Ocarina of Time Sages and Their Awakening

[Go_Dark_Link]

(I wasn't sure whether this actually qualified to go in the Theory section, so I chose to place it here instead. Mods feel free to move it as you see fit :3 I also know other people have thought of this theory before, but I wanted to hash it out myself. If someone feels like it's repeating another thread or something, feel free to tell me so I can remove it. Thanks! )

Many fans of the series, including myself, consider it the best Zelda game to date, and others consider it the best game in general as well. I'm not here to debate whether it is or isn't, but I want to take a close analytic look at one of the main aspects of the game: the Sages. The plot of the game goes that Link collects the three spiritual stones and then, after growing up, must awaken the sages in their respective temples before the epic showdown with the king of evil, Ganondorf. Clearly, the Sages are very important to the development of the game. However, there is a question I've been asking myself a lot lately and finally decided to write down. My question is, are the Sages dead? To try to answer this question, I will theorize about each individual Sage one by one. Let's take a look.
Before I start with the Sages, I want to make another opinion statement: the Sages that came before the ones that Link awakens are dead. It seems pretty obvious after Link awakens that the only "living" Sage at the moment is Rauru, the Sage of Light. Why is this? I believe that in order for Ganondorf to take control of Hyrule during Link's seven-year-slumber he first had to eliminate the guardians of the land. So, not only did he corrupt the temples to prevent future Sages from awakening, but he also did it to get rid of the previous Sages. In other words, the previous Sages are, for all intents and purposes, dead.


Saria
"One in a deep forest..."
-Sheik

The first Sage that Link is instructed to awaken is Saria, the Sage of Forest. Saria was Link's childhood friend from Kokiri forest. Before the seven years pass, she can be found sitting on a tree stump in the meadow where the entrance to the Forest Temple is located. From the beginning, she was the obvious choice for a Sage of Forest. After Link leaves the Temple of Time after growing up, he can play Saria's Song to call his friend. If he does it, he will hear this message:

"Link...? This is Saria. Can you hear me? Great! You're safe! I knew I would hear from you again! I'm in the Forest Temple! The forest spirits were calling for help, so I went to check it out... But it's full of evil monsters! Help me, Link!"

​

In the first part of the message, Saria seems surprised to hear from Link. Who wouldn't after not knowing anything about their friend for seven years? Then, after expressing her happiness for his safe return, she spills the beans. The forest was calling her, in need of help. She went to the Forest Temple to find it filled with monsters (put there by Ganondorf to stop her) and then calls for help. It is to be expected that she was scared of the monsters, but if you read the message carefully you'll see that at first it seems like everything is normal to Saria. She's wasting time being happy for her friend. But suddenly she panics. She realizes that there are monsters, and they are probably attacking her right that moment, so she screams for Link. This makes me feel that, rather than her having been in the temple for a while, she just went into it. She just found out that it was filled with monsters, and just now she is in danger. After this message, you don't hear from her again until after you've beaten Phantom Ganon and awakened her as the Sage of Forest. When you pass through Kokiri Forest, you can speak with all the people you knew as a child. Most of them are worried because Saria went to the temple and hasn't come back. They don't say it like she's been gone for a long time. In fact, it sounds like she only just went missing a couple of days before. Then, when going through the Lost Woods, you encounter Mido. He says that Saria left him there and told him not to let anyone go through. I know that Kokiri don't grow, but it seems unrealistic that Mido would stand there in the woods for a long time without moving. Eventually, wouldn't he become a stalfos? No, it doesn't feel like a lot of time has passed. In fact, it is likely he has been there for a day at most, ever since Saria left. Now let's analyze the facts. Saria was in danger, and was quite possibly attacked when Link called her. While Link is going through the temple you don't see Saria, or hear from her. Depending on how much you get into the temple you probably even forget that she's supposed to be in it. So one, Saria got attacked, and two, she disappeared afterwards. You go all the way to the last room of the temple and she isn't there. However, you go to the Chamber of the Sages, and since the evil is gone she can awaken. But she doesn't just awaken right that moment. No, she pops up already knowing everything, already in possession of her powers. My conclusion is that not, you did not just awaken Saria as a Sage. In reality, you awakened Saria's spirit. That is right, Saria is dead. She, like all of the other people you awaken, wanted to help. She goes to the temple, realizes it's filled with monsters when she's just a little girl with no power, tries to call for help but it's too late and she's gone. Nintendo doesn't make it explicit, after all the game is rated E for everyone, but just like many other of the games in the franchise, it seems like the game had a deeper meaning behind it. Saria died, but Link saved her spirit.

