Era of Decline
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Occurrence | After Golden Era | |
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The Era of Decline, as the name suggests, is a period in which the Kingdom of Hyrule underwent a substantial amount of decline. This decline came after the prosperous Golden Era, however, due to a tragic series of events it eventually led to the downfall of the Kingdom. This Era follows the events prior and during both The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link.
Tragedy of Princess Zelda I
- Main article: The Tragedy of Princess Zelda I
After the defeat of the Demon King Ganon during A Link to the Past, the Triforce was passed down many generations through the Royal Family.[1] Due to the many great Kings, the Kingdom went through a Golden Era.[2] However, one King believed that after his death the Triforce would be misused.[3] To counter this, the King hid the Triforce of Courage and put a spell in which a crest would appear on the hand of a person worthy of wielding the full relic.[4]
The two heirs to the Kings throne were the Prince and Princess Zelda.[5] However the King was wary of his sons aptitude, due to this, the King only told Princess Zelda of the whereabouts to the Triforce of Courage.[6] Now the Prince wouldn't be able to wield the full Triforce once he ascended to the Throne. After the Great King's death, the Prince now became the new King of Hyrule and he soon realized that the Triforce he inherited was incomplete.[7] In anger, he searched frantically throughout the lands of Hyrule but to no success. Soon enough, a Wizard appeared and told the young King that the Princess knew the secret of the remaining piece of the Triforce.[8] Princess Zelda kept dearly to her word and,[9] in frustration, the powerful Wizard cast a spell in which the Princess entered an eternal slumber.[10] The young King soon regretted his hasty decisions and he took Zelda to the North Castle, where he laid her body to rest.[11] With Zelda now in an eternal sleep so was the secret about the Triforce of Courage, thus no King could utilize the full power of the Triforce for many years to come. Due to this, the once great Kingdom decreased in size and entered a period of decline.[12]
Ganon's Invasion
- Main article: The Legend of Zelda
One day the great Demon King Ganon returned and attacked the now small Kingdom of Hyrule.[13] Ganon obtained the Triforce of Power and sought after the remaining pieces. The Princess Zelda of this time decides to split the Triforce of Wisdom into eight separate pieces and spread them throughout the barren wasteland that is Hyrule.[14] Princess Zelda ordered her nurse, Impa, to search the lands for a possible hero worthy of suppressing the Demon King.[15] Infuriated, Ganon captures the Princess and sends his minions to search for Impa.[16] Impa soon finds herself surrounded,[17] it is then that a young hero, by the name of Link, appears and saves her.[18] Impa informs the young hero about the quest ahead of him.[19] Link goes to the eight temples throughout the land and completes the Triforce of Wisdom.[20] Using this golden relic, Link is able to defeat the Demon King and rescue Princess Zelda.[21]
Unification of the Triforce
- Main article: The Adventure of Link
Six years passed since the defeat of Ganon and Link, now sixteen, notices an odd crest on his hand.[22] He quickly seeks the assistance of Impa, who then takes the young hero to the North Castle.[23] Link presses his hand against the door and thus opens the chamber.[24] Inside he finds the sleeping Princess Zelda,[25] Impa informs Link that in order to awaken the Princess, he needs the Triforce of Courage.[26] Impa then sends Link out on a quest to remove the barriers to the Valley of Death. During these events, Ganon's minions attempt to resurrect their King by defeating Link. In order to aid the hero, Impa hands him six Crystals and a scroll bearing the mark of the Royal Family.[27] Link soon lifts the barrier and enters the Great Palace,[28] where hs is put to the test by a mysterious figure in the form of Dark Link. After defeating him,[29] Link is able to obtain the Triforce of Courage. He now returns to the North Castle and lifts the spell set on Zelda.[30] With the Princess now back to her normal self and with the plans to resurrect Ganon foiled, peace returns to the Kingdom of Hyrule.[31]
References
- ↑ "After the Demon King Ganon was vanquished, generation after generation, the kings of Hyrule maintained the order using the Triforce of Power, Wisdom and Courage that was handed down to the royal family." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 104
- ↑ "Thanks to the existence of the kings who handled the power of the Triforce, the kingdom developed and prospered." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 104
