Mysteries of Hyrule – The Temple Of Time

Ancient. Majestic. Mysterious. Awesome. Some words one would use to describe this monument – the monument known as the Temple of Time. And what an apt name it is. Evidently, this towering shrine, dedicated to time itself, has, unsurprisingly, withstood the test of time throughout the ages. It has appeared in few games, making its debut in 1998’s Ocarina of Time, as well as its 3D remake, Twilight Princess and, more recently, Skyward Sword. After almost a decade, the temple’s reappeance in Twilight Princess was unexpected and most welcome.

Even moreso, it was confusing, as the location of the temple appears to be different to that of Ocarina of Time. It is a well known fact that the temple’s original location is in Hyrule town, next to Hyrule Castle. However, going to Hyrule Castle town in Twilight Princess yields no sign of the structure. Further confusing this is Skyward Sword, where there are two sacred temples, the second being the Temple of Hylia. So how does it all fit together? Hit the jump to find out more as we study one of the many mysteries of Hyrule.

***OCARINA OF TIME, TWILIGHT PRINCESS AND SKYWARD SWORD SPOILERS!!!***

As the series has progressed, we’ve slowly gleamed more information regarding the Temple of Time, however, at the same time, each appearance seems to make its existence all the more convoluted. Considering the latest two appearances are from fairly recent games, and considering that they have been paying closer attention to things such as the timeline since The Wind Waker, Nintendo probably has made these inconsistencies with intention, rather than trying to retcon in explanations of previous appearances. That being said, Skyward Sword definately makes things all the more confusing.

Ocarina's TempleThe reason for this is twofold. Firstly, both the temple that is known as the Temple of Time in the game, houses one Gate of Time, but it is destroyed midway through the game. A second Gate of Time is shown in the Temple of Hylia, which shows a connection between the two places. One thing to note, however, is that in Skyward Sword, you never actually set foot into the true Temple of Time, but merely it’s entrance. Therefore, it’s internal appearance is a mystery. Moving back to the location of the Temple, there are four distinct locations. Hyrule Castle town in Ocarina of Time, the Sacred Grove in Twilight Princess, as well as the Lanaryu Desert and Sealed Grounds in Skyward Sword.

Let’s look at the links between Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess firstly. Location is not a link with these two games, obviously, however, appearance is. In Twilight Princess, the temple has finally succumed to decay and is nothing but ruins. However, when travelling back to the temple’s original form, it appears undeniably similar to it’s Ocarina of Time counterpart? Same temple? Almost one hundred percent likely. The layout is the same and the Master Sword’s pedestal sits beyond the opened Door of Time. However, again, the location is the one deciding factor.

Now then, let’s compare Ocarina’s temple to Skyward Sword’s. Again, while we never get a real look inside the true Temple of Time in Skyward Sword, it’s exterior looks to be made of the same stone that it’s interior is in other games. Not to mention, in Twilight Princess, Hyrule Castle is located in the Lanaryu province. So then, is this the same temple as Ocarina’s? Perhaps, but let’s compare the Temple of Hylia, first to Twilight Princess’s temple, then Ocarina’s.

Zelda Sealed :(Obviously, both are ruined and run down looking temples, but even when going back in time in both games, their previous looks do not match at all. Then what about location? They are both in the woods. And both in the Faron province. And the layout is the same – the double doors that keep Zelda hidden for centuries could be recursors to the Door of Time, not to mention the Pedestal of Time is shown behind these doors at the end of the game. So the layout is the same, and the location matches, but the interior doesn’t? I told you it was confusing!

Now, one last comparison that may help put things into place. Ocarina’s temple looks nothing like the interior or the Temple of Hylia, either in the past or the present. They appear to be in completely opposite ends of the world, so why compare them? Now here’s the fun part.

Yay! Fun part!

Yay! Fun part!

Okay so, this is the part where we have to use our imagination. So yes, maybe they are at opposite ends of the world when comparing Ocarina to Twilight Princess, but what about Skyward Sword? Now, the province system between Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword most likely is different. Since they are on opposite ends of the timeline, it would be safe to say that things have changed. As such, I believe, the location for Hyrule Castle in the Skyward Sword era was NOT in the Lanaryu province like in Twilight Princess. Where then, might you ask? The answer is simple, and may answer the entire question this article poses. The home of everyone’s favourite old sheikah and scaly behemoth – the Sealed Grounds.