Darunia
"One on a high mountain..."
-Sheik

The second Sage Link must awaken is Darunia, the Sage of Fire. Darunia is the leader of the Goron tribe and his chamber had a secret pathway leading to the Fire Temple. Quiet clearly, he was the best choice for a fire Sage. The big difference with Darunia and Saria is that you know Darunia just entered the Fire Temple. How? Well, for one the small Goron rolling around in Goron City whose name is the same as your own tells you. And, for another, you meet Darunia in the temple. When he sees you, he says:

"Who's there? Is that you, Link...? Oh, it really is Link! You've grown so big since I last saw you! I want to have a man-to-man talk with you, but now's not the time. Ganondorf is causing trouble on Death Mountain again! He has revived the evil, ancient dragon Volvagia! On top of that, he is going to feed my people to that evil dragon as a warning to other races that might resist him... If that fire-breathing dragon escapes from the mountain, all of Hyrule will become a burning wasteland! I will go on ahead to try to seal up the evil dragon... I'm concerned, though, because I don't have the legendary hammer... But I have no choice. Link...I'm asking you to do this as my Sworn Brother... While I'm trying to deal with the dragon, please save my people! The prisoners' cells are in the opposite direction. I'm counting on you, Link!"
​

Just like Saria before him, Darunia starts by acknowledging your identity and then expressing gladness to seeing you alive. Then, he tells you that he came to the temple because he needed to help, and that there are monsters in it including an evil dragon. This is also similar to what Saria says. However, then he says he is going to try and stop the dragon. This seems pretty extreme for someone who couldn't even move the rock blocking the entrance to a cave (something a little kid could do), but it's his people and he has to do something. Then, he expresses concern. Fear. Once again, we see a pattern with Saria's message. He doesn't have what it takes to kill the monster, yet he is going to fight it. All of this alone could be interpreted as nothing peculiar, but then we get to the end of the temple. We've saved everyone and gotten the mighty hammer, but when we open the door to the boss expecting to witness a fight between the dragon and the leader of the Goron we get instead an empty room filled with lava. There's no Darunia around, and when we face off with the dragon it seems like it is very much alive and better than ever. When the fight is over, and Darunia awakens, he too acts as though he already knew everything about being a Sage. He also mentions he is happy to have helped you defeat the dragon, even though he was nowhere around. Explanation? Well, he died. It was obvious before that he stood no chance against Volvagia without the Megaton Hammer, and then when he didn't seem to be in the room when we went in, well anyone could add up the numbers. He tried to fight, but like Saria, didn't yet posses power to vanquish evil. So just like Saria, we didn't awaken him, we awakened his spirit.

Ruto
"One under a vast lake..."
-Sheik

The third Sage to be awakened is Princess Ruto, the Sage of Water. She is the young Zora princess that Link saved when she was a child. She is also his fiancee and it becomes clear that she is the one destined to be Sage when Sheik tells you that he rescued her from under the ice and that she traveled to the Water Temple to break the curse on Zora's domain. Just like Darunia, you too meet her within the walls of the temple. However, it is under different circumstances. When she sees you she says this:

"Oh...you... If I'm right... Link?! You're Link, aren't you? It's me, your fiancée, Ruto! Princess of the Zoras! I never forgot the vows we made to each other seven years ago! You're a terrible man to have kept me waiting for these seven long years... But now is not the time to talk about love... I'm sure you've already seen it! Zora's Domain—totally frozen! A young man named Sheik saved me from under the ice... But my father and the other Zoras have not... yet... I want to save them all! I want to save Zora's Domain! You! You have to help me! This is a request from me, the woman who is going to be your wife! Link, you have to help me destroy the evil monster in the Temple, OK?! Inside the Water Temple, there are three places where you can change the water level. I'll lead the way. Follow me, quickly!!"

