The following article is a theory article which only reflects the opinions of the writer and not ZeldaInformer as a whole. It refers to themes pertaining to the chosen hero which are only representative of Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess. Furthermore, this article is based on the commonly accepted theory that the Hero's Shade is the Hero of Time. With that said, enjoy the read.
Compared to other games in the Zelda series, Twilight Princess never offered a definitive backstory that relates it to other games. Although its timeline placement is firmly secured on the child arc, ages after Majora's Mask, the game doesn't begin with a set connection to another game. That is not to say that Twilight Princess is without a backstory entirely, because all throughout the game references are made to a hero of old, and the conflict surrounding him. Beyond mere references, in Twilight Princess Link comes face to face with the referenced ancient hero. In Twilight Princess, the Hero of Time makes an appearance, as the character that has come to be known as the Hero's Shade.
It didn't take fans long to conclude that the Hero's Shade of Twilight Princess was the Hero of Time. As well as the timeline placement and themes of Twilight Princess indicating a connection to the legendary hero, numerous similarities at a more personal level are evident. The Hero's Shade was a left-handed swordsman, like the Hero of Time, remembering that the Gamecube version of Twilight Princess is the more canon release. The continuously active footwork of the Hero's Shade when standing still in a battle reflected none other than the Hero of Time.
The repertoire of songs associated with the howling stones was chiefly comprised of songs from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, with some others in the mix. Although the connection between the Hero's Shade and the Hero of Time is firmly established, there is one important question that Twilight Princess failed to answer. Why is the Hero of Time alive as no more than the shade of his former self? Why is the hero living this cursed afterlife? To fully answer that question, it's best to track his journey from Ocarina of Time's ending.
The Hero's Downfall
Precisely when in time the Hero of Time returned at the conclusion of Ocarina of Time remains a topic heavily debated, but regardless of individual beliefs on the matter, it is certain that he set out to stop Ganondorf from obtaining the Triforce on the child timeline. With the Ganondorf of the adult timeline successfully imprisoned, all that remained was to do the same on the child timeline. The ethereal sages of Twilight Princess give insight into this conflict. They speak of Ganondorf being the 'leader of a band of thieves', who tried to establish 'dominion over the sacred realm', however that 'he was blind'. Eventually Ganondorf was subdued and 'brought to justice.' It is only logical to assume that the young Hero of Time played a role in capturing Ganondorf, which lead to his execution at the hand of the sages. Even with the hero's valiant efforts to stop Ganondorf, the evil thief still managed to obtain the Triforce of Power, by what the sages call a 'diving prank'. The Hero of Time remained unaware.
Though fairly proud of his success, the Hero of Time was still disheartened by the loss of a friend, which led him into his Terminian adventure. Throughout Majora's Mask he only became more heroic, as he developed more skills and collected a new arsenal of weaponry, including the Hero's Bow. With his journey completed, the ending of Majora's Mask shows the hero on his way back home to Hyrule. Where exactly he made his home for the rest of his life is a mystery, and there are numerous possibilities. With his connection to Zelda and the Royal Family, let alone being heroic, it is quite likely that Link lived out his days in Hyrule Castle. There is the possibility that he became a prominent knight and powerful in Hyrule, but there is no evidence for such a claim.
Once in his adulthood, the hero wore a new tunic; one reinforced with chain mail that was more fitting for such a hero. This would come to be known as the Hero's Clothes, and was given to Link in Twilight Princess by Faron. At some stage the Hero's Bow that he had found in Termina fell into the care of the proud Goron tribe. The Hero of Time came to posses knowledge of the hidden skills, which he teaches Link in Twilight Princess. Whether he was taught them, or invented them himself is, of course, unknown, like many other aspects of the hero's life. One thing that can be established is that the Hero of Time became a father.
Because of Link's possession of the Triforce of Courage in Twilight Princess, and because of a number of comments from the Hero's Shade, players learn that Link is a bloodline descendant from the Hero of Time, which of course means that the Hero of Time fathered at least one child. According to all of this information, it would seem that the hero lived a very productive, fruitful and pleasing life; however, that clearly was not the case. The life of the hero was one filled with regret.
