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{{Location
{{Spoiler}}
|name = Twilight Realm
{{Infobox|location
|image = [[file:Twilight.jpg]]
| image   = [[File:Twilight.jpg|350px]]
|race = [[Twili]]
| game   = ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|Twilight Princess]]''  
|game = [[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|''Twilight Princess'']]
| inhab    = [[Twili]]<br/>[[Midna]]<br/>[[Zant]]  
|dungeon = [[Palace of Twilight]]
| pointsint = [[Palace of Twilight]]  
|geo =  
| related = [[Hyrule]]<br/>[[Twilight]]
}}
}}
The Twilight Realm is the name of an parallel dimension to [[Hyrule]], a world of shadows and perpetual twilight whose light only comes from the [[Sol]] orbs that are kept in a sacred shrine in the [[Palace of Twilight]]. This place is the homeworld of the [[Twili]], a race of shadow-beings who are descended from the [[Interlopers]] who were banished to this world for attempting to seize the [[Sacred Realm]] for the almighty [[Triforce]]. In the aftermath of this banishment, they evolved into the Twili race. The only link between the Twilight Realm and Hyrule is a relic known as the [[Mirror of Twilight]], which acts as the gateway between the two dimensions. While Hyrule resides in the Light World and is lit by the sun, the Twilight realm exists in perpetual Twilight and is lit only by the Sol orbs which are the equivalent of the sun.


==Etymology==
The '''Twilight Realm''' is a parallel dimension to [[Hyrule]] stuck in perpetual [[Twilight]]. It is composed of darkness and shadows where the only light source comes from the two sacred light orbs, known as [[Sol]]s. The only appearance the realm makes within the series is in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|Twilight Princess]]'', where [[Zant]] has taken control of the Twilight Realm and turned its citizens into monsters. [[Midna]] is also from the Twilight Realm, and is the realm's rightful leader. The Realm itself is quite small in size compared to Hyrule and it features many scattered rock islands, suspended in the horizon. The most notable locations are the three islands that house the [[Palace of Twilight]]. There is only one notable connection or entrance to this realm and that is via the [[Mirror of Twilight]].
The Twilight Realm's name refers it to be a gloomy hazy, but serene world. It is often called the world of shadows, although that name makes it sound quite unpleasant. There is a strange beauty to this realm, which Hylians often see at the setting of the sun.


==History and Mythology==
==Origins==
===Theology===
In the tale told by the [[Light Spirit]], [[Lanayru (Light Spirit)|Lanayru]], he tells of a group of sorcerers named the [[Dark Interlopers]]. This tribe excelled in shadow magic and intended to use the power of the [[Fused Shadow]] to seek domain over the [[Sacred Realm]]. However the Light Spirits intervened, they took the Fused Shadows and broke them into four separate pieces. With the power of the Fused Shadows gone from their grasp, they were banished to the realm of twilight. Over time, due to the appearance of the light source being Sols, the Dark Interlopers eventually evolved of what become to be known as the [[Twili]].
The Twilight Realm seems to be a Polytheistic society, as [[Midna]] mentions that their Gods were on Link's side as symbolized by the Sol's fusing with the [[Master Sword]].  None of the gods of the Twilight Realm are mentioned during Twilight Princess, and it remains unclear if they pay homage to the goddess's of Hyrule, since they were banished by them. But what IS clear, is that they do worship more than one god. The full history of the Twilight Realm is incomplete, leaving only a brief bit of its origins and its recent history as the only information available. For much of its early history, it was a peaceful place, until the king of evil [[Ganondorf]] was banished to the place by the Ancient Sages where his evil influence would cause a coup of the government and cast the realm into darkness by overthrowing the true Twilight Princess and installing a puppet ruler named [[Zant]] into the position of ruler of the Twilight Realm. Zant goes on to seal the Sols, thrusting the Twilight Realm into darkness, and invade Hyrule under Ganondorf's orders in order to merge the two worlds together to make a single empire. After the Dark Lord's defeat however, peace was restored and the Twilight Realm was free from his grip. This was made possible by [[Link]] and [[Princess Zelda]] before the Mirror of Twilight was shattered by Midna, the Twilight Realm's rightful ruler that was restored to power. This action severed the only known road between the two worlds, destroying the only known means of travel between them to prevent similar events from happening again.