​

For a third time, she starts of by being surprised to see Link after so long. Then she reminds him they are meant to get married, causing a humorous reaction from our hero. Then she expresses her concern for her people, just like Saria and Darunia were concerned for theirs. She wants to save them, but then she does something different. She asks for help. It seems she is accepting the fact that her power is not enough to beat the monster alone. This is different to Darunia, who asked for help but not in beating the monster. Then she does something no other Sage does: she physically helps Link. It is not very big help, since Link could've probably figured it out on his own, but she leads him to the first of the three water-changing mechanisms in the temple. Then, however, she disappears. How? I don't recall Ruto having any sort of powers before becoming a Sage. If she could teleport, why didn't she do it to get the Spiritual Stone and escape Jabu-Jabu when she was little? This leads me to believe something different for Ruto than for the other Sages. When we meet Ruto in the temple, she is already dead. It is not uncommon for dead characters to appear to Link in the game, but this time it is a very different situation. If she were dead, it would explain how she can teleport, and it would also explain why she knows that she is not strong enough to beat Morpha. Ever since she was little, Ruto was a self-sufficient tomboy who thought she was the best and was extremely independent. Of course when she grew up she must have matured, but why would she stop believing she was an extremely strong woman? Well, probably because she attempted to defeat Morpha and was beat herself. I do not know if she acknowledged the fact that she was dead when she talks to Link, but I do know that since she has failed, she must aid Link so that he won't. It is her legacy to the Zoras. It would also explain why we don't get to see Ruto for the rest of the Temple, and why when she is awakened, she too understands everything about being a Sage, even if it means she can't love Link anymore. So, with Ruto, we didn't only awaken her spirit, we actually talked to it before awakening her.

Impa
"One within the house of the dead..."
-Sheik

According to Sheik, the next Sage to be awakened is Impa, the Sage of Shadow. Impa used to be Zelda's caretaker, and the last time we saw her she was riding away from Hyrule Castle. Contrary to the first three, we would never guess that Impa was the Sage if Sheik hadn't told us. Also breaking routine from the others, we never actually meet Impa or talk to her before she is awakened, so all we have to go on is Sheik's information:

"Looks like you're coming around... Link... A terrible thing has happened! The evil shadow spirit has been released! Impa, the leader of Kakariko Village, had sealed the evil shadow spirit in the bottom of the well... But the force of the evil spirit got so strong, the seal of the well broke, and it escaped into the world!! I believe Impa has gone to the Shadow Temple to seal it up again, but... she will be in danger without any help! Link! Impa is one of the six Sages. Destroy the evil shadow spirit and save Impa!"

​

We learn several things from this quote. First, Impa is the Sage of Shadow. Second, she loves going against the Sage pattern. Unlike Saria, Darunia, and Ruto, Impa is a shiekah so she does have some power. We can see this by the fact that she had already beaten the shadow spirit once. However, Sheik says the spirit grew stronger so it is likely not even Impa can beat it now. Also, it becomes clear that Impa just passed through the town moments before to get to the temple, probably while Link was unconscious. So, even though Link goes as fast as he can, he really takes a long time before getting to the temple, since he still needs to get the Song of Storms, turn into a kid, go through the well, and then come back. All during that time, Impa is within the Shadow Temple, trying to fight her way to the monster. Of course, she eventually dies. We traverse the entire dungeon and not once is there sign of her, no surprise. Once again, we beat the monster, awaken the Sage, and Impa acts like she knew it already. That is cause Sheik was right, she was not strong enough to defeat Bongo Bongo a second time, and so it bested her. It has become a trend that for a Sage to awaken, he or she first dies at the hands of the dungeon's evil monsters.