"Although I accepted life as the hero, I could not convey the lessons of that life to those who came after." - Hero's Shade
The hero lived out his life and died regretting two things: both the past and the future. The hero firstly regretted that on both timelines he had done nothing but stop Ganondorf and seal him away, not defeat him. Ganondorf's return was always a looming inevitability. Secondly, although he had children, they themselves were not heroes. He wanted to pass on his knowledge as a hero to help those who would save Hyrule in the future. He wanted to mentor the new hero, but there was no hero who he could develop this bond with. He had never truly defeated Ganondorf, and so he wanted to pass his skills onto somebody that would, when the time was right. At some stage he would have learned that Ganondorf obtained the Triforce of Power, despite his heroic efforts. The Hero of Time now felt like a failure. His lifetime transpired, and no new hero came. He reached his death, taking his skills, his knowledge and his regrets to the grave; yet, this wasn't the end of the hero.
In Ocarina of Time, the Kakariko Graveyard served as the Royal burial place, however by the era of Twilight Princess, Hyrule Castle had its own graveyard. This well hidden and seldom explored graveyard is tucked behind Hyrule Castle. Within the spooky walls of the graveyard there is a tombstone inscribed with the words 'The cursed swordsman...sleeps before...the sacred tree.' The grave mentioned appears to be guarded by deceased Hylian knights, and as the tombstone reads, a notable tree marks the location. This graveyard is in ruin, and may well be a forgotten place, but maybe this is the grave of the Hero of Time himself. He died full of regrets, which is enough in itself to warrant the title of cursed, but the meaning here goes deeper. This is a case of the cursed afterlife.
In the Zelda universe, regret is one of the very causes of prolonged life. The Wind Waker tells of King Daphnes living well beyond the usual lifespan, all because of his regrets over Hyrule and Ganondorf. In Majora's Mask we see numerous cases of the same simple principle. People live a cursed half-life, and can only pass into eternal rest once their regrets are dispelled. Kamaro wanders in the afterlife because he regrets never being able to teach the world his dance. All throughout Ikana there are people who share the same fate. They wander aimlessly, regretting the wars of the past, wanting only to hear that the war has ended. Based on this very same principle, even though the Hero of Time died, he lived on in a miserable and cursed afterlife. He waited ages for the next hero to come, and then, in Twilight Princess, that very thing occurred.
Because of the Hero of Time's failure, Ganondorf returned to wreak havoc on Hyrule, adding even more regrets to the hero's burden, but his hope was not void, as finally, the new hero came. Link of Twilight Princess had just begun his journey to save his friends, and the hero knew that finally the time had come. He sensed promise in Link; he sensed the same heroic spirit that had once driven him. The Hero's Shade seized the opportunity. Through his descendant he could ease his regrets, defeating Ganondorf for good. Link is first approached by the Hero's Shade on the way to the Forest Temple, once he has earned the hero's old garment. Throughout Twilight Princess the hero mentors Link, passing on his skills and knowledge, also easing his regrets in the process. The Hero's Shade helps Link to become a true hero; even encouraging him with the very words that the Happy Mask Salesman once spoke to him: 'Believe in your strengths'.
The hero meets and trains Link in a very mystical and ethereal realm; one that isn't explained and seems new to the Zelda series, however it is quite likely that the realm is not new. It's a possibility that the realm is actually a staple to the series: The Sacred Realm. It is something up for personal interpretation as to whether or not the Sacred Realm is corrupted at the time of Twilight Princess, but the similarities are explicit. In Twilight Princess the location is in the sky above Hyrule, with floating pillars made of rock. This environment bears a striking resemblance to the Sacred Realm as depicted in A Link to the Past's Manual. Furthermore, both the Sacred Realm and the realm of the Hero's Shade are referred to as another world to Hyrule. The Hero's Spirit says 'return to your world', and Sheik once informed the Hero of Time that the Temple of Time is where 'you can enter the Sacred Realm from our world.' The location of the Hero's Shade is one that is clearly not accessed physically, but rather spiritually. Although the reasoning is questionable, the Hero's Shade appears to dwell within the Sacred Realm.