===Origins===
This realm became to be very peaceful and in time a monarchy was established in order to lead the Twili. Zant had been a loyal servant to the royal family of the Realm for many years and he was supposed to be next in line for the throne. However, it was Midna who was chosen as the true leader, being known as the Twilight Princess. Zant, distraught by this news, looked to the heavens for an answer. He was gifted a mysterious foreign power by his supposed god.
[[File:Interlopers.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Dark Interlopers as depicted in Twilight Princess ]]
At a certain point in the shadowy early history of Hyrule, a group of magicians called the [[Interlopers]] found out that the Triforce was hidden in the [[Sacred Realm]] and tried to invade the Realm to take control of the Triforce's legendary powers. To this end, they created a dark power, known as the [[Fused Shadows]] inside which they had vested an enormous amount of dark magic.
When they seemed on the verge of victory, the Goddess's decided that the [[Light Spirits]] of Hyrule should intervene and seal away the magic to stop the war. The light spirits shattered the Fused Shadow into 4 different segments hiding 3 of them in various places across the land, and leaving one to the interlopers. They then drove the Interlopers across the land into the Twilight. They were imprisoned in the Twilight Realm, which was used as a prison for those who displeased the Goddesses, and lost their ruler as punishment for the war.
In addition, the Twilight Realm's effect of causing those that dwelled within it for an extended period of time to only be able to exist as shadows outside of it took its toll on the Interlopers, dooming them to this fate as well. Over time, the Interlopers would evolve into the Twili and reestablish their monarchy that would come to rule over the Twilight Realm. The goddesses did not completely sever the Twilight Realm's connection to Hyrule however, for they left a lone link between the two worlds in the hands of the Ancient Sages, the Mirror of Twilight, which could only be shattered by the true ruler of the Twili.


===Zant's Rising===
This power was gifted to Zant by [[Ganon]]dorf. Ganondorf was sent to [[Arbiter's Grounds]] to be executed, but the execution failed and Ganondorf was able to break free. Ganondorf charged at one of the [[Ancient Sages]] with [[Sword of the Six Sages|the sages' own sword]], killing the water sage. In response to this action, the remaining sages decided the only option now was to seal Ganondorf into the banished Twilight Realm. Ganondorf housed his power into Zant at one request, that he merge light with shadow, therefore creating complete darkness. Zant took this power and falsely ruled the Twilight Realm, turning its habitants into mindless [[Shadow Beast]]s and Midna into a helpless imp. He also merged the twilight realm with the light world as was Ganondorf's request.  
[[File:zant.jpg|200px|thumb|left|The ruler of the Twilight, Zant]]
Many of years after the banishment of the Interlopers, The King of Evil, [[Ganondorf]], attempted to launch an invasion of Hyrule but was thwarted by the Royal Family of Hyrule who was forwarned by [[Link]], the Hero of time. As a result Ganondorf was sentenced to execution at Arbiters Grounds, the home of the Mirror of Twilight. He was held in this place for a time until it was the day of his execution, his was to be executed at the top of the prison. But when the Sages impaled him with the Sword of Sages, the [[Triforce of Power]] suddenly activated within him and prevented him from dying. The evil Gerudo soon broke free of his chains, obliterated the Sage of Water, and turned the blade on its owners. As a last resort, the remaining Sages activated the Mirror of Twilight to open the portal to the Twilight Realm and sent Ganondorf through it before the portal closed. Around a century later,the Twilight Realm entered a period of political instability when the throne was suddenly left vacant. One of the hawkish advisers of the Royal Family of the Twilight Realm, Zant, stood as a prime candidate to ascend to the throne. However, Princess Midna was selected as the true Twilight Princess, and Zant became enraged that he was not selected instead. He became severely depressed, and in this state was approached by Ganondorf, who masqueraded as a god. Ganondorf offered him the power to take the throne by force in exchange for his freedom from the Twilight Realm. Zant used his newfound magical abilities to curse Midna and usurped the throne of the Twilight Realm, transforming the Twili into Shadow Beasts and sealing away the Sols within the Palace of Twilight, leaving the Twilight Realm in darkness and bringing misery to the Twili. Meanwhile, Midna escaped to Hyrule with the lone piece of the Fused Shadow left in the hands of the Twili and decided to seek out the other fragments to use against Zant.
Once secured in the throne of the Twilight Realm, Zant now had the authority to open the portal generated by the Mirror of Twilight as the self-proclaimed King of Twilight. Exercising his new authority to do so, he was persuaded to attempt conquest of Hyrule by Ganondorf, whom he now released back into the World of Light in fulfillment of their bargain.
After this event, the story continues into [[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|Twilight Princess]], If you want to see the rest of the story, refer to that page.