Nabooru
"One inside a goddess of the sand..."
-Sheik

I just want to start the fifth Sage by saying, Nabooru is the odd one out. We get plenty more clues as to what happens to her in the dungeon, and there is a possibility that she is the one Sage that didn't die before being awakened. Nabooru is the Sage of Spirit. Instead of meeting her before growing up the first time, like all the others, we don't meet her until we get the song to travel to the Desert Colossus and return as a child. And, we meet her inside the Spirit Temple:

"I haven't seen you around kid... What do you want?"

​

She doesn't know who Link is, or what he is doing. She doesn't know anything about the Sages or about the big plan to save Hyrule. In fact, the only reason why she is good, despite being a Gerudo, is that she dislikes Ganondorf. After talking with her, she asks Link whether he is a follower of Ganondorf or not, and when she decides he isn't, she sends him on a quest to retrieve the Silver Gauntlets. Once again, we come across a Sage that admits she can't go through the temple alone. Of course, her disadvantage is pretty obvious, since she can't go through the small hole in the wall. Surely she wouldn't ask for the help of a little kid had the timing been different. When Link finishes the child portion of the Spirit Temple, he witnesses Kotake and Koume attacking Nabooru. In a last, selfless act, Nabooru yells out to Link, telling him that they are using black magic on her and that he should run. This is the first and only time in which we get a clear picture of what happened to the Sage when they tried going in the Temple. Keep in mind, this is still the past, but the situation remains relevant. Seven years pass before we know any more of Nabooru. Link is about to finish the Spirit Temple when he meets Kotake and Koume face to face. They order their "minion" to dispose of him. After a quick fight with the Gauntlet, the armor falls off and it is revealed to be Nabooru herself. She is still alive! She regains control of her body, and the witches come back and zap her with a magic spell when she tries to run, poofing her into sparks. They even mention that she could still work when doing their evil bidding. So we get a hint that she does indeed survive. When we finally beat the evil Twinrova, Nabooru is awakened. She says to Link:

"Kid, let me thank you. Hehehe... look what the little kid has become in the past seven years-- a competent swordsman! By the way... I really messed up... I was brainwashed by those old witches and used by Ganondorf to do his evil will... But isn't that funny? That a person like me could turn out to be the Sage of Spirit! And now, I'm going to fight them as one of the six Sages! Heh heh... I'm going to pay them back for what they did to me! Kid... No... Link, the Hero of Time! Instead of keeping my promise I made back then, I give you this Medallion!"

​

So now we get her recognizing Link and acknowledging the changes he's had over the last seven years. This is the typical response when all the other Sages talked to Link for the first time after the seven years, except she is doing this the last time we see her, not the first. The only other one who did this was Impa, but that was because we didn't see her at all until this moment. Then, we get a almost clear description of what happened to Nabooru in the Temple. She was brainwashed and used, but she didn't die! She is the exception to all the Sages. Despite her being the most tortured (after all she was controlled for seven years) she is also the one that survives. In a way, you could technically say that she really did die seven years ago when she lost sight of who she was, but at least she survived physically. You can also see this by the fact that she actually seems surprised that she is a sage and doesn't seem to have come to terms with it, like the others, because she was just awakened. The others knew about their roles since when they died.

Conclusion

I really doubt we'll ever get confirmation as to whether the Sages really did die or not before becoming Sages. Is it a requirement that they be a spirit before being a Sage? It wouldn't seem so, thanks to Nabooru, unless they only needed to be dead in mind and not in body, in which case it makes sense. All of these people failed in their attempts to save the spirits in the temple, but at least they tried and got a chance to get back at Ganondorf in the end. Of course, this is all a theory, and it is very likely I might be wrong, but I believe it makes sense, if we look at the darker side of Ocarina of Time, that a sacrifice had to be made by each Sage...for the greater good.

Feel free to tell me what you think of my ideas. Do you believe as I do, or do you have a different way of thinking? Let me know!