- ↑ "A great king that used the power of the Triforce was concerned that it could be misused after his death." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 104
- ↑ "Because of that, the king hid the Triforce of Courage and cast the following spell over Hyrule: “A crest shall appear on the hand of a human who has the aptitude, has been raised to follow the right way, has gained experience, and has reached a certain age.”" — Hyrule Historia, pg. 104
- ↑ "The king had a prince and a princess as his successors" — Hyrule Historia, pg. 104
- ↑ "but he was concerned about the prince’s character and aptitude and told the secret of the Triforce to Princess Zelda, since he detected that she had a better aptitude than the prince." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 104
- ↑ "When the king passed away, no crest appeared on the hand of the prince, and although he became the new king, he could only inherit the incomplete power of the Triforce." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 104
- ↑ "A wizard close to the young king suggested that Princess Zelda might know something." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 104
- ↑ "The wizard got angry and threatened to cast a spell of eternal sleep on her, but Princess Zelda stubbornly refused." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 104
- ↑ "The wizard finished chanting the spell and Princess Zelda collapsed in that spot." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 104
- ↑ "Regretting his mistake, the sad, grieving young king wished for Princess Zelda to wake up one day and placed her in the altar of the North Palace." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 105
- ↑ "The Kingdom of Hyrule was once a vast land proud of its glory, but over time, it decayed and became but a small kingdom." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 105
- ↑ "There came a day when the Demon Army, lead by the Great Demon King, Ganon, invaded Hyrule Kingdom and stole the Triforce of Power." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 106
- ↑ "The Princess Zelda of this era divided the Triforce of Wisdom that remained into 8 pieces and hid them all around the kingdom." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 106
- ↑ "She secretly ordered her nurse, Impa, to seek someone with the courage to defeat Ganon for them." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 106
- ↑ "Ganon, angered by Princess Zelda’s actions, captured her and sent his followers after Impa." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 106
- ↑ "Impa continued her desperate flight, but was at last surrounded by Ganondorf’s underlings." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 106
- ↑ "Link, appeared, and cleverly confused them, managing to rescue her." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 106
- ↑ "Impa explained her circumstances to Link" — Hyrule Historia, pg. 106
- ↑ "Link, at the end of his trials, had managed to find the 8 dungeons, collect the shards of the Triforce within, and complete the Triforce of Wisdom" — Hyrule Historia, pg. 107
- ↑ "Using the power of the Triforce of Wisdom, Link destroyed the Great Demon King, Ganondorf, and saved Princess Zelda." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 107
- ↑ "6 years after the suppression of the Great Demon King, Ganon, a mark resembling the crest of the royal family suddenly surfaces on the back of the left hand of Link, now 16." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 108
- ↑ "Concerned, Link passes on this information to Impa, who, surprised, brings Link to the northern castle." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 108
- ↑ "Link presses his crest against the door, and it opens with a clatter." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 108
- ↑ "The room within contains an altar, upon which a beautiful girl is laid. She is Princess Zelda I, continuing her slumber after being majicked into an eternal sleep." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 108
- ↑ "Impa appealed to Link to complete the Triforce and save Princess Zelda I." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 109
- ↑ "Impa tells Link the story of Zelda I, and entrusts with him 6 crystals and a scroll bearing the crest of Hyrule’s royal family." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 108
- ↑ "Link dispelled the barrier within Death Valley and opened the path to the Great Temple." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 109
- ↑ "In his final trial, Link was attacked by his own shadow, but he managed to defeat it in a battle of life and death." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 109
- ↑ "Link, having obtained the Triforce of Courage, used the Triforce’s power to awaken Princess Zelda I." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 109
- ↑ "He prevented Ganon’s revival and restored peace to the land of Hyrule." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 109