What? The Sealed Grounds?!

What? The Sealed Grounds?!

How does that work? Quite simply actually. Think about the end of Skyward Sword. The Isle of the Goddess descends, along with Link, Zelda and Gaepora. That makes the Sealed Grounds the first place in Hyrule that, not only Link, but Zelda and her father have placed their feet – the first Hylians. Would that not be an apt place to start the kingdom of Hyrule? And, thinking back to Ocarina, what is right next to Hyrule Castle but the Temple of Time. Likewise, in Skyward, what is right next to the grounded Isle of the Goddess? The Temple of Hylia. But it’s in ruins you say.King of Hyule? Sage of Light?

Without getting off tangent, let’s think about the light sage Rauru for a moment. Making his debut in Ocarina, and bearing striking resemblance to Gaepora, not to mention his alternative form, Kaepora Gaebora, Rauru is either a descent of Gaebora or the man himself. Bold statement, yes, but their appearances are too uncanny. And Gaepora’s second name (whether it is given or surname is not stated) is never mentioned, so who’s to say Rauru isn’t it? One other thing is that they both wear the same red garbs and, thinking logically, Gaepora would be the first king of Hyrule.

This means Rauru, whoever he is, was most likely a king of Hyrule before becoming a Sage. They both bear too much similarity to King Daphnes of The Wind Waker to not be so. But I digress. Rauru is the Sage of Light and resides in the Temple of Light, also known as the Chamber of Sages. It is believed that Rauru the Sage built the Temple of Time, so perhaps he built it upon the ruins of the Temple of Hylia. Would make sense since the Temple of Time’s Gate of Time was destroyed, perhaps rendering it nothing more than stone. This also ascertains it’s location in Ocarina. But then, what of Twilight Princess?

There is the possibility that, as a Sage, Rauru moved the temple into the Sacred Grove after Ocarina so that the Master Sword would be hidden, leaving the temple to decay and allowing, what may be, a Skull Kid to guard it. There is also another possibility. What if the temple in Lanaryu desert is the same as in Ocarina? What if Hyrule Castle is built there and the province remains the same? This would mean that the Temple of Time in Twilight Princess is the Temple of Hylia and that the Master Sword is moved there some time after Ocarina. In all honesty, I don’t like this theory anywhere near as much as there is no evidence and it’s too sloppy.Hyrule

However, the problem then lies with Hyrule Castle. If it is built upon the Sealed Grounds, then should it not be next to Kokiri Forest/Faron Woods? I believe the simplest explanation is that Faron Woods in Skyward Sword is much larger than in Twilight Princess. Perhaps much of the woods end up becoming Hyrule Field later on. This is the most feasible idea other than moving both Hyrule Castle and the Temple of Time multiple times, which, I believe, is too messy and unrealistic. So in my mind, the most logical would be that the woods grew further away from the Sealed Grounds as time went on and became Hyrule Field around it.

When you look at the map it’s really not that far, compared to Gerudo Desert. So most likely, the Temple of Time is rebuilt upon the Temple of Hylia, then later sent to the Sacred Grove. Of course, the Master Sword is retrieved at least once in each timeline thereafter. From the Sacred Grove in Twilight Princess, from the woods in A Link To The Past, meaning the temple itself has crumbled by this stage and only the Pedestal of Time stands. And finally, under Hyrule Castle in Wind Waker, meaning that through the war, the temple may have been destroyed and the Master Sword’s position compromised.

Ultimately, even if the stone walls of the temple are destroyed, Rauru and the other Sages can protect it from the Chamber of Sages, which may be a part of the Temple of Light, located at the heart of the Sacred Realm, where the Triforce formed. Could this possibly be the remains of Skyloft? Could the Temple of Light be the same as the Temple of Time’s dugeon in Twlight Princess? These are questions for another day. However, the Temple of Time still holds many mysteries, as do those surrounding it’s existence. Hyrule Historia my shed some light on this, but who knows, there will probably more speculating to do in the future I imagine. But until such a time that we get some more info, feel free to sound off below. What do you think? Is this an accurate theory? What do you think the origins of the temple are? Drop us a line and let us know what you think.

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