In retrospect, the location is not necessarily an important aspect of the Hero of Time's story. What's important is that from before the beginning of Twilight Princess, up to the end, the hero is there to mentor Link and make him worthy of the green tunic that he wears. The burden that the Hero's Shade bears disintegrates as Twilight Princess progresses. Each skill he passes on is a relief to him, so there's no wonder that he counts the skills and emphasizes that they have been 'passed on'. With only one skill left to pass on, if Link shows a reluctance to learn it, the hero shows an uncharacteristic outburst where he tells Link to 'begone'. This is because he felt that he was so close to finally resting, but that he had hoped in vain, as Link was not the new hero. In the end, Link learns all of the hidden skills and becomes the true hero who can save Hyrule. The Hero of Time declares that 'At last, I have eased my regrets.' From here Link advances to defeat Ganondorf, in what many will argue is where Ganondorf is truly killed. With both of his regrets eased, the Hero of Time can finally go into the eternal and peaceful rest of death. The ending of Twilight Princess marks the end of the cursed hero, and even though the Hero's Shade is gone, the spirit that drives heroes to their destiny will never be extinguished.
The Sublime Beast
In a series where evil continuously threatens humanity and one known as the hero overthrows the villain, restoring peace to the land, players have to wonder, what makes a hero? Is a hero simply someone who stands up to evil and saves the day, or is a hero something much more specific and special in Hylain lore? According to the Hero's Shade, there is a spirit which is housed within those who become true heroes. The hero of the past states that to be a hero is to be a part of a specific bloodline and to possess the spirit of the sublime beast. This power, this heroic spirit, is something that flows in the blood of every hero.
The term 'sublime beast' pertains to a proud, heroic or even divine animal. To be a hero is to be a sublime beast, and this, of course, corresponds with both the Hero's Shade and the Link of Twilight Princess. Link takes on his wolf, or 'beast', form when he enters the Twilight curtain, and it is later discovered that the Hero's Shade can manifest himself as a golden wolf. Both heroes contain this spirit and are of the same bloodline. Hence, whenever evil stirs in Hyrule, one from the heroic bloodline will be filled with the hero's spirit that awakens within them, and embark on their quest for justice.
"You were transformed into a blue-eyed beast...That was a sign... It was a sign that the powers of the chosen one rest within you...and that they are awakening. Look at your awakened form... The green tunic that is your garb once belonged to the ancient hero chosen by the gods... His power is yours. His is the true power that slept within you. Your name is Link. You are the hero chosen by the gods." -Faron
When there is need for a hero in Hyrule, the spirit of the hero awakens within one who is worthy; one who is chosen by the gods. When Link was first pulled into the Twilight curtain and transformed into a wolf, this showed that the heroic spirit had awakened within him. The Hero of Time awoke as the legendary hero after a seven year sleep in the Sacred Realm. Sheik informed him that 'When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be Sages.' This is potentially the voice of the hero's spirit calling to both the sages, and to the one who will be the hero.
Once awakened, the hero's journey beings. The hero must progress on his path to destiny, or the path of the hero, often spoken of by the Hero's Shade. The spirit of the hero guides heroes along the lonely path to return peace to Hyrule. Like the Biblical Holy Spirit guides believers, the hero's spirit guides the hero chosen by the gods, when the gods aren't present themselves.
This heroic spirit contains a number of qualities and characteristics. It guides heroes to accomplish their daunting tasks, and equips them with the courage necessary to do so. Courage is the virtue of the hero. The Hero's Shade says 'A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage', which may specifically refer to possession of the Triforce of Courage as a necessary trait of a hero. Courage is the driving force of all heroes to push forward against the ever increasing odds.
Link in Twilight Princess is assumed to be around the age of 17, a similar age to the Hero of Time, who was initially too young to become the hero. The heroic spirit stored the Hero of Time away for seven years, until he reached the mature age of 17. Another characteristic of the hero's spirit appears to be age; that is, being an adult. In The Adventure of Link this quality is replicated, where Link has to reach a 'certain age' before he gains the Triforce crest on his hand, acknowledging him as the hero. Those deemed worthy as the hero are capable of wielding the Master Sword, and fighting alongside Zelda with the light arrows.