 

[Castle]

Wow. This is a very thorough and in-depth analysis. Very well done. Many of the points have merits. The question has always been open as to whether or not the Sages of Ocarina of Time are dead or die prior to their awakening, but like a lot of questions in the Zelda series exposition is too vague and too implicit to form any solid conclusions. I think the idea that they are dead is a very valid one and you provide many solid points to support that assumption.

Although to me the term "dead" may not be entirely accurate. I suppose I prefer to think of them as transcendent. Neither living nor dead but some manner of higher living. In other Zelda titles, the sages are depicted as being rather ghost-like, and the sages of Ocarina exhibit some ghost-like qualities such as their sudden appearance atop Death mountain during the end credits, for example, or Princess Ruto's sudden disappearance in the Water Temple as you mentioned.

Whether or not the Sages really did "die" at the hands of the monsters they faced in their respective temples, I wonder if the form they inhabit and the abilities they exhibit are not what would have happened anyway if they had not presumably fallen to Ganondorf's minions.

At the very least, the Sages can be considered "in peril" whether dead or simply captured or otherwise indisposed in some manner, but you do provide solid evidence to support the assumption.

Good read

 

[Ventus]

Bravo, amazing analysis! I really want to say they indeed died, but that'd be too sad for my own heartless self, and a bit far-fetched given that I have no concrete proof. Every Sage's dialogue when you complete their respective temple really lends to the idea that they died (especially Saria's Saria will always be your friend).

Still, I agree with Castle: it might be easiest to say that they're in a state of transcendence rather than truly dead or not. At the end of OoT, at least, you see that they can magically move about yet still take (what appears to be) physical form. Is that form a manifestation of spirit? Gah, it hurts my head to think about :I

 

[HylianHero]

Wow, awesome analysis! I suppose my opinion on the matter is that Sage's don't really die, they ascend to a more spiritual state. They are not dead, but they can no longer interact with normal people the way they did, which is why they sound like they are saying goodbye to Link when they are awakened. I guess the very term that they use describes it very well; they don't die, they are awakened.

An interesting thing to note is that they are referred to as Sages even before they are awakened.

 

[HyruleHistory10]

I personally do not think that they died for a couple reasons. On is the fantasy genrie. Gandalf dies in LOTR but then is RESURRECTED to be Gandalf the white and has all those awesome powers and is alive. 2 the sages build city's and populate them after (according to Hyrule Historia). Those are the city's in AoL. and 3 The 7 maidens in A link to the past are descendants of the Sages (it has been retconned in the GBA remake instead of the 7 wise men) and as far as I know ghosts cannot procreate.

other than that I thought that this was a great article. good job.

 

[Justac00lguy]

Well this is something that is never really clarified...

We know something happened to the original Sages at the hands of Ganondorf and for this reason the new Sages needed to be awakened. However Ganondorf is said to have cursed the Sages to be and we know that he did this by cursing the five Temples throughout Hyrule, so I think that the fact that it says cursed rather than some more tragic makes me think they were not killed. I like to think the Sages are above a mortal form, I mean look at the Sages from Twilight Princess; they survived from Ganondorf's execution through the events up until Twilight Princess, also Rauru was around during the Era or Chaos, which happened many years before OoT, maybe even several hundreds of years. So it could just be that the Sages earn this spirit form, that allows the to be immortal or unharmed by aging.

Another thing that interested me was this statement about the medallions:

Medallions filled with the power of the awakened sages. The Hero ofTime gained even more power once he obtained them

Now it looks like the Sages actually housed their powers within the Medallions in order to help the Hero of Time, so it might be that the reason for the Sages spirit form could be because they gave up some of their powers.

 

[Demise_]

Very nice theory. There is only one thing that I could add, and one thing with which I disagree. (There's also the fact that Zelda, a sage, does not die, though it is a minor factor - especially since she is a "special" sage, or their leader.)

Here's what I can add: Rauru. It has been confirmed that he is Kaepora Gaebora. How and why did he change from a wise owl into a Sage? It is possible that he got killed as an owl during Link's absence. As the Sage of Light, his temple is indeed the Temple of Light; he explicitly states when Link awakens that Ganondorf's influence had not yet reached that sacred place. Therefore, after being killed, he immediately awakened as the Sage of Light, ready to greet Link when he should wake up.

