The "Hero of Time" Statue

[SirenOfTheSea]

Anyone who's played through Wind Waker either half-way or completely though knows about the statue of the hero in Hyrule Castle. Most, or probably all, that know of this statue have dubbed the hero as the "Hero of Time" from, of course, Ocarina of Time.

This is only my theory, but I don't think it is, in fact, the hero we all know from Ocarina of Time. I believe that it is in fact the Hero of Legend, from A Link to the Past.
I noticed this when I was heading towards the area where Zelda was supposed to be; the statue of the hero was destroyed. I took a look at the debris and noticed that the hero's hair in the statue didn't look like the Hero of Time's at all. It had the essence of the Links from the original four games, most likely A Link to the Past's. And from what I believe of the timeline, A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening are the two games that fill the gap of Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker.

It's just a theory of mine, and I feel like to the first to notice this element of the game. It'd be nice if anyone could give their opinions.

[Rensch]

I still think it is the Link from the Nintendo 64 ones. It just makes much more sense.

[NorthApple]

Likely, Zelda or somebody has it created in memory of all the Hero of Time did for them (as Wind Waker is in the Adult Timeline, the one that carried on after Link was sent back at the end of OoT). The actual statue model is the old "Adult Toon Link" (http://zeldawiki.org/images/9/9e/Wwadult.jpg) design that was supposed to be used in the original Wind Waker Plot, which explains the difference in the hair style... (though not storyline wise, maybe the people of Hyrule just used that hairstyle as default, because they didn't know exactly how OoT Link looked?)

And is it just me, or did anyone else feel an overwhelming sense of sadness when they found it smashed? There's just something so wrong about it.... :(

[Onilink89]

I still think it is the Link from the Nintendo 64 ones. It just makes much more sense.

lol, you don't have to think, because its a fact.
Even though the style may be similar to Alttp, there is only 1 hero of time.

[rnddim]

If you look at the Hero of Time's hair (the statue, of course), it's in what I like to call a whippy-dip style. This "whippy-dip" style is used in official artwork for the NES and SNES games. Let me check my N64 Gold Cartridge Ocarina of Time manual to look at some official artwork *runs to other side of house to look at manual, and comes back*...
In OoT official artwork, he has bangs. However, because that GIANT piece of hair whipped to one side on the statue (therefore earning my nickname whippy-dip), it suggest the older, Hero of Time Link, because that's how official artwork was in the '80s

[Shadsie]

I *love* that statue. I felt sadness when I first saw it, too, not just when it was destroyed, because I knew I was looking at a representation of a long-gone/long-dead Link.

I've played with the thing in fan fiction. I wrote a short two-fic Wind Waker set revolving around it. The first story has WW Link contemplating it ("Why did he leave like the legend says when the people obviously loved him?" "Why does he have such sad eyes?" ) then, Ganondorf (come to get Zelda) pondering it and reminsicing over the past. In that fic-set, I just had the statue as a straight-up representation of the Hero of Time (that we know, OoT Link).

However, in my funky Western-ish original Hyrule story "The Great Desert," which has its own, *specific to the fanfiction,* purposefully-odd for the sake of references/lumping the games together, non-canon Linear Timeline (that I will *NOT* be abused or harried over!!!) ..... I had a scene involving the origiinal Link of that story having a vision of the Link from the original LoZ/AoL talking about how, in his lifetime, the legends got garbled up and run together and most of the people were calling *him* the "Hero of Time" because they figured he was a reincarnation, anyway, and his time was just before the WW events in the Timeline of "The Great Desert." - so, in that story, though the statue itself isn't mentioned, it's actually LoZ/AoL Link *IN THAT FAN FICTION.*

So, *shrug* when it comes to straight up Zelda-theory, I tend to go with "It's the Hero of Time, OoT Link" but I have had fun *playing* with the idea in my non-canon fan fiction stories.

[SirenOfTheSea]

lol, you don't have to think, because its a fact.
Even though the style may be similar to Alttp, there is only 1 hero of time.


It's not a fact if the creators themselves have never confirmed it, and I believe they haven't.