To Midna, Link's transformation into a wolf came as no surprise. The Twili had a prophecy that 'the hero will appear as a divine beast' in their world. Midna is able to identify Link as the hero because of his wolf form, showing that the hero's spirit's correspondence with a wolf is something known, to however many or few.
As heroes progress on their adventure, the more heroic they become. The Hero's Shade compliments Link that he looks more heroic than the last time they met, but he isn't the only one who can notice it. Renado was reminded of the tales told about the ancient Hero of Time at the sight of Link. Both Queen Rutela and Prince Ralis felt a power that they could trust and place their hope in within Link. There's also Telma, who can sense the promise in Link when she says 'This swordsman of ours has great eyes, honey. They're proud and wild...like a feral beast.' The longer the hero's spirit dwells within someone the more valiant they become. Through the hero's spirit's guidance, the chosen hero is able to defeat the evils threatening Hyrule and restore peace to the land.
The Connection
Both the Hero of Time and Link from Twilight Princess were mere people who, belonging to the chosen bloodline, were destined to be inhabited by the spirit of the hero, or hero's spirit, when the time came. Some make the argument that the Hero's Shade is the heroic spirit that possesses Link, but it becomes evident that the two are separate entities. The Hero's Shade was just another man who was guided to be the hero by this heroic spirit of the sublime beast.
Because of his regrets and prolonged life, the Hero of Time was inhabited by the hero's spirit for much longer than a lifetime. As he taught Link his hidden skills throughout Twilight Princess the heroic spirit was passed onto the new hero. If the awakening voice that calls to the sages from the Sacred Realm is also the spirit which guides heroes, then it is explained why the Hero's Shade dwells in the Sacred Realm. The spirit of the hero dwells within the golden land when it isn't required to save Hyrule, and calls to the new hero when they are required. There is the possibility that for the time of his afterlife, the Hero's Shade was one with the spirit of the hero, guiding the new hero along his path to ease his regrets.
Throughout Twilight Princess both the terms 'a hero' and 'the hero' are used regularly, and when looking at the original Japanese, they are used interchangeably. The Japanese makes no distinction between 'a hero' and 'the hero', and so, someone who is a hero, is The Hero, meaning they possess the heroic spirit of the beast. The exact nature of the sublime beast is up for personal interpretation, like whether the Link from A Link to the Past in his rabbit form is another manifestation, and whether these themes can apply to a wider portion of the Zelda timeline. Nevertheless, heroes are mere men, selected by the gods to do their work. Although they may die, the true spirit of the hero will remain; ready to be awakened when Hyrule is on the brink of despair; to guide the new hero to his destiny.
If you would like to discuss this article with other Zelda fans, and the author, please head over to this thread at our forums.
Categories: Bombers Articles, Races & People, Theory Articles
Amazing. I have never thought about the spirit that way. Thanks for fitting everything together!
I always preferred the idea of the Hero's Shade being Dark Link. The red eyes, the hero skills, his name, the white wolf form etc. I like to think that with the 'twilighting' of the Dark Realm, he had become stuck in a ruined form inbetween light and dark and helps Link to return himself to normal. I think I just prefer it, as the idea of him being OoT Link just rings a little bit much of a fanfiction cop-out. Though I like how you linked it with the grave. It makes it a tad more... tasteful to me .
I don't see how he could be Dark Link... And even if he were, why would he help Link? The Shade's name, as far as I know, was crated by fans, and he has no real name in game. So it doesn't count as a connection between the Shade and Dark Link. For him to have the Hero's skills before the Hero, he would have to be a "Dark" version of a previous Link, and it seems easier for him to be the previous Link itself (Occam's Razor). And the red eyes are quite normal in ghosts if you look at it... I don't see how the "white wolf" (more like a yellow/golden wolf with white markings, if you ask me...) could relate to Dark link... Also, no one ever said the Dark World was "twilighted"... The Sacred Realm/Dark World is not even hinted at during the whole game (there would be no reason to do so, as the Triforce was barely mentioned). And no one ever stated that Dark Link came from the Dark World either (in AoL he seems to be a "last challenge" for the one who seeks the ToC, in OoT he seems to be just a mirage/illusion created in that room in the Water Temple, and in FSA he comes from another realm through a Magic Mirror, but the nature of such realm is not specified)...