==Governance==
==Story==
===Monarchy===
In the game, [[Link (Twilight Princess)|Link]] first encounters the Twilight Realm after he is attacked by [[King Bulblin]]. He wakes up after being unconscious to find a Wall of Twilight, he is then dragged through into the Twilight of [[Faron Province]] by a Shadow Beast. Due to Link being the chosen hero, he is transformed into a divine beast, [[Wolf Link]]. The beast was then taken to [[Hyrule Castle (Twilight Princess)|Hyrule Castle]], where he is imprisoned. Once waking up inside the jail, Link is chained to the wall, this is when he first encounters Midna. She helps Link escape from the jail and teams up with him to reach the princess. When reaching the room of [[Zelda|Princess Zelda]], she then tells Link and Midna about Zant and how she was forced to surrender, thus how the world has been transformed into a world of shadows.
The Twilight Realm seems to be ruled by a monarchy the like of which governs [[Hyrule]]. The monarchy rules from the Palace of Twilight which is situated in the middle of the vast realm. Usually the descendant of the last King/Queen is chosen, but in the event of an absence of selection, the people have the power to choose the next ruler. This was the case when the sitting monarch made no selection for a successor and set the stage for a succession debacle shortly before the events of Twilight Princess that resulted in [[Zant]]'s candidacy for the throne and [[Midna]] being allowed to take the throne with the support of her people.


===Military===
Once returned to [[Ordon Village]], [[Ordona]] tells Link about the three provinces across Hyrule, that are suspended in Twilight. He mentions that the light has been stolen from the other three Light Spirits, [[Faron (Light Spirit)|Faron]], [[Eldin (Light Spirit)|Eldin]] and Lanayru. Link is tasked with restoring the light to these provinces. For Link to achieve this, in each province he is gifted with a [[Vessel of Light]], which he must fill with sixteen [[Tears of Light]]. After doing this the Light is restored to the provinces and Link is transformed back into his [[Hylian]] form.
The military of the Twilight Realm is not fully explained in [[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|Twilight Princess]], but it does appear a military is present because Zant used a military to invade Hyrule. Although they were in Shadow Beast form at the time, it appears when i their true form they would not be equipped well to serve in military, as they are quite slow. With these details aside, however, it does seem they have a standing military for defense.
{{Main|Palace of Twilight}}
Later on in the game, Link has to restore the Mirror of Twilight by finding the three missing [[Mirror Shard]]s. This allows him access to the Twilight Realm, where he is tasked with taking down the ruler of Twilight, Zant. Upon entering the realm Link has to return the two Sols to the plaza. Once the Sols have been returned to their original position it powers up Link's [[Master Sword]], giving him the power to drive away darkness. This newly powered up Master Sword gifts Link the ability to transform the harmless Twili from Shadow Beasts to their natural form with the Sols' light. It also allows Link to clear up the shadows that block the entrance to Zant's Palace. Link is now able to confront Zant and thus the boss battle takes place. Once defeated, Midna uses the power of the now complete Fused Shadows to ultimately kill Usurper King.  