And here's what I disagree with: that the previous sages are dead.

In fact, who were the previous sages? There is no known manifestation of sages prior to the in-game events. It is entirely possible that there were no other sages before that. Especially as Zelda seems to clearly be the 7th sage, in life and willingly, yet she is no older than she seems. It is very possible that just as Link, who was chosen by destiny and all that, only began his role when the in-game events began, the sages also didn't exist as such until then - though they were still chosen by destiny and bound to their fate.

I'm not familiar with ALttP backstory and all that, but so far as it goes, this theory certainly fits well with, say, TP - after being awakened as sages, they became magic or spirit-like or whatever, thus also becoming immortal and being the same sages as those seen in TP. (BTW, how many TP sages are there?)

 

[snakeoiltanker]

WOW! Good Read! The evidence you provide is so solid, i dont know how to reply! Heres the thing. i agree, they probably faced some sort of trouble in their respective dungeons, and if we dont want to believe they "Died" thats cool, but with the evidence that the OP has provided, it's hard to disagree that their final moments of "Humanity" were in fact spent in battle! However, if you do not want to accept they died, due to the solid evidence you have all provided against the "Death Theory"(good job BTW), in zelda games it is not uncommon to be stopped when doing something that whatever higher power feels you just cannot be successful in doing! So maybe... like in Darunias' case when he said he was going to Confine or Hold Back the Dragon! Maybe once he had completed his task in helping Link, the higher Power or whatever it is that actually gives the sages' knowledge to them, rescued them before they were killed, explained everything to them, bestowed their powers apon them (which would be the actual transcendence theory), then they would not have died, but due to their interaction with the "High Power" went through Transcendence, in turn losing their "Humanity" and becoming Spirit like!

This could be explained by my Bonkers idea, that as Nabooru ran and was zapped by who we understand to be the Which Sisters, that maybe that was the point where she was taken by the higher power and given her powers. Which would explain her reaction, cuz this would be happening while you are in battle with the sisters, so you would be getting her First Reaction, unlike the others who have had time to think about what has just happened to them.

So in the end, the OP is right, just missing one simple event. It would make sense if they were taken to transcendence after the great deed they did in helping link, and in turn doing their part to save Hyrule, By Risking their Mortal Life to save the land, they are given a sort of Immortality, however with lots of responsibility! I dont know sounds good to me! This way you can combine the two conflicting ideas into one theory by adding what i just said. And it sounds pretty solid to me!

Good Job Go_Dark_Link

 

[ihateghirahim]

I applaud your dedication and attention to detail, but this theory has been proposed many times before. The theory isn't accepted due to solid evidence to the contrary.

If the sages get their power when they die, why does the WW show them losing their power when they die? In WW, Link has to find a living replacement for a dead sage; twice. Boom. . . Roasted.

The sages are never seen dying, and they have apparent physical bodies at the end of OoT. They appear alive and well.

We should recall the Sacred Realm is a physical plane of existence, and living people can go in and out.

How can Zelda be a sage if she clearly never dies and sages have to die?

 

[Justac00lguy]

How can Zelda be a sage if she clearly never dies and sages have to die?

Even though I don't completely agree with the theory here... Zelda already has the right of a Sage, she is the incarnation of the Goddess Hylia, she shares the same blood and powers of a leader. Another point is that Hylia gave up her form of a goddess or in a sense her life to be a mortal, so in a way the leader of the Sages technically did "die".

 

[Wolf Sage]

I've always thought of them as "spirited away." Although, this can be taken as enthymemic, seeing as the filler between "Link defeating the boss" and "sages awaken" remains largely untouched in-game. In other words, the process behind this can only be assumed; the truth (if there truly is one) shall remain enigmatic.

I find it odd how that Nabooru would somehow be "exempt" from awakening via death, per se. Doesn't seem to make any sense...