Yeah. I'm not really reading too much into it. It's just my own personal theory. It's unlikely, at best. But I guess that's why Nintendo leave things like this ambigious.
Truly an interesting read. Very well-done Mel.
As far as him being left handed, fighting someone ho uses the opposite had would have been awkward. Do any of the monsters or other characters use their right hand?
There are some aspects that are rather too much like fan-fiction for my liking. His merely not having found a worthy successor is enough reason for him to have remained as a ghost rather than trying to invent scenarios that never happened like Ganondorf's capture.
The light spirit didn't give the gorons the bow, the Hero did.
Due to TP Link's location it seems more likely that the Hero of Time settled in Ordon (probably anonymously) though that does not necessarily mean he never became a knight of Hyrule and was buried in the castle (I'm don't really believe that's his grave though)
OoT Link probably went looking for any relatives after his adventures. Wouldn't you? His mother had fled into the woods. Why there? To get to the other side perhaps? The Hero might have had relatives in Ordona.
The Shade said the Skills have always stayed in his bloodline. He states he never taught them to anyone before TP Link therefore for his statement to be true the Shade must have learned them from someone in his family.
The Sacred Realm thing is just way to much speculation and weakens the whole article rather than adds to it.
Thank you for giving a better origin than 'Link was a Stalfos because of the Lost Woods'. Considering your theory, the Song of Healing is particularly notable (IIRC that was one of the wolf's songs). This makes me curious about ALttP Link's rabbit transformation and the comparison/contrast one could make about that.
Well, Ganondorf is right-handed... And, as far as artwork goes, so are all the biped enemies (can't check in-game models right now)... And a left-handed swordman should be used to fight people using the opposite hand, so it problably wouldn't be awkward to him...
Great stuff Mel :)
@Link's Uncle
Well in aLttP, the transformation is made based on the power of the Triforce as a whole reflecting Link's heart, not just a single Triforce piece.
As one person in the Dark World tells us, it just physically makes you into what your heart is. The character who says this tells us that he tranformed into a ball, because he could never make up his mind; constantly rolling around on things.
Not exactly sure what in Link's heart relates to a rabbit, but there must have been some parallel.
Nice work Mel. =)
@ CaulainCourt:
Link wouldn't go looking for mother, she died. His other relatives are most likely dead as well.
Your article was really interesting, but, although I enjoyed readind it, I think you messed up that the sword and shield of the Hero's Shade are similar to the Gilded Sword and the Mirror Shield respectively from Majora's Mask. Also, do you remember that in OoT is said that the children who get lost in the lost woods become Skull Kids and the lost adults become Stalfos? Well, this might be the a reason why the Hero's Shade looked a lot like a Stalfos. Another thing is that the Hero's Shade, in one opportunity, refers to Link as "My child". What do you thing about this last thing?
This is a great article. You've summed up pretty much every pro-Hero of Time stance and have offered reasonable explanations for everything.
Regarding the inscription in the Hyrule Castle Graveyard, the entire inscription actually refers to a puzzle that you need to do in the graveyard to get a key. Thus the Hero of Time may not be buried there.
While I agree that the songs show that the Hero's Shade is the Hero of Time, one of his songs is supposedly the Ballad of Gales from TWW and another howling song is supposedly the main theme of TP. Just throwing that out there; I don't disagree with your stance.
Could you, by chance, upload the scene of the Hero's Shade "uncharacteristically" shouting at Link to leave him? I've never heard of such a thing before. Also, could you please check to see if he reacts that way if he's refused for every skill? I'm unable to check it right now, which is why I'm making this request.
Again, this is a great article Melchizedek.
"Link wouldn't go looking for mother, she died. His other relatives are most likely dead as well."
Who said anything about his parents? And why would his entire extended family be dead? There is no proof of this.
The fact that Link went looking for Navi (start of MM, could be someone else (not debating that though)) shows that Link doesn't really want to track down any relatives. His friend was a higher priority.
i think hero´s shade is a hero of time descendant as well, not the hero himself. the songs just proof a conection...
