kite flight sequences. See Shadow of the Colossus: Roar of the Earth for further details.