Master Sword
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"The Master Sword is a sacred blade which evil ones may never touch.... Only one worthy of the title of "Hero of Time" can pull it from the Pedestal of Time...." — Rauru
The Master Sword, also known as the Blade of Evil's Bane, is a recurring sword in the Legend of Zelda series. In many games, it is said to be the only sword capable of defeating Ganondorf and his alternate form, Ganon. This legendary blade was crafted by the Ancient Sages and blessed with the power to vanquish beings of evil. It has become one of the most iconic symbols of the Legend of Zelda series, often appearing in other video games. The Master Sword has been featured in several Zelda games' logos.
History
The Master Sword was forged from the Goddess Sword, a blade originally wielded by the Goddess, Hylia. During the events of Skyward Sword, Link is revealed as Hylia's chosen hero and removes the blade from its pedestal on the floating island of Skyloft.
The sword is tied with a guardian entity known as Fi, a being created by Hylia to guide the chosen hero. Fi guides Link in the forging of the Master Sword, this was done by exposing the blade to three Sacred Flames which represent Din, Nayru and Farore respectively.
Each sacred flame increased the properties of the sword as well as the shape and structure. Farore's flame forged the Goddess Sword into the Goddess Long Sword, a longer and sharper blade that does double damage.
Nayru's flame forged the Goddess Long Sword into the Goddess White Sword, the color of the hilt is now white and has enhanced dowsing abilities.
Din's flame forged the Goddess White Sword into the Master Sword, the hilt is now purple and green and the blade does three times the damage. Although this is the Master Sword it is not yet in its true form.
The Goddess then blessed the blade and turned it into the Master Sword's true form. Skyward Strikes now charge much faster and travels a greater distance.
Design
The Master Sword is a double-edged longsword with no fuller and blue hilt, although in A Link to the Past, the hilt of the sword is golden. The sword's crossguard is large and elaborate in relation to its pommel, and is similair to the seal of Hyrule's Royal Family. The Triforce is engraved on the base of the blade, embedded in the crossguard is a gem.
In The Wind Waker, the state of the gem and crossguard seems to be indicative of the sword's power. When Link first acquires the unawakened Master Sword, the gem in its crossguard is dark, and the guard itself seems to have retracted toward the grip. Only once the sword has been restored to its full power does its hilt regain its signature appearance, and its blade again shines a mysterious light. In Twilight Princess The Master Sword is much longer and slimmer.
Appearances
A Link to the Past
In A Link to the Past, the Master Sword is obtained by collecting the 3 Pendants from the 3 temples in the Light World across Hyrule. In this game, the Master Sword can be upgraded to the Tempered Sword and the Golden Sword. In the GBA version, the Golden Sword can break pots.
Ocarina of Time
In Ocarina of Time, Link obtains the Master sword in the Temple of Time. Link needs to place the three Spirtual Stones in the Pedestal of Time, which can be found in the 3 dungeons from the Child Timeline across Hyrule. Shiek describes the blade as a ship that sails across time; obviously referencing the ability of it to take you back and forth between childhood and adulthood. After defeating Ganon, Link places the Master Sword back into its pedestal. This creates a split in the timeline.
Oracle of Ages
The Master Sword is the final upgrade of the wooden sword and can only be obtained in a linked game with the Oracle of Seasons.
Oracle of Seasons
The Master Sword is the final upgrade of the wooden sword and can only be obtained in a linked game with the Oracle of Ages.
Four Swords 25th Anniversary Edition
The Master Sword is obtained after completing the Realm of Memories. It allows the player to shoot sword beams.
The Wind Waker
In The Wind Waker, Link finds the Master Sword underneath the Great Sea within Hyrule Castle in the drowned land of Hyrule. However after his first face-to-face encounter with Ganondorf, he is told that the Master Sword has lost its power. To restore the Master Sword to its former glory, Link must awaken the new Sages of earth and wind.
After awakening Medli as the new Earth Sage, Link takes her to the Earth Temple. Upon defeating Jalhalla, Link and Medli play the Earth God's Lyric and restore power partially to the Master Sword.
After awakening Makar as the new Wind Sage, Link then travels with him to the Wind Temple. Upon defeating Molgera, Link and Makar play the Wind God's Aria. With the prayers of both Sages, the Master Sword returns to its true state.
Twilight Princess
In Twilight Princess, Link obtains the Master Sword after getting cursed by Zant, causing Link to remain permanently as a wolf. The Master Sword is the only thing that can break the curse and it lies in a place called the Sacred Grove.
Later in the game, upon entering the Palace of Twilight, Link infuses the Master Sword with light. This light comes from the light sources of the Twilight Realm known as Sols. Once infused with light, the Master Sword can cut through veils of twilight which normally would transform Link into a wolf upon exposure. The light vanishes from the sword upon leaving the Twilight Realm but will return to the sword upon reentry.
Skyward Sword
Skyward Sword explains the creation of the Master Sword. It was originally known as the Goddess Sword wielded by the goddess, Hylia. The blade was exposed to three Sacred Flames, Farore's flame forged the Goddess Sword into the Goddess Longsword, Nayru's flame forged the blade into the Goddess White Sword and Din's flame forged it into the Master Sword, however the blade is not yet in its true state. In this game, the player can make Link preform a Skyward Strike by holding the Wii Remote vertically with the sensor pointing away from the ground.
Upon being blessed by Hylia, The Master Sword enters its true state.