[Master Kokiri 9]

Well it can't possibly be the Hero of Legend from ALttP/LA. There's just no way in heck timeline wise. WW's BS would contradict if there were any games with Ganon/dorf, the Master Sword, or Hyrule in there because it said and I quote 'But one day a man of great evil found the golden power and took it for himself... With it's strength at his command, he spread darkness across the kingdom. But then when all hope had died and the hour of doom seemed at hand... a boy clothed in green appeared as if from nowhere. Wielding the blade of evil's bane, he sealed the dark one away and gave the land light. This boy, who traveled through time to save the land, was known as the Hero of Time. The boy's tale was passed down through generations until it became legend.' This obviously means that they worshipped the Hero of Time which means it isn't unfeasable that they'd make a statue of him. But for further proof... 'But then... a day came when a fell wind began to blow across the kingdom. The great evil that all thought had been forever sealed away by the Hero... ...once again crept forth from the depths of the earth, eager to resume it's dark designs. The people believed that the Hero of Time would again come to save them. But the hero did not appear.' What does this perhaps mean? Well it means that the hylians worshipped the Hero of Time and over a few hundred years or so they may have built statues and such in his honor. One of those statues may have been made to keep evil away from the Master Sword. And because no hero arose to stop Ganondorf when he returned that means no games with Ganondorf, the Master Sword, or Hyrule can go between WW and OoT. Just no way. And it might've just been a graphical design change or something.

[link9]

I still think it is the link of OoT, because it says he's the hero of time, the name he earned in OoT.

But its a good theory, and its possible, but not as likely as OoT

[Midna666]

It has to be the Link from Ocarina of Time, because no other Link fits Wind Waker's backstory, and we know that there are no games in between OOT and WW.
I also felt sad seeing the statue destroyed. Playing WW makes me feel sad for OOT Link. OOT Link sealed Ganondorf away, but in the end Ganondorf returned, and Hyrule got flooded, kind of makes OOT feel a little bit pointless to me.

[MrMosley]

It's not a fact if the creators themselves have never confirmed it, and I believe they haven't.

The developers don't have to confirm this. The entire backstory of Wind Waker is based on Ocarina of Time, and the Hero of Time. The statue in Hyrule Castle is of the Hero of Time.

A Link to the Past didn't even occur before OoT, or WW. There's no way it could have fallen between OoT and WW and it surely didn't come before OoT in the timeline. OoT has been stated to have been the first game before by the developers and WW follows it on the Adult Timeline as the next title.

[GerudoDesert]

Ocarina of Time has to be the first game..

You actually learn WHO Ganondorf is, unlike the other games that just tell you what he wants, and Link's backround story that tells you he is actually a Hylian and not a Kokiri.

[Ikana]

I believe that its the Hero of Time no other hero fits in the Wind Waker Back Story.

[GerudoRose]

What a waste of time if it took months or a year for OoT Link to fight and seal Ganondorf away when the results are that he still managed to escaped which cause the King of Hyrule to flood the land wiping out homes, cultures, and its people. What were the people of old Hyrule doing when Ganondorf plans his escape from the sacred realm? The creators or someone has a lot of explaining to do!! Or maybe Rauru has something to do with it since he lives there??
My opinion is I never thought I was going to depressed while I was playing the WW. That was a really sad game!! :cry:

[Zenox]

The Wind Waker totally revolves around the story of the Hero of Time from Ocarina of Time, it's mentioned countless times, The Backstory, Ganon mentions it, the King of Hyrule mentions him numerous times, and I'm sure there are others. I don't recall the Hero of Legend of be mentioned anywhere.

Besides, basing the theory on the fact that Link's hair in the statue looks more like the Hero of Legend one? Come on, first off, it's a different graphical style, so of course it won't be the same, second if it looks even remotely like the Hero of Legend's hair, I'm sure it's just a coincidence.

[Icetomeetyou]

I remember when I first saw that statue, I knew that it was the Hero of Time. I don't really think it would make sense for it to be another Link. It made me sort of unsafe when I saw it destoryed though. It was sort of like seeing your Christmas Tree burn.

[jlemon9721]

Their is only 1 hero of time, the OoT link. That is his statue, fact, all of it, the creatures don't have to confirm what we all know.

[Bigelover88]

I also thought and strongly believe it's the OoT Hero and the Statue being broken...might this be a clue to what actually happened to Link in OoT? There are many theories OoT Link didn't end well so it might be a clue about his downfall but that's only my speculation. Correct me if I'm wrong because it has been a while I played WW but the Statue was still solid when Link obtained the Mastersword. After he found all Triforce pieces and went to Hyrule the statue was broken. Could this be a sign what happened to the Hero of Time after he finished his quest in OoT? Maybe he did meet his doom in MM?

[Epona]

I thought all the references were to OoT in WW...

[Ralis]

Hmmmmmm.....Could be it. There are two ways that OoT could branch off into; WW, for the reasons that you already stated, and TP, because at the end of OoT, Zelda turns Link back into a little kid again, butnot a REAL Kokiri, and later on, the Kokiri forest dissapeared, and could have turned into Ordon.