==Economy==
During the final events of the game, Ganondorf is defeated by Link and Princess Zelda is saved. The curse that was set on Midna by Zant now fades and the four Light Spirits return Midna to her true form. Upon saying her goodbyes to Link and Zelda, Midna shatters the Mirror just as she departs. Thus breaking the only known connection between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm.
[[File:GiantsWalletG Large.png|90px|thumb|left|]]
Little is known about the economy of the Twilight Realm, or whether an economy actually exists. However [[Link]] does find [[Rupee]]s hidden in several places in the Palace of Twilight. This would seem to imply that, like Hyrule, the Twilight Realm also has a similar economy that uses Rupees as currency.


==Technology in the Twilight Realm==
==Trivia==
[[File:TP_tech.jpg|200px|thumb|left|an example of some technology used in the palace of twilight]]
*Early screenshots and trailers of ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|Twilight Princess]]'' show that the [[Twilight Realm]] was originally meant to have a monochrome theme.
The Twilight Realm is shown to be filled with examples of technology far more advanced than anything found in Hyrule or most other locations depicted in the Zelda series to date. When Link visits the Twilight Realm, he finds that most buildings are suspended in the never-ending Twilight by unseen forces, implying that the Twili have developed some means of making their structures float in the void of the Twilight Realm. As exemplified within the Palace of Twilight, there are multiple other examples of advanced technology that were made by the residents of the Twilight Realm, such as the Twilight platforms that seem to be made of pure energy, the crystal switches used to activate these platforms, the Sols, the Sol-activated staircases that appear throughout the palace, and many others. Since the Twili's ancestors were noted to be especially gifted with magic, it makes sense that the Twili themselves would continue this tradition and put that talent to use in the creation of technology that surpasses even that seen in Hyrule.
*The [[Twilight Realm]] bears much resemblance to the concept art of the [[Sacred Realm|Golden Land]] from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|A Link to the Past]]'' and [[The Sky]] from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword|Skyward Sword]]''.
*The only notable location in the [[Twilight Realm]] is the [[Palace of Twilight]], however there appears to be other structures off into the horizon.


==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Wall of Twilight.jpg|Entrance to the Twilight Realm
File:800px-Palaceoftwilght.jpg|Palace of Twilight
File:Twilight Horizon.jpg|View of the Twilight Realm
File:Faron Woods in Twilight.jpg|Faron Province in Twilight
File:Eldin in Twilight.jpg|Eldin Province in Twilight
File:Lanayru in Twilight.jpg|Lanayru Province in Twilight
</gallery>
{{Listbox|Twilight Princess Locations}}
{{Cat|Twilight Princess Locations}}
{{Cat|Twilight Princess Locations}}

Latest revision as of 22:10, March 28, 2023

Spoiler Alert! This article describes a subject that is sensitive to plot development.
Twilight Realm
Twilight.jpg

Games

Twilight Princess

Inhabitants

Twili
Midna
Zant

Points of
Interest

Palace of Twilight

Related

Hyrule
Twilight

The Twilight Realm is a parallel dimension to Hyrule stuck in perpetual Twilight. It is composed of darkness and shadows where the only light source comes from the two sacred light orbs, known as Sols. The only appearance the realm makes within the series is in Twilight Princess, where Zant has taken control of the Twilight Realm and turned its citizens into monsters. Midna is also from the Twilight Realm, and is the realm's rightful leader. The Realm itself is quite small in size compared to Hyrule and it features many scattered rock islands, suspended in the horizon. The most notable locations are the three islands that house the Palace of Twilight. There is only one notable connection or entrance to this realm and that is via the Mirror of Twilight.

Origins

In the tale told by the Light Spirit, Lanayru, he tells of a group of sorcerers named the Dark Interlopers. This tribe excelled in shadow magic and intended to use the power of the Fused Shadow to seek domain over the Sacred Realm. However the Light Spirits intervened, they took the Fused Shadows and broke them into four separate pieces. With the power of the Fused Shadows gone from their grasp, they were banished to the realm of twilight. Over time, due to the appearance of the light source being Sols, the Dark Interlopers eventually evolved of what become to be known as the Twili.