@Tono: That was my first thought as well.
@Viral: Of course Navi was a higher priority! Better to look for the friend you know than the relatives you don't (and don't even know if they exist). I fail to see how either quest would prevent Link from eventually pursuing the other.
Thanks everyone for the comments and positive feedback.
So as to avoid a lengthy comment here, I have made my responses to your comments in the article discussion thread, which can be found here:
http://forums.zeldainformer.com/topic/4480-article-discussion-spirit-of-the-hero
Another good article Mel. well done :)
Very good article!
I had personally considered the theory of the original Link being the Hero's Shade and I'd often wondered about stuff like the Hero's Bow (which heavily implied that the very same Link from Ocarina of Time had indeed returned to Hyrule after Majora's Mask and gave the bow to the Gorons). But you're the first to really put everything together.
Whether the place you see the Hero's Shade in wolf-form is the Sacred Realm... I don't know. I think it's more of a spiritual, inner world-thing. But it's a possibility.
Nice read.
Amazing article. I've always thought the Hero's Shade was the Hero of Time from OoT, and now I'm sure of that. Great job.
There's one game you forgot about that may very well change this theory, and all others like it: Minish Cap. Had you seen the Hero's Shade as I have, considering every Zelda game, you would realize that he is actually the Hero of Men, not the Hero of Time. The Hero's Shade would have to be none other than King Gustaf, and this game's Link would have to be the original Link. Also, playing through Minish Cap confirms this when you find the royal graveyard in the game.
That was an amazing article. You must have done tons of research! However, I did see one thing that I'd like to point out...
You said that the Link in Ocarina of Time was probably around 17. However, in Wind Waker, Link is told that he is the same age as the Hero of the past was when he first started off on his adventure (13). Thus, add 7 years and you get 20. Perhaps I'm the one mistaken here; perhaps I'm not. If this is incorrect and someone can prove otherwise, I apologize for the error!
Great article, and very well put-together! I just have a few questions though... If it is true that the Hero of Time could not find someone to pass the spirit of the hero and the hidden skills on to, does that mean that, on the timeline, Twilight Princess is the next game after Ocarina of Time? I havent studied the timeline, so i may be wrong, but if there had been another "hero" in between TP and OoT, the Hero of Time would have passed the spirit and the skills onto him, assuming that the information in this article is correct. But since the link from TP is the one that the spirit and skills are passed on to, i can assume that there was no other "hero" and thus no other zelda game in between TP and OoT. please comment on this and correct me if i am or may be wrong!
^Just a question, but where does it say that Link was 13 back then? I'm not trying to contradict you, just wondering in which game it says that.
For some reason, I always assumed that Link was 10 when he first started in OoT and defeated Ganondorf when he was 17. (but I'll admit, I have no evidence of those ages)
When you think about it, though, the age-problem leads to a pretty big contradiction. Whether Link from TWW was 10 or 13, I'm not sure, but he definitely doesn't seem like he's 17... In other words, why would he be allowed to wield the Master Sword and be acknowledged as the Hero and Link from OoT was sealed away?
The only explanation seems that the Link from OoT was the original Hero (unlikely, if you look at Minish Cap) and it is his spirit that keeps reincarnating, thus his spirit only needed to age once and subsequent Links (who shared the same spirit) didn't have this problem.
@Katie J: I'm not a timeline-expert, but it does seem very likely that TP took place only a few hundred years after Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. And yes, it would imply that there was no new Hero between Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess.
@Katie J: Majoras Mask was between OoT and TP. Oh by the way Mel, very good read this was a really good article but some other peoples comments that say that your not right are pretty convincing.
@Zeldapwnage: Um... you do realize that that Link in Oot and Link in MM were both the same people, as in both the hero of time, right?
I've long thought of that many times, but when I told one person they laughed and said it was stupid. I believe what you are saying that OoT Link is the Hero's Shade.
Very interesting. Zelda can't be more epic... tears of joy*
You know i always thought that the hero's shade was some Sheikah that died during the Imprisoning War cause the hero of time never wore that armor and i dont think that's cause the hero of time became a knight of hyrule i mean he could have done all sorts of other things. He could have become a knight though...
