The Fallen Hero’s Timeline

The Hero of Worlds

A Link to the Past – Super Nintendo – April 13, 1992

The one Link to have the largest work load might just be The Hero of Worlds. Not only did he save the kingdom of Hyrule from Ganon after The Hero of Time messed everything up by failing to kill Ganon, he would travel across different lands, worlds and even dreams to protect the innocent from evil.

Link traveled between the Light and Dark Worlds and saved the kingdom that had lost all hope. When Ganon defeated The Hero of Time, Zelda did what she could and sealed the King of Evil away in the Dark World. But as A Link to the Past begins, the Dark World begins seeping into The Light World, making the people of Hyrule worry about the return of Ganon. But The Hero of Worlds came through by defeating The Wizard Agahnim and Ganon to recover the Triforce and save Hyrule.

Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages

Link then ends up in the new foreign land of Holodrum, which is being terrorized by the brutish General Onox. In order to end his reign, Link travels across Holodrum, and even in the subterranean kingdom of Subrosia, to retrieve the Rod of Seasons and collect the Essences of Seasons. Once Onox is defeated, The Oracle Din is freed and the seasons of Holodrum are returned to normal.

After Link returns to Hyrule, he is warped to the kingdom of Labrynna where he is captured by the Sorceress Veran. It turns out that the sorceress used Link’s compromised position to possess the Oracle of Ages, Nayru. Realizing that he helped Veran gain the ability to control time, Link sets out across Labrynna to collect the Essences of Time and free Nayru from Veran’s command.

But through the efforts of both Veran and Onox (and the use of the Game Boy link cable), Ganon is able to revive himself. This Ganon seeks to destroy rather than to reign over Hyrule, but Link is able to vanquish the King of Evil from both Labrynna and Holodrum.

Link’s Awakening

But of course, this hero’s journey would not be over so easily. Link would end up on Koholint Island after a violent storm wrecks the ship on which he is sailing. He learns that the only way to leave the island is to gather the Eight Instruments of the Sirens to play The Ballad of the Wind Fish. This will awaken the Wind Fish and grant Link his wish of finally going back home to Hyrule.

Now, there are some theories on whether or not The Hero of Worlds is simply dreaming or had actually died from the shipwreck, with Koholint Island acting as a sort of a purgatory. Whether the island be real or dream, The Hero of Worlds sure gave it his all and then some in defending four different lands.

The Hero of Kingdoms

A Link Between Worlds

The Hero of Kingdoms is the most recent Link to be portrayed on a Nintendo console. This Link saves both Hyrule and Lorule from the evil Yuga, using the power to merge into the walls to access areas otherwise inaccessible. The Princess of Lorule, instead of being thankful for saving her desolated kingdom, steal’s Zelda’s Triforce of Wisdom and then seeks to take Link’s own piece as well. Ravio, the merchant who sells Link all the items he needs, reveals himself to be Lorule’s version of the hero and convinces Hilda to stop her greedy coveting of the Triforce. But with Link being the upstanding fellow he is, he ends up using the Triforce to restore Lorule to its former state of prosperity.

Tri-Force Heroes

With two Kingdoms saved, it’s time to get FASHIONABLE! In what could be the most superficial adventure of any of the heroes, Link ends up in the land of Hytopia, which values, above all, fashion. The princess of Hytopia, Styla, is tricked by the witch Maud into wearing an ugly jumpsuit which she can never take off. Link ends up joining the Witch-Hunting Brigade along with two other Links, and saves the world from such hideous and outdated styles!

The Hero of Courage

The Legend of Zelda

We finally come to the first Link ever presented to us by Nintendo. The Hero of Courage is the one who started it all, but ironically is chronologically the last. With the kingdom of Hyrule in ruins by Ganon, who has used his Triforce of Power to take total control of the land, Princess Zelda splits her Triforce of Wisdom into eight pieces and scatters them across Hyrule fearing the worst had the beast taken control of it.

Link is called upon by Zelda’s nursemaid Impa to restore the Triforce of Wisdom and use it to defeat Ganon and rescue Zelda from within Death Mountain. Upon slaying Ganon, Zelda uses her piece of the Triforce to restore Hyrule to its former, prosperous self.

Adventure of Link

Six years later, Link becomes curious about the crest on the back of his hand and seeks out Impa for answers. She leads him into North Castle, where he sees a slumbering woman. Impa explains that this one is the princess of Hyrule from an age long since passed. The genesis of the kingdom slept an eternity at the end of the hall, but she held a secret that many people desperately wanted to know.

Before Princess Zelda’s father died, he revealed to her the true nature and whereabouts of the Triforce, a trinket that until then was thought only handled by the Goddesses. Her brother, who inherited the throne and became the second King of Hyrule, felt he was owed The Triforce after his father’s advisor, The Magician, convinced him it was his birthright. Zelda refused to tell her brother the whereabouts, which greatly angered The Magician, who cast a mighty spell that shook the entire castle chamber, putting the princess in a slumber and seemingly killing himself in the process.

Grief stricken, her brother placed her in the top of what was then Hyrule Castle and vowed that every Princess of royal blood be named Zelda in remembrance of his dear sister. The mark on Link’s hand is proof that he is the hero fated to awaken the princess from her slumber. Impa explained that only combining The Triforces of Power, Wisdom and Courage will awaken the fallen princess, and then sends the young man off to seek entrance to The Great Palace, where the final trinket is stored.

Amidst his journey, the remnant armies of Ganon seek out Link and try to kill him, believing that pouring his blood over the ashes of their fallen master will revive him. Link battles against these forces, enters The Great Palace and retrieves the Triforce of Courage.

Uniting the Triforce for the first time since the age of The Hero of Time, Link awakens the princess, as well as prevents the return of Ganon.

***

And there we have it. Every hero who was called upon to save Hyrule from the forces of evil. Links come in many iterations but they will always possess the spirit of the hero. Whether or not they are successful in fulfilling their destiny is a whole other question but what can be said is after 30 years of The Legend of Zelda, Link seems to still be going strong. Let’s hope the next hero’s adventure lives up to the rest of them.

For more Zelda, check out our month-long Spotlight celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the franchise

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5