This realm became to be very peaceful and in time a monarchy was established in order to lead the Twili. Zant had been a loyal servant to the royal family of the Realm for many years and he was supposed to be next in line for the throne. However, it was Midna who was chosen as the true leader, being known as the Twilight Princess. Zant, distraught by this news, looked to the heavens for an answer. He was gifted a mysterious foreign power by his supposed god.

This power was gifted to Zant by Ganondorf. Ganondorf was sent to Arbiter's Grounds to be executed, but the execution failed and Ganondorf was able to break free. Ganondorf charged at one of the Ancient Sages with the sages' own sword, killing the water sage. In response to this action, the remaining sages decided the only option now was to seal Ganondorf into the banished Twilight Realm. Ganondorf housed his power into Zant at one request, that he merge light with shadow, therefore creating complete darkness. Zant took this power and falsely ruled the Twilight Realm, turning its habitants into mindless Shadow Beasts and Midna into a helpless imp. He also merged the twilight realm with the light world as was Ganondorf's request.

Story

In the game, Link first encounters the Twilight Realm after he is attacked by King Bulblin. He wakes up after being unconscious to find a Wall of Twilight, he is then dragged through into the Twilight of Faron Province by a Shadow Beast. Due to Link being the chosen hero, he is transformed into a divine beast, Wolf Link. The beast was then taken to Hyrule Castle, where he is imprisoned. Once waking up inside the jail, Link is chained to the wall, this is when he first encounters Midna. She helps Link escape from the jail and teams up with him to reach the princess. When reaching the room of Princess Zelda, she then tells Link and Midna about Zant and how she was forced to surrender, thus how the world has been transformed into a world of shadows.

Once returned to Ordon Village, Ordona tells Link about the three provinces across Hyrule, that are suspended in Twilight. He mentions that the light has been stolen from the other three Light Spirits, Faron, Eldin and Lanayru. Link is tasked with restoring the light to these provinces. For Link to achieve this, in each province he is gifted with a Vessel of Light, which he must fill with sixteen Tears of Light. After doing this the Light is restored to the provinces and Link is transformed back into his Hylian form.

Main article: Palace of Twilight

Later on in the game, Link has to restore the Mirror of Twilight by finding the three missing Mirror Shards. This allows him access to the Twilight Realm, where he is tasked with taking down the ruler of Twilight, Zant. Upon entering the realm Link has to return the two Sols to the plaza. Once the Sols have been returned to their original position it powers up Link's Master Sword, giving him the power to drive away darkness. This newly powered up Master Sword gifts Link the ability to transform the harmless Twili from Shadow Beasts to their natural form with the Sols' light. It also allows Link to clear up the shadows that block the entrance to Zant's Palace. Link is now able to confront Zant and thus the boss battle takes place. Once defeated, Midna uses the power of the now complete Fused Shadows to ultimately kill Usurper King.

During the final events of the game, Ganondorf is defeated by Link and Princess Zelda is saved. The curse that was set on Midna by Zant now fades and the four Light Spirits return Midna to her true form. Upon saying her goodbyes to Link and Zelda, Midna shatters the Mirror just as she departs. Thus breaking the only known connection between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm.

Trivia

Gallery

  • Entrance to the Twilight Realm

    Entrance to the Twilight Realm

  • Palace of Twilight

    Palace of Twilight

  • View of the Twilight Realm

    View of the Twilight Realm

  • Faron Province in Twilight

    Faron Province in Twilight

  • Eldin Province in Twilight

    Eldin Province in Twilight

  • Lanayru Province in Twilight

    Lanayru Province in Twilight


Twilight Princess Locations[edit][hide]
Ordona Province
Faron Province
Eldin Province
Lanayru Province
Desert Province
Peak Province
Other
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