What I would love is if the Link from Zelda Wii is actually the very same Link from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask and questions like these finally get answered.
When you think about it, it almost seems like Nintendo delibaretely put some inconsistencies in Twilight Princess. Take the Zora Armour, for example: it's said that King Zora had it made for the previous hero, but we have no evidence of that happening. And the Zora Tunic was simply given to Link in the future time-line, so that doesn't count.
Perhaps in the next Zelda, we'll get answers to stuff like this.
Once again, thanks for the feedback. Responses to comments have been made in the article's discussion thread:
you said "Although they may die, the true spirit of the hero will remain;" if a hero does die what do you think the spirit does? do you think the goddesses get involved or the sages? is that what possibly happened with the dark interlopers?
@Anthony
It's obvious that you can't just play the game and move on, because otherwise you wouldn't be at a Zelda fansite would you?
Seriously, get over yourself. People are allowed to be fans and spend their time thinking about Zelda. Don't like what they do with their time, then why the fuck are you here? That's what I thought! And while you're getting over yourself, take an English 101 class.
@Scott W
When the hero dies, the spirit doesn't die. It seems it goes into some sort of sleep, that it will awaken from when Hyrule needs it. This article suggests that the Sacred Realm may be it's dwelling place, but being such an unphysical thing, like the Holy Spirit, it doesn't necessarily need to dwell anywhere specifically.
I don't see any real involvement with the sages and the goddesses in this matter, and don't see how this relates to the case of the interlopers at all.
Oh, I see now. Thanks for clarifying that. I see how I was wrong now. Great article.
its cant be dark link because gannon made him to kill the good link in OOT and link defeated dark link....i loved this article though brilliant
I always thought that the white wolf was Zelda, cause she can call spirtits/sages in OoT..
I mean the former Zelda who has already passed away..
Whoa, very interesting article, makes the whole plot of Twilight Princess sound more interesting than ever before too. Extremely impressive how you tied in all of those details into a story as well.
If OoT Link is indeed the Hero's Shade, why is he wearing the armour he is? And if they wanted to "preserve" links spirit, why portray him as grey-skinned and skeletal? Why not show him in his full garb with skin and hair still intact?
I always thought the Hero's Shade was some random warrior who saw promise in Link and knew of the Hero of Time legend, and decided he would be the next person to learn his skills, as he has no living or worthy heirs to know them.
I'm seeing alot of people saying things like "then why is he wearing armor?", "but the Zora king never did give him the tunic", etc. What you need to understand is that we left the Hero of Time as a little kid. Anything could have happened after that. Getting a suit of armor sometime in his life is not strange.
I also saw somebody say that this article made up child-timeline Link arresting Ganondorf. The article didn't make this up. It's a fact. The whole point of Zelda sending him back in time was so that he could arrest Ganondorf before he was a threat and not use up his whole childhood fighting him.
would it ever be possable that the hero of time died in battle since his armor is still on? other clues that give the hero away be4 he reveils who he is is the magic he shows link the new hero, he shots a fire ball at link to show link how to deflect the fire with his sheild. u make a very good story that would exsplain the hero of time's appearence in the game. but ganondorf dies in TP, so how would he appeare in TWW? i think that TP ganon is a different Ganon then the one sealed in OoT then later appears in TWW. remember, a new gerudo male is born every 100years and it's possable that all males are named Ganondorf. but how that "other" ganon obtained the trifoce of power is unexplainable to me. i also read ur sheikah artical.
You people are forgetting a basic thing... <<
Tp and TWW are in two different separeate tmelines *confrimed by Nintendo*. TWW is the continuation form the "adult-line" finish in OoT, while MM and TP are from the "child-line" finish, so TP and TWW are not connected at all, leaving some things to be out of place by the songs that Link has to howl in order to meet the Shade. Thought, it is implied in TWW that the Wind Waker is the instrument that the Hylians used in order to communicate with the gods, so it may imply that you didnt learn all the existing songs in OoT and MM.
Now, another fact that could help in your theory is that Skull Kid appearing in the Sacred Grove. He knows the Saria´s Song and seems to enjoy Link´s company. If TP Link is using the clothes that the legendary hero used, if this is the same Skull Kid, he would ovbiusly recognize the clothes of the Hero *i dont remember if you meet him as an adult or child in OoT, so i cant prove it completly* and if not, that means the Hero of Time met with the Skull Kid after growing old, or the Skull Kid followed him to Hrule, anyway, that is impossible to know, but could be a really strong point to add to your theory.
Now, i dont really think its the SR, thought it is impossible to deny, as the SR have never appeared in the game outside the temples connecting Hyrule and the SR *except for ALtP, thought the world is corrupted at that time* meaning the Sacred Realm could be corrupted in TP time, but, again, its impossible to tell, and the Triforce arent the main plot in TP, so theres no need to go to the SR.
Now, everyone grows and dies, and the zombies in TP are very alike to the Hero´s Shade, so that denies the fact that he became a Stalfos, as it could be the Hero of Time later in his life.
Very well put together! It's similar to my own theory.
I figured that Link returned to Hyrule, become a knight of sorts, and got married. Then a war occurred and at some point Link loses his right eye(it's even gone when he is in wolf form) and somehow gets killed(maybe a blow from his now blind side). I think that the regret he felt may be the fact that he wasn't there to raise his child and teach him or her all that he learned.
Wow, you did an amazing job. It all sounds so true, and i don't see why none of this wouldn't be.
I only wonder why one of the Shade's eyes is ALWAYS closed? the Red is kind of understandable, because he's cursed, but i don't think it's a glitch or anything. One eye is closed in both Gold Wolf form and Human form.
Just a few theories: ALtTP is beleived to have been before Twilight Princess. However, if this article is true, then ALtTp must have come afterwards, or the Hero's Shade would have taught that Link. most of the handhelds probably came between MM and TP, except for Minish Cap, because there is no knowledge of the Hero of Time in it and no knowledge of the Hero of Men beforehand. Also, WW Link is 12, and gets the Master Sword probably cuz it's weaker. @ Scott W: The Triforce of Courage always plays an important part to all the Links, so we may assume the Triforce of Courage (stated as possibly being necessary for the Hero in the article) is simply the goddesses' way of marking the next Hero for the Sages and Spirit of the Hero.
Forgot, Minish Cap probably comes in the looooong future of Hyrule after Spirit Tracks
Starbit, the reason they he had the armor and not the tunic is because Faron gives it to Link. Also, I want to know who STOLE my old screen name & made that fake ass comment on September 16, 2009 at 7:50 PM. There's absolutely no way that I'd say that, because (sorry if this offends anyone, but)unlike some of you guys, (including the JACKASS who stole the name killface) I actually know what I'm talking about! For example, I know for a fact that Minish Cap does NOT happen first in the timeline, because Link & Zelda obviously know each other quite well in that game, while in Ocarina of Time, they had just met FOR THE FIRST TIME! Also, I seem to have the best grammar & spelling here(again, sorry if this offends anyone). It's just like what that alien disguised as Jonas Venture Sr. said: We know what we're doing alright, so don't second-guess us!
Interesting i enjoyed reading it but what I don't get is if the link in OoT is different o link in TP(in age difference) than what about Zelda.
Um, I think that in some aspects of your theory you've forgoten wind waker completely. I mean, it is said in the game that when the people hoped for their hero to show up to save them, he never did, which means Link never returns to Hyrule after majora's mask. And have you forgotten about Ganondorf? The one from WW and OoT are the same; in WW he is older and has escaped the Sacred Realm where he was imprisoned by the Hero of Time as an adult.
I don't believe TP is connected in any way to these games as they clearly are, OoT MM and WW follow a straight timeline.
I always figured that the Hero's Shade was the incarnation of the Hero that Lanayru's flashback implies was defeated by the Dark Interlopers. It's a simpler conclusion than trying to fill in the gaps between OoT and TP -- keeps TP self-contained, and also explains why the Shade would make his appearance for TP's particular conflict.
I say that the "Hero's Spirit" is the spirit of the ToC. Doncha think that makes sense?
Very good article! It may not be true, but it is very plausible! You did a great job gathering the facts and twisting them into a story to fit them together!